CONSIDERING IN DETAIL ONE OR TWO PASSAGES, DISCUSS WAYS IN WHICH STOKERS DESCRIPTIONS OF SETTINGS CONTRIBUTE TO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DRACULA.
CONSIDERING IN DETAIL ONE OR TWO PASSAGES, DISCUSS WAYS IN WHICH STOKER'S DESCRIPTIONS OF SETTINGS CONTRIBUTE TO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DRACULA. A distinguishing feature of many Gothic texts is the architecture and setting. Gothic literature often includes a forbidden building with an intense atmosphere such as a castle often in ruins, or even a monastery. Regularly hidden chambers, secret passages and locked doors are palpably clear in Gothic texts, contributing to the overall effectiveness. In Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, whilst there is no ruined castle, one could look at the description of Jekyll's house as given in the first and second chapters. With its elegant façade and 'air of great wealth and comfort' at the front, in contrast with its ugly rear section, reduced by 'the marks of prolonged and sordid negligence, the split- personality of the house reflects the divided self of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Gilbert Phelps, an eminent critic, suggests that the use of setting and architecture is a symbolic suggestion of the human mind itself. Criticising the effectiveness of setting and architecture, he writes 'Its medieval castles, for example, with their underground passages were metaphorical groping: towards an exploration of the unconscious and subconscious mind.' Gothic texts often occur in and around an old castle, which itself lends its own haunting flavour with its
Dracula Essay. Focussing on chapter fourteen, to what extent do you think that, in Dracula, Stoker cannot provide answers to every question?
Focussing on chapter fourteen, to what extent do you think that, in Dracula, Stoker cannot provide answers to every question? During the Victorian era the advancement of technology was immense. Van Helsing and Dr Seward are the two characters who do the most debating on science and scientific method. In chapter fourteen Dr Seward describes his predicament: 'I do not know what to think, and I have no data on which to found a conjecture'. It is, therefore, quite clear that these two characters face difficulties, this is because, the supernatural events in Dracula conflict with their rational and religious beliefs. Significantly, Van Helsing asks Dr Seward 'To believe in things that you cannot', seemingly highlighting the apparent conflict between science and the supernatural. Stoker introduces the supernatural in chapter one, with the 'wolves, with white teeth and lolling red tongues' that the coach driver - presumably Dracula - appears to control, as well as the 'blue flames'. This early introduction of supernatural phenomena prepares the reader for the horrific and violent acts in the novel, whilst also, presenting a sense of uncertainty as there appears to be no explanation for these uncanny events. It could, therefore, be suggested that Stoker is setting up the idea that there is not always an answer to every question. Van Helsing acknowledges that there are some
To what extent is Dracula a conventional Gothic protagonist
To what extent is Dracula a conventional Gothic protagonist? Within the Gothic genre, features of the Gothic protagonist include sharply contrasting character traits, some degree of tragic stature, a striking physical presence, an element of the sexual, and an association with the bestial. Stoker presents Dracula with greatly contrasting traits, from the impeccably polite and courteous host who greets Harker at the door, to a raging psychopathic monster. The aristocratic and noble nature of Dracula's heritage gives him charisma and credibility, on first encounter he seems strange but eccentric, however this lulls Harker, and obviously his female victims, into a false sense of security: "The light and warmth of the Count's courteous welcome seemed to have dissipated all my doubts and fears." Stoker reveals Dracula's true self slowly and subtly, so as to build tension, such as when Dracula touches Harker and he feels: "a horrible feeling of nausea." This imagery hints at the horror of Dracula's true character, which is finally revealed when he encounters the Brides: "But the count! Never did I imagine such wraths of fury, even in the demons of the pit!" Stoker presents the count as being: "lapped in a storm of fury," foreshadowing the terrible storm at Whitby when Dracula arrives on English soil. Stoker's uses the imagery of hell to describe Dracula's rage, writing: "his eyes
A Critical Analysis of Dracula pg. 41
