Background of the Novel
- Dracula by Bram Stoker was published in the year 1847.
- The book is considered to be a revolutionary masterpiece as it gradually developed the narrative of gothic literature by introducing the title character of Dracula, the archetypical Vampire.
- The novel was highly inspired by the prevalent Transylvanian folklores(Stoker, 2021).
Setting
- The novel is set in the late 1800s and there is a distinct switch between two spatial and geographical location of Transylvania (modern day Romania) and England.
- The shift in the acquired spaces help pace up the development of the novel as it gives the plot a sense of mystery as well as thriller(Senf, 2021).
Plot
- The plot of the novel revolves around one of its protagonists, Jonathan Harker. The story follows the journey that Harker undertakes, at first to stay in the Transylvanian hotel and then to run away from the vampires present at the hotel.
- The story takes a swift turn from there to the place which is inhabited by Lucy, who is being stalked by Dracula. Shortly thereafter, Lucy dies and the town starts being haunted by a ‘bloofer lady’.
- Professor Abraham Van Helsing plays a vital role in deducing the fact that Lucy was being stalked by a vampire and soon after her death, he visits her tomb with her friends and relatives and witnesses the fact that she has turned into a vampire.
- A hunt follows. Dracula finds out about it and attacks Mina, the fiancé of Harker and curses her to become a vampire after her death which can only be prevented by Dracula’s death.
- In the end, Harker, with the help of his fellows, slashes Dracula’s neck and stabs him in his heart(Storer, 2021).
Characters
- Count Dracula: A Transylvanian nobleman and centuries old Vampire. He has an extensive set of powers which are limited in certain areas. He has an evil soul and is moved by death and brutality.
- Ven Helsing: A Dutch professor, Helsing becomes the positive powerful force of the novel against the anti-hero, Dracula.
- Jonathan Harker: The young and Naïve protagonist of the novel. Towards the end of the novel, Harker becomes a fearless young man who kills the antagonist of the novel.
- Mina Murray: Harker’s fiancée, a young woman who is attacked by the Dracula. She is considered to be the archetypical heroine of the novel(Winandhini & Jatmiko, 2019).
- Lucy Westenra: Best friend of Mina and the first character in the novel who falls under the spell of Dracula.
- Arthur Holmwood: Lucy’s fiancé.
- John Seward: A young Doctor and Helsing’s pupil. Also, the administrator of the asylum.
- Renfield: A patient of Seward’s mental asylum.
- Westenra: Lucy’s mother who dies of heart attack.
IdeasThemes
- Promise of Salvation: Dracula is a satanic figure whose bloodthirstiness stands out as a perversion of Christian ritual. His constant state of living becomes an obstacle towards the spiritual salvation promised in Christianity.
- Madness: Most of the novel is set in the mental asylum wherein insanity becomes a prominent way of living for the patients who become the victim of natural as well as supernatural madness.
Quotes
- “I am all in a sea of wonders. I doubt; I fear; I think strange things, which I dare not confess to my own soul.”
- “I want you to believe...to believe in things that you cannot.”
References
Senf, M.-M. C. C., 2021. Bram Stoker’s Dracula: The Transformation of Tradition. In: The Palgrave Handbook of Steam Age Gothic. s.l.:Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, pp. 647-667.
Stoker, B., 2021. Dracula-Bram Stoker. s.l.:Leonardo Lumbreras.
Storer, R., 2021. Drink and Dracula–Or the Other Way Round?. ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews, 34(3), pp. 231-236.
Winandhini, R. & Jatmiko, R., 2019. New Woman as Seen in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Lexicon, 7(2), pp. 207-214.
