How does Bram Stoker use Gothic conventions to create an atmosphere of suspense and fear for the reader?
How does Bram Stoker use Gothic conventions to create an atmosphere of suspense and fear for the reader? Dracula is one of the most well-know novels, it was written by Abraham Stoker. At the time Dracula was released in 1897, people regarded it as being a romantic horror, with some elements of fantasy and also it was especially famous for it's gothic conventions. In modern times the term 'gothic' can be regarded as being barbarous, offensive and uncouth. Although many people may not regard it as being scary it is still associated with the 'unknown'. 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. From background knowledge of Abraham
How does Bram Stoker use Gothic conventions to create an atmosphere of suspense and fear for the reader?
How does Bram Stoker use Gothic conventions to create an atmosphere of suspense and fear for the reader? Gothic writing was a type of writing which was popular in the late 18th/19th century. It is usually set in medieval castles with secret passageways, dungeons, and ghosts. This type of writing is very melodramatic (over the top) in its style with rather stereotyped characters which was considered shocking in its day. This sort of writing creates a very "eerie" environment and sets the story to be very "horror" like. Gothic writing is and will remain interested in supernatural forces. These supernatural forces consist of tales of desire, darkness, power, spectres, monsters, demons, corpses, skeletons, evil landscapes etc.... These are all conventions, which come under the Gothic tradition. In this essay I'm going to explain how Bram Stoker uses Gothic conventions to create an atmosphere of suspense and fear for the reader. A convention is a feature or ingredient of a particular sort of writing and in Dracula, many Gothic conventions are used to excite the reader. The most important of these are: - journeys and quests, use of diaries, letters or journals, sinister buildings and strange creatures. The conventions that I'm going to write about are: - * Sinister buildings * Creatures of a strange nature * Any other relevant Gothic conventions Dracula, as described
Discuss the relationship between sexuality and cruelty AND/OR or death in any TWO texts.
Discuss the relationship between sexuality and cruelty AND/OR or death in any TWO texts. Dracula's brutal sexuality is exposed when Mina is physically forced to drink the Count's blood. However, in contrast, Lestat psychologically taunts Claudia because she will never experience adult sexuality. Vampires, therefore, cannot be characterised as homogenous creatures, but like humans have considerably differing natures that are driven by individual desires. From this assertion, my argument in this essay will discuss the diverse nature of vampires and humans in the texts Dracula and Interview With The Vampire. Besides suggesting that power, sadism and erotic desire are fundamental to the relationship between sexuality and cruelty. Vampires crave power. In Dracula, power is manifested by the Count's defense of his aristocratic heritage. Michel Foucault's work on sexuality reminds us that: 'one of the characteristic privileges of sovereign power was the right to decide life and death' (Foucault p.135). Considering this, Jonathan Harker's commentary assists in determining Dracula's perception of social status, as his journal comments on the exalted manner in which the Count expresses himself: 'Whenever he spoke of his house he always said "we," and spoke almost in the plural, like a king speaking' (Stoker p.40). In which case Jonathan Harker's diary establishes the Count's
To what extent can thethree female characters in Bram Stoker's "Dracula" be compared to thetraditi
To what extent can the three female characters in Bram Stoker's "Dracula" be compared to the traditional Victorian ideal? Having studied Bram Stoker's Dracula as part of my GCSE English Course, I am going to consider the representation of women in the novel. The three main characters I will study are Mina, Lucy, and the three female vampires (belonging to Dracula). I am going to consider the similarities and differences of each character, and how well they compare to traditional Victorian women. I will support my answers with quotes and evidence. During the early twentieth century, the traditional Victorian ideal would be a lady of leisure. A Victorian woman effectively had only two options: she was either a virgin- a model of purity and innocence, or she was to be a wife and produce an heir. If she was neither these, not only would men not take any interest in her, but also she had no consequence in society. Women had to run the household and obey their husbands, not only them, but to treat all men with respect. Moral behaviour, and a feminine appearance were also aspects of a traditional Victorian ideal. As well as this, Victorian women were expected to be obedient and virtuous. However, in the late 1800's the Victorian ideal was being challenged, which better became known as the 'New Woman'. These new women were to be considered the feminists of the time, they rejected
Dracula - Bram Stoker creates suspense in Jonathan Harker's first diary entry by his description of the scene. An atmosphere of dread, fear and the unknown can be felt when reading the passage.
