Gender Roles In Bram Stoker's Dracula?

Dracula contains a lot Gothic conventions which incite the reader. A convention is the main point of a specific type of writing, for example in Dracula there is the use of journeys/quests, diaries, letters, journals, weird places and strange creatures. These conventions are essential in the story of Dracula and it is important to understand them. Dracula, just like any other gothic piece of writing has a villain/vampire-Dracula, a hero-Jonathan Harker and a victim-Mina. Van Helsing also plays a main role as the slayer of Dracula.

The novel’s main focus is the existence of vampires which is significant to occultism as it is the element of the supernatural. Throughout the novel there are also references to religion from the beginning because the first few chapters of the novel explains that there are religious symbols such as a crucifix and the church and graveyards are also mentioned several times. The setting of Count Dracula’s house is described as a mansion which is a typical scene for a gothic novel. The Picture of Dorian Grey highlights the key element of aesthetics. Aesthetics is beauty or the appreciation of beauty .

Gothic fiction emerged in the late eighteenth century and it was an extension of Romanticism. The principal characteristic of Gothic is the account of terrifying situations with elements like the sublime, madness, mystery, death, supernatural and horror. But as all the literary genres it underwent a transition. In the nineteenth century, the coming of Queen Victoria to the throne, the introduction of new scientific theories, the publication of The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin and industrialization modified the structures of society , its motivation, and believes. This influenced the genre, creating a new literary movement: Victorian Gothic, and therefore also the novels written in these different periods.

Here are some testimonial lines taken from Christopher Frayling’s book Vampyres: Lord Byron to Count Dracula. In this book, Frayling writes:” Polidori transformed the vampire from a character in folklore into the form that is recognized today- an aristocratic fiend who preys among high society” (Frayling ) In this respect, Senf also writes:”Polidori’s work anticipates some of the ways that other writers will use the vampire as a social metaphor in realistic fiction” (Senf: 39). Based on the previous findings, it seems fair to suggest that Polidori’ s The Vampyre is not just a story of a monstrous figure of the vampire from folklore tradition waiting to be destroyed by a wooden stake through the heart, it is rather that kind of nineteenth century vampire whose literary presence is highly loaded with metaphorical connotations. For instance, Lord Ruthven’s presence in the story is but an attempt made by Polidori to tackle issues related to moral standards like vice and virtue. For a deeper understanding, we will rely on Jeremy L. Keffer’s research conducted to explore the ways in which thos... ... middle of paper ... ... victim.

In the late 18th and early 19th century, gothic ways of living were very common in the Eastern part of Europe, especially in the medieval times. A convention can be described as a standard feature or an ingredient of a particular sort of writing and in Dracula Bram stoker uses many Gothic conventions to excite the reader. Bram Stoker uses many Gothic conventions throughout his novel in forms of journeys and quests, the use of diaries, letters and journals, sinister buildings and most importantly strange creatures. Stoker also relies heavily on the conventions of Gothic fiction, a genre that was extremely popular in the early nineteenth century. Gothic fiction traditionally includes elements such as gloomy castles, sublime landscapes, and innocent maidens threatened by indescribable evil.

Bram within his beautiful mind took these things and formed them molded them into a Novel, Creature or legend known simply as Dracula. Works Cited Carol A. Senf, “DRACULA: The Unseen Face In The Mirror,” in Journal Of Narrative Technique, Vol. 9, No.3, Fall 1979, pp. 160-70 “Dracula.” Novels for Students. Ed.

Mary Shelley’s outstanding novel Frankenstein is a prime example of a Gothic novel because of the many characteristics of a Gothic novel that point it to being a Gothic work. The Gothic genre, or otherwise known as a Gothic romance, was a popular form of literature during the time that Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein. Mary Shelley used the Gothic genre of Romantic literature in the writing of the novel Frankenstein. She a may have even been influenced by the Gothic structure, Castle Frankenstein, to write the Gothic novel Frankenstein (Williams 3). Gothic novels were a type of fiction that became popular in England during the 1700’s and early 1800’s (Dunn 279).

Renfield is connected to Dracula by an unseen power, which not only foretells the attempted invasion by Dracula, but also the final outcome. Renfield parallels Dracula need for life (blood) throughout the novel. The novel as a whole is centered on the complex, mysterious creature Dracula. Stoker’s use of the character Renfield functions as an abstract representation for a better understanding of Dracula. The idea of an omnipotent vampire is unbelievable and Renfield provides clarity through his madness.

Can see that Dracula represents blood because blood is the life and Dracula lives off about blood Bram Stoker gives us the impression of fear coming from Count Dracula but we know that when he was alive he was a very caring man. Which only proves that the new undead count has become evil to get the blood he needs in his body. Although Dracula was the main point of the novel and his main role was to take blood from living so that he may become younger. He was a criminal and he was evil and evil has proven to fall and lose as for good will always win." It was like a miracle.

Ever since Bram Stoker wrote his entrancing novel people have been adapting it, and the story is one of the most reproduced ideas in history. Each innovation of the novel influences the story for the creators own purpose, and in doing so generates another version of Dracula. Count Dracula has become an infamous character in history, and has been captured in many different mediums, such as the Japanese anime and manga series Vampire Hunter D, which follows Draculas son D in his adventures (Kikuchi). However, one of the adaptations that endures in modern minds is the 1992 film by Francis Ford Coppola, Bram Stoker's Dracula. This version of Dracula was meant to be loyal to the novel, but it diverged from the original in many ways.