Chapter 7 of Brams Stoker's Dracula seems to be a pivotal chapter in the overall novel due to the arrival of Dracula on to Whitby. The chapter is split up into three different sections each from a different viewpoint and

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“What is the function of chapter 7? Explain how the techniques that Stoker uses are typical of his style elsewhere in the novel”

Chapter 7 of Brams Stoker’s Dracula seems to be a pivotal chapter in the overall novel due to the arrival of Dracula on to Whitby. The chapter is split up into three different sections each from a different viewpoint and in a different format. Firstly there is the newspaper cutting which goes into detail on the events that occurred leading up to the ships arrival on the shore. Following that came the Log of the Demeter written by the captain himslef as he saw the events take place on board. Finally the chapter ends with another entry into Mina’s journal. It is important to note that while all three are very unique in their own ways, there is one common link between them all and that is the fact that all three are written in a format which strictly follows Stoker’s techniques in previous chapters of  the novel in which he adds authenticity to the oevrall story by writing it in different viewpoints of people who were actually there in amongst the surroundings and the plot. The story is never told from any sort of a narrative and this is seen clearly in the three examples in chapter 7.

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In the newspaper cut out, as soon as we read the first paragraph it is evident that Stoker is using his techniques which were used in previous chapters such as the vivid descriptions of the natural settings shown by the use of words such as ‘beautiful’, ‘grand’ and ‘splendidly-coloured’ to begin with and breaking it up by bringing in hints of menace in refrences made to the ‘coming of a sudden storm’ and the ‘absolute blackness’ as he did when Harker was describing his coach journey to the Count’s castle. By carrying out this set pattern at the beginning ...

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