In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Dracula is representative of the superhuman ideal that man is striving to achieve. Dracula is a strong willed, powerful, brilliant masculine figure, and through these characteristics, he appeals to the contemporary reader. By the late 20th and early 21st century, vampires have been transformed into creatures that offer endless happiness and immortality on earth. Such a transformation can be seen in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 production of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Instead of viewing the Faustian dream of endless self-gratification and fulfillment as potentially evil, popular culture depicts these satanic creatures as morally justified, and actually good.
Stoker’s Dracula is aristocratic, well mannered, and highly educated with “humanistic touches [which] make Dracula appear noble and vulnerable” (Senf 424). Initially, Dracula seems like a modern man, hospitable, and capable of aging. Dracula is a middle aged man with “astonishing vitality” for his presumed age. He also has impeccable manners, caring for his “guest” when his “people are not available” (Stoker 22-3). Dracula is an educated man, as suggested through his library with books “of the most varied kind – history, geography, politics, political economy, botany, geology, law – all relating to England and English life and customs and manners” (25). He seems not only well informed but cosmopolitan, asking Harker “a myriad questions” (28). Harker observes “extraordinary evidences of wealth” (25) alluding to Dracula’s position as a wealthy “boyar” (26). These evidences cause Jonathan Harker to presume Dracula possesses conventional moral principles. Harker, being disarmed by his presumption, causes him to believe he is safe with Dracula. However, Harke...
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...ove story with a strong female character is entertaining, while a story about unconditional maternal love, salvation of the soul, and sacrifice is rejected. Stoker’s story is changed because, for the contemporary audience, there is no soul, the only real love is romantic, and sacrifice entails self-interest. These contemporary ideas are present in Coppola’s adaptation.
Works Cited
Coppola, Francis Ford, director. Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Columbia Pictures, 1992. Film.
“Film Adaptions: A Checklist” in Dracula. Bram Stoker. 1897. Eds. Nina Auerbach and David J. Skal. New York: Norton, 1997. 404-5. Print.
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. 1897. Eds. Nina Auerbach and David J. Skal. New York: Norton, 1997. Print.
Senf, Carol A. “Dracula: The Unseen Face in the Mirror” in Dracula. Bram Stoker. 1897. Eds. Nina Auerbach and David J. Skal. New York: Norton, 1997. 421-31. Print.
Throughout ‘Dracula’, Stoker presents the idea of ‘foreigner’ through the characterisation of Count Dracula and Professor Van Helsing, who are the two main outsiders in the novel. Dracula, being a supernatural creature, is of Transylvanian descent which makes him such a poignant character. On the other hand, Van Helsing is a Roman Catholic, and is of a Dutch background, which also highlights him as a foreigner within ‘Dracula.’ In this essay I will explore how these two characters are represented and the intention behind the idea of ‘foreigner.’
The novel Dracula by Bram Stoker has plentiful examples of key concepts we have examined in class including: Purity and impurity, magical thinking, strong emotions such as disgust and shame, , formalization, and myth. In this essay I will summarize events that take place within the novel when the protagonists deal with Dracula and then relate these events to the key concepts to demonstrate why the characters view him as dangerous, and therefore something to be avoided completely.
This fictional character was soon to be famous, and modified for years to come into movie characters or even into cereal commercials. But the original will never be forgotten: a story of a group of friends all with the same mission, to destroy Dracula. The Count has scared many people, from critics to mere children, but if one reads between the lines, Stoker’s true message can be revealed. His personal experiences and the time period in which he lived, influenced him to write Dracula in which he communicated the universal truth that good always prevails over evil. Religion was a big part of people’s lives back in Stoker’s time.
Florescu, Radu R., and McNally, Raymond T., Dracula, Prince of Many Faces: His Life and Times (1989)
Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula, as well as, Hayao Miyazaki’s animated feature, Princess Mononoke, deal with the prevalent theme of good verses evil. On the surface, both stories seem like typical hero verses villain tales, but once their plots are more closely analyzed it is evident that there is not a bold line between the two extremes. Both pieces explore the idea of evil being in the eye of the beholder and being interpreted completely differently from contrasting perspectives.
The late nineteenth century Irish novelist, Bram Stoker is most famous for creating Dracula, one of the most popular and well-known vampire stories ever written. Dracula is a gothic, “horror novel about a vampire named Count Dracula who is looking to move from his native country of Transylvania to England” (Shmoop Editorial Team). Unbeknownst of Dracula’s plans, Jonathan Harker, a young English lawyer, traveled to Castle Dracula to help the count with his plans and talk to him about all his options. At first Jonathan was surprised by the Count’s knowledge, politeness, and overall hospitality. However, the longer Jonathan remained in the castle the more uneasy and suspicious he became as he began to realize just how strange and different Dracula was. As the story unfolded, Jonathan realized he is not just a guest, but a prisoner as well. The horror in the novel not only focuses on the “vampiric nature” (Soyokaze), but also on the fear and threat of female sexual expression and aggression in such a conservative Victorian society.