GCSE English/Literature Bram Stoker creates suspense in Jonathan Harker's first diary entry by his description of the scene. An atmosphere of dread, fear and the unknown can be felt when reading the passage. Dusk is the time of day where you can imagine all sorts of creepy things happening. The sun setting behind the mountains give the appearance of moving shadows. The passengers felt so afraid of their surroundings that they crossed themselves. Jonathan feels unsure about the excitement he sees from the other passengers, which cant, be explained. Dracula's appearance is mystical. The writer begins to build suspense when Jonathan Harker describes "the shadows of the evening." He creates an atmospheric effect by saying "they creep around us." This gives the awareness that the night is coming and like a person or animal is stalking them. From the opening lines of his diary I think Jonathan is feeling uncomfortable. Bram Stoker begins to build tension when Jonathan Harker describes "by the roadside were many crosses." He creates a scene of darkness and dread. I think this gives the effect that Jonathan is nervous in his surroundings. The writer begins to build anxiety when Jonathan describes "The Ghost-like clouds." He creates a Ghost like illusion by saying "the falling sunset threw into strange relief the ghost-like clouds." I think this gives the impression that Dracula
How does Bram stoker manipulate audience response to Jonathan Harker and Dracula in his entopic novel?
How does Bram stoker manipulate audience response to Jonathan Harker and Dracula in his entopic novel? Since Dracula was written in 1897, by the successful Bram Stoker it has since been a popular novel. The story line is based upon a mysterious vampire in Transylvania who travels to England in the search of fresh blood but complications arise when Jonathan Harker and accomplices intervene, causing a catastrophe. Bram Stoker manipulates his audience's response to Jonathan Harker and Dracula. The book is set pre-1915 and is of a gothic genre, so is intended to be frightening and mysterious, which are general expectations of a gothic genre. To begin with the first four chapters are written from Jonathan Harker's point of view, through his journal. Therefore, indicating that Bram stoker wants us to have a good understanding of Jonathan's character before any other characters are introduced. So that we can get a very clear idea of what he usually like, his habits, what he is like before, during and after going to Transylvania. There are many indications that Bram stoker wants us to view Jonathan as an intellectual, as he focuses on Jonathan's time spent at the British museum in England, researching for his journey to Transylvania. He wants us to view him as an intellectual so that later on the book you will trust what he is writing about his journey, and not think he has gone
Comparing the presentation of Harker in Dracula and Walton in Frankenstein
Jonathan Harker and Robert Walton clearly play important roles in their respective novels, and this is particularly shown by their status as narrators. Indeed, their importance is further emphasised by the fact that both characters provide both the opening and closing narratives in their novels. Whilst both characters play narrative roles within the novels, there is a key difference in the way in which the reader must interpret their narratives: whilst Walton plays only a minor role in Frankenstein, Harker's role in Dracula is much larger, and so his views are likely to be biased. Indeed, at one point Harker's reliability as a narrator is seriously questioned when it transpires that he is 'suffering from a violent brain fever'. By allowing the reader to doubt Harker's versions of events, his reliability is, ultimately, enhanced when it is revealed that his narrative was entirely accurate. Walton only plays a small physical role in Frankenstein, and so Shelley clearly believes that he is less likely to be seen as a biased narrator, and the need to emphasise his overall reliability is not present. Both Walton and Harker are shown to be erudite characters from the very start of their respective novels. Harker is shown to have a knowledge of several languages ('I found my smattering of German very useful here'), and Walton is shown to have a knowledge of both Homer and
Exam Stoker's presentation of women in Dracula.
