The Irish author Abraham ‘Bram’ Stoker wrote in 1897 the horror novel ‘Dracula’. From all accounts, that Stoker based his horror novel on Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, who was a malicious count resident in Transylvania, the now-existing Romania.
Dracula is an epistolary novel that falls under the category ‘Gothic fiction’, which combines horror, death, love and lust. The word ‘Gothic’ refers to the pseudo-medieval buildings (Gothic architecture), in which many of the narratives are set. By combining the supernatural with the milieu and topography (the surroundings) that we know, Gothic fiction as a genre is created. Furthermore, several Gothic devices are presented in the text. Isolated landscapes, mysterious castles, dark and stormy skies, …show more content…
Seward’s diary is told in the present time, which involves a scenic representation. The narrated time is parallel with the reading time. Lucy’s diaries vary more in their temporal presentations. She is writing her diary in the present time (“I feel so happy tonight”) , the present perfect (“I have been so miserably weak”) , future perfect (“I must have fallen asleep”) and the past tense (“Mother did not seem to take to my proposal”) .
In the text, several dichotomies are presented: Love >< horror, man >< woman, immortal >< mortal, old >< young, ill >< healthy and inhuman creatures >< humans. A more abstract dichotomy, the text presents, is Lucy’s inexpiable preference for garlic. It is a well-known fact that vampires are disgusted by garlic, why it is strange that Lucy suddenly likes garlic: “I never liked garlic before, but to-night it is delightful! There is peace in its smell; I feel sleep coming …show more content…
Vampires belong to the supernatural and their habits are feeding on humans and animals – and the prey of the vampires often turn into a vampire themselves. Lucy’s somnambulism is also worth mentioning: “(…) she had many spells of sleeping and waking and repeated both actions many times”. The hereditary curse is considered as a Gothic device. Lucy’s somnambulism inherited from her father presents a gothic writing technique creating suspense and strangeness. The uncanny and inexplicable is represented in the text. For example, Lucy’s inexplicable ability to heal wounds: “The wounds on the throat had absolutely
Dracula is an epistolary novel that falls under the category ‘Gothic fiction’, which combines horror, death, love and lust. The word ‘Gothic’ refers to the pseudo-medieval buildings (Gothic architecture), in which many of the narratives are set. By combining the supernatural with the milieu and topography (the surroundings) that we know, Gothic fiction as a genre is created. Furthermore, several Gothic devices are presented in the text. Isolated landscapes, mysterious castles, dark and stormy skies, …show more content…
Seward’s diary is told in the present time, which involves a scenic representation. The narrated time is parallel with the reading time. Lucy’s diaries vary more in their temporal presentations. She is writing her diary in the present time (“I feel so happy tonight”) , the present perfect (“I have been so miserably weak”) , future perfect (“I must have fallen asleep”) and the past tense (“Mother did not seem to take to my proposal”) .
In the text, several dichotomies are presented: Love >< horror, man >< woman, immortal >< mortal, old >< young, ill >< healthy and inhuman creatures >< humans. A more abstract dichotomy, the text presents, is Lucy’s inexpiable preference for garlic. It is a well-known fact that vampires are disgusted by garlic, why it is strange that Lucy suddenly likes garlic: “I never liked garlic before, but to-night it is delightful! There is peace in its smell; I feel sleep coming …show more content…
Vampires belong to the supernatural and their habits are feeding on humans and animals – and the prey of the vampires often turn into a vampire themselves. Lucy’s somnambulism is also worth mentioning: “(…) she had many spells of sleeping and waking and repeated both actions many times”. The hereditary curse is considered as a Gothic device. Lucy’s somnambulism inherited from her father presents a gothic writing technique creating suspense and strangeness. The uncanny and inexplicable is represented in the text. For example, Lucy’s inexplicable ability to heal wounds: “The wounds on the throat had absolutely