Biography of Bram Stoker (1847-1912)
Biography of Bram Stoker (1847-1912) Writer of one of the world's most famous horror novels, Abraham Stoker was born to the loosely defined socio-cultural group known as the Anglo-Irish. A Protestant Dubliner, he was the son of a civil servant, and he was expected to follow in his father's footsteps. As a child, Abraham Stoker was a sickly child often on the point of death‹by his own account, he never stood upright without aid until he was seven years old. But he grew into a physically robust youth, excelling in athletics during his college years. At Trinity College, he studied mathematics and became president of the Philosophical Society and the Historical Society. In the years between 1870 and 1877, he was a civil servant at Dublin Castle. He maintained ties to Trinity College, returning there frequently to speak on a wide range of topics for the Philosophical Society. He was deeply interested in the Romantic poets, and during these years he established a correspondence with Walt Whitman. The two men exchanged letters until Whitman's death. Stoker also became an enthusiastic theatergoer and an ardent admirer and friend of Henry Irving, writing dramatic criticism and glowing reviews of Irving's work for the local papers. Many have argued that Henry Irving was an important model for the character of Count Dracula, and that the novel was a kind of unconscious revenge
In what ways does Stoker set the scene and establish the atmosphere in the opening pages of Dracula?
In what ways does Stoker set the scene and establish the atmosphere in the opening pages of Dracula? The first part of Dracula is Jonathan Harker's Journal. This travel journal instantly draws the reader into the book; the effect of using a journal instead of the usual narrative is to make the prose seem more realistic and intimate. "3 May. Bistritz." Is the first sentence that the reader would see. To contemporary reader this is just a place name; however, to Victorian reader this name would conjure up connotations with the border of the mysterious and dangerous East and the civilised west. It was where paganism met Christianity and where the boundaries of the known and the unknown merged. The theme of the unknown is native to gothic writing, this is why the setting of Transylvania is ideal for a gothic novel. Stoker further emphasises the crossing of West to East by using the bridge over the Danube as a metaphor "the most splendid bridges over the Danube, which is here of noble width and depth, took us among the traditions of Turkish rule". Stoker uses personification when describing the bridge as noble, Harker views the bridge as noble because it is the last piece of Victorian 'civilization' he would see for a while. The suspense begins when Harker cannot "put any light on the exact location of Castle Dracula", as contemporary readers are views of Dracula as a whole
Monster/Vampire movies are concerned with sexual transgression,
Monster/Vampire movies are concerned with sexual transgression, psychological transformation, and moral retribution. Discuss this statement, using examples where you can. Vampires, not only lurking in far away lands such as the renowned Transylvania, but also have been said to lie in the deepest recesses of the human psyche. Its home, not a fortified castle guarded by the children of the night, but the realm of the sub-text, guarded by endless narratives. Each, a new bread in themselves, having represented different arenas in the human social order one thing remains true in all the Vampire narratives, they always have something to do with the idea of a being, or way of being, that literally lives off another. What follows, are accounts by various authors on the subject of the vampire myth and ledged, its place in society and in psyche of its people. However, it must be noted that although the realm of the vampire is huge and many have existed, there is none other than Dracula that more writings have been engaged in for which this essay will pay close attention to. Dracula, Sex & Taboo "The vampire idea deals in the terror of recognising, challenging or being challenged by dependency, and always registers this through the body: the dependencies of its needs and drives, especially, but not exclusively, sexuality." (Dyer, 10) Perhaps if we are to enter the vampires castle of
Dracula: a novel of fin de siècle fear?
Dracula: a novel of fin de siècle fear? It is only in the latter half of the twentieth century that Dracula has begun to receive serious critical attention instead of being dismissed as lightweight sensationalist Victorian popular fiction. It has become apparent that the novel is not simply a conventional work of Gothic horror but, as with its contemporaries Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Picture of Dorian Gray, this revival of a genre typical of the earlier half of the nineteenth century has some significance with regard to contemporary events. Dracula is less a straightforwardly titillating story of adventure and mythical monsters than a study of the undermining of the psychic and social categories upon which the security and comfort of the Victorian middle-class world depended. This resurgence of the Gothic came at a time when the boundaries which had previously seemed so unshakeable were beginning to crumble, when the general self satisfaction and supreme confidence in the age was being eroded by troubles both at home and further afield within the Empire and thus it is hardly surprising, as David Punter observes, that the period saw a 'burst of symbolic energy as powerful as that of the original Gothic'1. The Gothic tradition is interested in the forbidden, it seeks to explore the desires and fears that society represses in order to maintain stability, it deals with
Remind yourself of the entry in Mina Harkers journal for 30th September, which concludes Chapter 17. How does this entry develop your view of Mina?
Remind yourself of the entry in Mina Harkers journal for 30th September, which concludes Chapter 17. How does this entry develop your view of Mina? Throughout the course of this enthralling novel, the reader constantly develops numerous different views of Mina. Mina Murray is a character that is supposedly used in this book, to represent an ultimate kind of Victorian Woman. Van Helsing praises Mina in the middle of Chapter 14, saying that 'She is one of God's women, fashioned by His own hand to show us men and other women that there is a heaven where we can enter, and that its light can be here on earth' Propriety is the most appropriate word to sum up Mina's character, since she is modest and her manners are evidently those of a very domestic wife. Mina, an assistant schoolmistress, spends her days studying, for example, the typewriter, so that she can be of assistance to her husband. We can really learn a lot about Mina's character from the contrast she makes with Lucy. There is a very famous saying that applies very much to these two characters: don't judge a book by its cover. Looks can be deceiving, and whilst Lucy evidently possesses more physical beauty, Mina's most significant strength, is her domesticity. Chapter 17 is an especially important chapter in this novel because the meeting between the Harkers and Lucy's friends is described in alternating diary
How does Bram Stoker create an atmosphere of suspense for the reader in The Judge's House?