Conclusively, while Bram Stokers novel Dracula is seen as a gothic and horror story, I argue that it is a novel that seeks to address female sexuality directly. Seen through numerous passages, Stoker confronts and battles the views between sexuality during the Victorian era though his genius of characterization of characters present within the novel. As it seems highly intentional to me, I respect the way in which he criticizes and critiques upon female sexuality by bringing into light new ideas regarding female desires. When contrasting his text upon today’s culture, the differences to how one perceived the vampire has changed significantly.
Stoker uses phenomenal imagery to produce a late nineteenth century setting, located somewhere within eastern Europe. Transylvania, the infamous home to Dracula himself, is described in great detail in Harker’s journal. There, Stoker purposely and meticulously outlines Dracula’s castle and the surrounding town. Stoker manages to do this with a very gothic tone, immediately lowering the societal status of women. In conjunction with Dracula’s gothic tone comes the understanding of male and female traditional roles of the era. The reader sees that there is no hesitation differentiating between the two, as Stoker “ cast[s] men as rational, strong, protective and decisive…[and] women as emotional (irrational), weak, nurturing and submissive.” (Tyson, 82).
Over the course of cinematic history, many filmmakers have attempted to recreate the chilling, unprecedented world of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Arguably very few have succeeded, for the majority of directors tend to avoid the pervasive sexuality inherent in the novel. It is a difficult task to achieve, considering the blatant imagery surrounding sex and vampirism, such as the reproduction following a vampiric encounter and the phallocentric nature of the violence committed both by and against these creatures: penetration is involved in their hunting, and one must impale them with a stake in order to destroy them. Readers are thereby forced to admit that Dracula is, in fact, a highly eroticized piece of literature, though whether or not Stoker himself was aware of this suggestiveness, we cannot be sure. The most successful effort at capturing that sexual energy on film has been Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 movie, Bram Stoker's Dracula. In fact, it has often been proposed that Coppola’s version is too carnally focused in comparison to the original work, which leads a viewer to wonder about the purpose in this overt sexualization. It can be concluded that adding copious amounts of eroticism to the film is directly related to Coppola’s strive to depict Count Dracula as more human rather than monster, and sexuality in his film serves as a balance so that the lines between good and evil are blurred. Evidence for this deduction is found in three scenes in particular: Jonathan’s seduction by Dracula’s vampiric wives, Lucy’s demonic transformation, and Mina and Van Helsing’s relationship during the climax of the story.
Since the 19th Century, Bram Stoker’s Dracula has entertained its readers taking them to heights of excitement in the climax
Bram stoker's Dracula is a classic story of good versus evil. Good and evil are such different concepts, and the author tries to show this using easy to read imagery. The story is presented with vivid details to induce deep thinking by the reader, forcing the reader to examine the gray area between good and
Matter of fact, one of the most inhumane monster like encounters was when Harker first met Dracula and he said, “'Enter freely and of your own will!”’ Harker thought to himself: “[He] Stood like a statue, as though his gesture of welcome had fixed him into stone. The instant I stepped over he moved impulsively forward…grasped [my hand] with a strength which made me wine” (Stoker22). This supernatural confrontation with Dracula dehumanizes him in a way that makes him more monstrous then human. Stokers emphasis on the phrase “'Enter freely and of your own will”’ holds a much deeper and frightening connotation behind it, causing the hairs of his readers to stand up in fear. Another time we see Dracula’s obscure energetic behavior, is when he begs Harker to teach him ‘fluent’ English: “I long to go through the crowded streets of London, to be in the midst of the whirl and rush of humanity, to share its life, its change, its death, and all that makes it what it is” (Stoker 27). Dracula’s use of terminology to describe a humane society are so horrifying that it barbarizes him into something much more dangerous than a monster. Stoker creates this perfect illusion that’s only evident to the eyes of the reader, and it shows how dangerous and monstrous Dracula truly is.
Comparing the 1931 version of Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi, with Frances Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula 1993 version yields some similarities. Both films are of the same genre: Horror. Both films are set around the same time period. Also, both deal with a vampire coming to England and causing disruptions in people's lives. Beyond these few similarities are numerous contrasts.
Evil features in both ‘Dracula’ and ‘Frankenstein’ but the personification of this evil is different in both novels. A feeling of menace and doom pervades ‘Dracula’ because of his supernatural powers. One feels that he has control of the evil and he has the power to manipulate the environment and people for his own ends. ‘Frankenstein’ centres on the creation of a monster made from parts of dead bodies and the fear created by the monster due to circumstance and the ignorance of society. Also, one feels a certain amount of apprehension that the monster is deserted by his creator and loses control without his support and guidance.
Holte, James Craig. Dracula in the Dark: The Dracula Film Adaptations. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1997.