A Critical Analysis of Dracula pg. 41 Previous to the chapter being analysed, Dracula has warned his guest never to fall asleep anywhere in the castle other than his own room. Jonathan Harker, the protagonist, filled with anxiety and worry about the mysterious count, hangs his crucifix above his bed and sets out to explore the castle. Then the passage begins as Harker observes Dracula crawling down the wall of the castle, terrified of the 'lizard' like creature, and fearing there will be no escape. Firstly, at the outset of the passage Harker states that 'my eye was caught by something', the oddly constructed sentence, suggesting Harker's passivity and that he is the victim, especially as 'something' implies he is unsure of what the creature is, heightening the fear and tension. This theme of passivity runs central in the passage and in the novel as a whole, perhaps having an underlying contextual message, reflecting the anxieties of the Victorian age as it was the time of the 'new woman' and furthermore a time where society was becoming increasingly aware of homosexuality. This passivity however could have multi-accentuality, also trying to eliminate the stereotypical gender role where the woman is passive. This view is reinforced later in the chapter when Harker is seduced by three dominant female vampires. The passage progresses in a typical Gothic fashion, describing
Analysis of Vampire Scene in Chapter 3 Dracula
Analysis of the Vampire scene in Chapter Three Freud suggests that fear is "linked in some way to an earlier emotional response that has been repressed." In chapter 3 Hawker experiences a great amount of fear when he is attacked by the Brides of Dracula, in a dramatic, highly sexual scene. Hawker's submission and confusion as to whether he is experiencing pleasure of pain could, to follow Freud's theory, be linked to a past memory in which he repressed his sexual desires. In the prudent society in which Stoker was writing, the rampant, overt eroticism of the Brides would have been shocking, and in some ways liberating. Stoker writes: "There was something about them that made me uneasy, some longing and at the same time some deadly fear. I felt in my heart a wicked, burning desire that they would kiss me with those red lips." The Brides are wholly sexual beings, who are guided solely by their desires, and this need contrasts completely against the typical 19th century men and women- John, Lucy and Mina. This liberation from repression would and did terrify and shock society, making vampires seem more like animals, monsters. Freud wrote about the Superego, Ego and Id, the three parts of the human psyche. The Id is natural, animalistic desires, such as sex and hunger and it is the Ego's job to ensure that these desires are controlled, in order for a human to live in an ordered
Dracula has been described as a novel of Gothic horror(TM) " considering in detail one or two passages, explain why this is true (P.44-47).
Dracula has been described as a 'novel of Gothic horror' - considering in detail one or two passages, explain why this is true (P.44-47). The vampiresses scene is one of the key points in the novel, as Jonathan Harker is beginning to realise the dangers which he faces at Castle Dracula. The Protagonist has recently observed Dracula crawling face down, down the castle wall and is now bewildered as to the true nature of the Count. When finding his guest wandering the castle one night, Dracula warns him never to fall asleep anywhere in the castle other than his own room. One evening soon thereafter, Harker forces a locked room open and falls asleep, not heeding the count's warning. This extract is taken from Jonathan's journal and opens with his reflection on 'the Count's mysterious warning'; he claims to take 'a pleasure in disobeying it.' Throughout the beginning of this passage, Jonathan repeatedly comments on the 'long accumulation of dust.' Though Harker considers himself to be a modern man of the nineteenth century, here there is a sense that things have remained unchanged for centuries. The descriptions of the castle are laced with a sense of history and the reader is given a feeling that the past continually haunts the present. Like the count himself, the Castle is degenerate and corrupt; we feel a great sense of decay which is revealed through the descriptions of the
Explore the ways in which suffering is presented in Enduring love and The new poetry book of love and consider how The reader might illuminate ones understanding of these texts
To Love is to suffer, to be loved is to cause suffering. Explore the ways in which suffering is presented in ‘Enduring love’ and ‘The new poetry book of love’ and consider how ‘The reader’ might illuminate ones understanding of these texts.42 Suffering is to undergo distressful feelings of a deplorable experience. When affixed with the defining of love, writers often seek to tie opposing themes together encouraging readers to believe that ‘To love is to suffer, to be loved is to cause suffering’. Such suffering , through love, are presented in the three texts. ‘Enduring Love’ published in 1997, is Ian McEwan’s novel of suffering through an “entanglement”1 evoked by tragedy which sees the death of John Logan. However such an entanglement stirs a “torturing”2 powerful obsession which threatens the love of a couple and causes each character to suffer in a differentially opposed style. Love, guilt and suffering are presented in this, raising interesting comparisons to ‘The New Penguin Book of Love Poetry’ which explores love from a wide range of poets, who identify separations which cause “darkness and corruption”3 to declarations of “love so sudden and so sweet”4.Bernhard Schlink’s novel ‘The Reader’ is a post holocaust novel which expresses the more erotically physical and less personal relationship between the narrator and an