Avita Pro Fide English Essay on Dracula Daniel Malone Exam Stoker's presentation of women in Dracula. In your answer you should consider... . To what degree do women conform to social norms 2. Archetypes 3. How the language is sexually charged 4. Their importance to the narrative Mina and Lucy both represent very respectable upper-middle class women of the time, and play a very prominent role throughout the novel. Despite this, Mina is clearly more heroic than Lucy and can be seen as she outlives Dracula and is praised for her strong personality. It is clear in the novel that in order for Dracula to enter a building, or to have any relationship with a person/character, that he must be welcomed before he can act. As a result, it can be said that Mina is actually stronger than Lucy, as she resists Dracula to a larger extent. When Lucy is bitten, she finds it hard to sleep, and becomes restless in the nights as Mina observes. Lucy begins to sleepwalk, and it is made clear that the "Bloofer Lady", who has become know among the children she is feeding off , as her new cravings need to be satisfied. Where the mystery lies though is how Dracula became to bite her, when there was no one at the house in Whitby to welcome him. This suggests some sort of co-operation with Dracula, whereas Mina does not have this luxury since Renfield welcomes him, and later confesses.
How the setting, events and characters in chapters 2 and 3 of Bram Stokers novel Dracula reflect the gothic genre of fiction.
Dracula How the setting, events and characters in chapters 2 and 3 of Bram Stokers novel Dracula reflect the gothic genre of fiction. Dracula is a creation of the wonders of the supernatural sensationalism. The supernatural refers to Gothic genre. Dracula describes the un dead taking forms of animals to get close to victims. The victims are attacked when Dracula reappears as himself. Dracula attacks his victims at the throat and drains the blood from their body, in doing this he is adding to his army of un dead. The story is set around Dracula's castle in the middle of cliffs in Transylvania and the castle is on its own. Most of the scenes are at night when Dracula is seen as alive. The story was written in 1897 and was probably the most famous story written by Bram Stoker. Dracula is an epistolary novel. As Jonathan Harker, a young man taking any opportunity that arises to make money for he and his fiancée, approaches the castle of Count Dracula to discuss the move that Dracula wants to make, which is to buy an estate in London, he notices the size of Dracula's castle. "I must have been asleep, for certainly if I had been fully awake I must have noticed the approach to such a place" the idea of such an unusual location for such an estate because the castle was cut into the rocks of the cliff, but also he was surprised by the castle suddenly appearing, Jonathan had
Compare the techniques of Murnau who directed the film 'Nosferatu', and Coppola who directed the film 'Bram Stokers Dracula'.
Murnau who directed the film 'Nosferatu', and Coppola who directed the film 'Bram Stokers Dracula' introduce the characters of Orlock AND Dracula in very different ways, and they create different reactions within their audiences, which are of different times. The film 'Nosferatu' was released in 1922 and created by the German expressionist Murnau, who was fascinated by the supernatural, and had an obsession with the new art form of the cinema. 'Nosferatu' is Murnau's most famous film, and although it was based on the Novel 'Bram Stoker's Dracula', its title and character names had to be changed due to legal reasons with Bram Stoker's estate. Ironically, Murnau's 'Nosferatu' was the making of Stoker's fame and reputation. The movie inspired dozens of other Dracula films, including the most recent, 'Bram Stoker's Dracula', which was released in 1992. As with 'Nosferatu' it is also of the horror genre and is trying to create a feeling of fear and suspense in the viewer. 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' is also a romantic and erotic love story, accented with touches of skin-tingling terror, bloody gore and violence, much of which is accomplished with elaborate illusionary effects. The film was directed by Francis For Coppola and is surprisingly very unlike Bram Stoker's novel. Infact it's set in the wrong century. As both 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' and 'Nosferatu' were made in very