Christian Jonathan Hidalgo Kerstiens Centre No. ES373 Candidate No. 2609 Bellver International College How does Bram Stoker create an atmosphere of suspense for the reader in The Judge's House? In the Judge's House, Bram Stoker uses several methods to create an atmosphere of suspense. Stoker creates the character of Malcomson, a keen maths student who wants to study without distraction and therefore goes to an isolated place. Malcomson is represented as a mathematician so that every suspicious scene in the house can be answered by him with a logical answer. Mrs Witham, who thinks oppositely to Malcomson, is a mayor key used to cause and create the atmosphere of suspense. Her way of describing the house makes the reader visualise it as haunted. Malcomson arrives at Benchurch, a town where other than a market that takes place every three weekends, it is as attractive as a dessert. When Malcomson finally finds the right spot for his studying, he chooses the house classified as the most terrifyingly and dangerous in the whole town. The description of the house is essential because Stoker uses detailed adjectives such as "old rambling, heavy built house of the Jacobean style", to create an atmosphere of danger and suspense. The detailed description makes it possible for the reader to picture the house. For years, no one had been living in the house and the stories about
the significance of mina harker
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MINA HARKER A Victorian woman effectively had only two options, she was a virgin, a model of purity and innocence or indeed the only other moralistic alternative, a wife and mother. If she was neither of these, she was considered a whore, and thus of no consequence to society. This coincides with Lucy's death as her personality possesses aspects which break the boundaries of such a rigid society. On the transformation into the vampire she expresses sexual proficiency which could undermine a man's control, therefore death leading to be the only logical alternative. Mina on the other hand represented the more stereotypical role of a female in Victorian society, a caring mother. This is witnessed at the end of the novel where Mina is with her chid who is incidentally named after her male heroes which still illustrates the male influence over females. We might expect that Mina, who sympathizes with the boldly progressive "New Women" of England, would be doomed to suffer Lucy's fate as punishment for her progressiveness. Stoker instead fashions Mina into a goddess of conservative male fantasy. Though resourceful and intelligent enough to conduct the research that leads Van Helsing's crew to the count, Mina is far from a "New Woman" herself. Mina throughout the novel shows no independence. Rather, she is a dutiful wife and mother, and her successes are
Discuss the plot in Bram Stokers Dracula.
Dracula Intro Bram Stoker's Dracula was filmed and produce in 1992 by Francis Ford Coppola. Based on the infamous vampire novel Dracula in the 1890s. The film stars Gary Oldman as Dracula throughout the film, the hero Harker is played by Keanu Reeves. Winona Ryder play two parts of the film, one is the wife of Dracula the opening sequence and later plays the fiancée of Harker reincarnated. And Anthony Hopkins play the priest of the Christian church of the opening sequence and also does the voice-over for the film. Plot The film starts out in 1462 where Muslim Turks try to invade Transylvania with a massive army. Dracula, before becoming the vampire, is the commanding officer of the defending Christians of Transylvania. The eve before the battle Dracula says farewell to his wife, Elizabeta. They battled on long and hard but in the end Dracula's forces ceases victory over the Turks. But the Turks wanted revenge; they did this by shooting an arrow with message saying that Dracula was killed in battle. And after reading the message she lunged herself into the river thinking that there is no point in living with your love. As Dracula returns from the battlefield unknowing that his wife has committed suicide for false reasons he shocked and then over whelmed by rage. With this rage flowing through him he shout out that he renounces God and will revenge or bring back Elizabeta
Is Dracula a racist novel?
Is Dracula a racist novel? Racist- 1.the belief that race accounts for the differences in human character or ability race is superior to others 2.Discrimination or prejudice based on race. (1) The above description of racism describes most of Bram Stoker's Dracula novel. About a man moving to a different environment but finding out, that his presence is not welcome because of his differences. This is also the case in Richard Matheson's I am legend. Where one man is, the only human being left in the world and the rest are vampires. This story is the opposite of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. Even though Dracula tried to fit into the environment by reading up on it. The books were of the most Varied kind-history, geography, Politics, political economy, botany, geology, Law-all relating to England and English Life and customs and manners. (2) This shows that Dracula was so keen to fit in the English culture that he did not want to look different. This means he already knew he would face some racism once he moved. In I am legend Robert Neville never tried to adapt to the other kind. He wanted to kill them instead. Someday I'll get that bastard, he thought as he took a big swallow of the bitter drink. Someday I'll knock a stake right through his goddamn chest.' (3) This shows the hatred between the two different people. The vampires in the I am legend
Compare the ways in which a sense of terror is created in Chapter 2 of Dracula and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Compare the ways in which a sense of terror is created in Chapter 2 of Dracula and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Dracula, by Bram Stoker, and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, are classic examples of Gothic literature. Gothic literature is a genre that combines elements of both horror and romance. It is identified by its use of terror and horror to shock the reader, and this is usually created by setting the novel in huge, austere castles, with mysterious protagonists and horrific imagery. In the opening of Chapter 2 of Dracula, we are being described the imposing castle of the protagonist Count Dracula, in the eyes of a Solicitor’s clerk’s journal, called Jonathan Harker. This first person narrative, which also appears in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in the form of the Mr Utterson, creates a lot of terror as the fact that they are describing it, really makes the reader come to terms that this actually happened. However, we do not know whether what they are saying is true or false, as we only have the word of the respective characters, given the piece a sense of mystery and suspense. As these two passages are based on description (describing the house and Mr Hyde in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and describing Count Dracula’s house in Dracula), adjectives are key in creating tension and terror. In Dracula, the
