n Dracula, several characters are seen following roles and actions that are usually reserved for the opposite sex, these situations allow for the Victorian reader to understand that this is a special situation and that something is not right. In clearer terms, the switching and blurring of gender roles allows for a greater sense of strangeness and wrongness for the novel to continue successfully as horror fiction. Jonathan Harker is the first character we see allowing himself to be feminized, firstly
Gothic literature draws heavily on the influences of the Romantic Movement in its appreciation of nature, and the use of sublime imagery is prevalent in the literature du jour, and is presented as the diametric opposite to what Julia Kristeva calls the abject in her 1980 work, Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection. Abjection is the human reaction (such as terror or horror) to a threatened loss of meaning when confronted by the loss of distinction between the subject and the object: the moment at
Dracula: A Portrait of Victorian Society Every novel is a product of its time, and no matter what genre, every author reflects the world around them. In the 1897 novel Dracula, author Bram Stoker examines societal anxieties regarding sexuality and from these observations he draws parallels to characteristics in the story’s antagonist, Dracula, and vampirism itself. Stoker recognizes the distinct sexual repression of the late 19th century and specifically incorporates elements of homosexuality, feminine
Essay 2 The Victorian era, or the reign of Queen Victoria, has become known a time period that has transcended literature, cinematography, art, and ultimately has become a kind of style for our modern day culture. Bram Stokers novel Dracula is an example and the prime example for this essay of what the Victorian era means to literature as a whole. Most literature has a specific time and place as to where it is set, whether it is set in the mid-west or outer space is has a time and place. However
I will analyze two Gothic Victorian novels Dracula by Bram Stoker and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. In both of the novels I will focus on the monstrous ‘Other’ of humanity. Derrida’s concept of transcendental signified is beautifully described in this novel; the identity of the other has generally been defined in terms of the central entity, be it God and man. The center also uses the other to define himself. The center creates force field in which general meanings are created. The center always
(Campbell). Likewise, the modernization of a classic text offers insight into the current culture as much as the original text does. For centuries, common themes of gender roles and homosexuality permeated the gothic horror genre. Though the themes have remained constant, the cultural context which surrounds them, have not, as exemplified in Dracula, a novel by Bram Stoker, and Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film adaptation. Gothic horror is a well-known genre, believed to have been invented by Horace Walpole
sensational ideas on vast subjects, such as vampirism, gender and sexuality, the supernatural and dark power; thus incrementing the range of gothic horror genre to new frontiers. Among thousands of fictional vampires, I believe that Count Dracula in the famous 1897 oeuvre Dracula by Bram Stoker and Edward Cullen in the modern oeuvre Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer ushered in an exceptional advancement in vampire fiction by intensifying the
The Influential Era Bram Stoker wrote the ground-shaking classic and gothic horror, Dracula, during the momentous Victorian Era. The Victorian Era was a time period of strict gender roles and a life regulated by vigorous religion. Women had specific duties that they had to do in order to be accepted into society, such as being pure, serving her husband, and raising children. People in this time period were also required to have an immensely close relationship with God and follow Christianity’s every
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a gothic novel because it contains all the classic elements. The story takes place in a dark crumbling castle, the tone is mysterious, there is a villainous character, and the hero is battling against an inevitable fate. London is a perfect setting for Dracula because London contains castles, hidden streets, waterways, recurring rainy weather, European architecture, and mystique. The novel includes many terrifying scenes, such as when Dracula raises a sack with a deceased
transcends death. The strength of the woman in a motherly role suggests Coleridge's support for this purpose of women in society, as opposed to more independent means. Every morning, a bell rings to mark the death of Christabel's mother, a constant reminder of her absence. As the landscape mirrors the depression felt by the mourning Sir Leoline, the significance of the mother figure is evident. Coleridge highlights the importance of her role for in society, hinting at the strength of mothers by presenting