TiffanyChen

JustinOrapello
English12H
1December2015
AManifestationofFear
Dracula
,byBramStoker,waspublishedattheturnofthe19thcentury,whenelements
ofliteratureintheRomanticPeriodandemergingModernismmovementwereassimilatedasone
toformVictorianGothicliterature(Supplemental1).

Thebookwasprimarilyreleasedasawork
ofcommercialfiction,butuponanalysisinlaterdecadesisnowseenasaworkofliteraryfiction
duetoitsaccurateportrayalofVictoriansocietyandtherampantfearsofthetimeperiod.In
Dracula
,StokeremphasizesthedistressofthexenophobicVictorianswhentheywerefacedwith
opponentstotraditionalidealsandChristianreligiontheuseofthesethemes,alongwithhisuse
ofpointofviewandcharacterization,allowhimtothrowhisinitialaudienceintotheirideaofa
trulyfrighteningworld.
ThosewithintheVictorianerafoundcomfortinasocietythatplacedgreatimportancein
rigidmorality,restrictedsexuality,andsubservientwomen(Supplemental4).Attheshiftofthe
century,theseidealswereslowlychanging,resultingintheemergenceofxenophobiaandafight
betweenconventionalstructuresandnewones(Supplemental7).In
Dracula,
thesocietyismuch
likethatoftheVictorianera,butthefearsandcontroversyofthesocietyarebroughttolifeinthe
formofStokerscharacters.Thisapplicationallowshimtoeasilyinstilltrepidationandhorrorin
thereaderthroughrealisticconcernswithinafantasticalstory.Themainantagonist,Dracula,
evokesthesamefearofxenophobiathatwaslargelyheldbythemassesofthetime.Hehadan

unusualappearanceasdescribedbyStoker:themouthwas...ratherfixedandcruellooking,with
peculiarlysharpwhiteteeth,hisearswerepaleandatthetopsextremelypointed,thegeneral
effectwasoneofextraordinarypallor.(Stoker20)Draculawasalsooddinhisabilityto
performmanyactionsoutsidethoseofthehumanrealm.Hecouldcommunicatewithanimals,
breakapartironbarswithhisbarehands,andsticktothewalls.Thelatterisespecially
threateningbecauseitmeantthatDraculaisnotderivedfromthesamespeciesashumans,
consideringthatclimbingonwallsisreptilian,notprimatial.Allthesepeculiarcharacteristics
makehimsimilartothefrighteningforeignerswhocametoBritainatthetimeofthenovels
releaseandthereforemadethecharactermorehorrifying.Inaddition,Draculasselfishnessand
disregardforhumanmoralityandlifeposedalargethreattothecomfortreadersmayhavefound
inprominentChristianvalues.Hismanipulativecharacterallowedhimtotrickothersinto
grantinghimaccessintotheirhome,whichwasconsideredasanctuarytomanythisability
evokedfearfrommanyofthereadersbecauseitcreatedafeelingofbeingcorneredwithnosafe
placetogo(Supplemental4).Inaccordancetothetopicofdomesticityandthehome,oneofthe
mainfemaleprotagonists,Lucy,embodiesthecharacteristicsofanaverageVictorianaristocratic
womanwithnogoalsforherownsuccesssheishappilypassive,dependent,andallowsherself
tobedominatedbythemalesinherlife.However,asshetransformsintoavampire,she
becomesmoresexuallyliberatedandindependent.Ironically,shedirectlycontradictsthe
Victorianwomansvaluesofmaternityashervictimsarechildren.Hertransformation
demonstrateswhatsupportersoftraditionalvaluesfearedaboutthesupportersoftheWomans
SuffrageMovementthisunderlyinglinkmadethetransformationmorerealisticandterrifying
(Supplemental5).

Besidesthecontentiousaspectsof
Dracula
,theepistolaryformatofthenovelevokesa
senseofimmediacyandrealismtothestorythatunnervedbothreadersoftheVictorianeraand
contemporaryreaders.Thissenseiscreatedthroughtheideathatthecharacteriswritingan
accountofhis/herexperiencemeremomentsafterithappens,whichcanbeseeninthetoneand
vividatmospherepresentedinthenovel.Duetothevaryingperspectivesandfirsthand
encountersinthebook,thereaderalternatesbetweenknowingmorethanthecharactersand
knowingjustasmuchasthecharacters.Inthisway,thereisasenseofdramaticironybuiltupin
specificareasofthebook,suchaswhenMinabegantoexperiencethesymptomssimilartothat
ofLucys.Inthiscase,thereaderismorelikelytobeanxiousaboutMinasfatesincetheyknow
thatshehasbeentaintedbyDracula.Thisanxietyisnotonlyaresultoftheconnectionthe
readernowfeelstothecharacters,butisalsoaresultofasubconsciouslinkformedbetweenthe
successofMinaspreservationasatraditionalwomantothesocialmovementoccurringinthe
era.Whenthedramaticironyisnotpresent,suspenseisbuiltup.Thisisspecificallyseenwhen
theCrewofLightmakestheirplantodefeatDraculaandthereader,likethecharacters,doesnot
knowwhatwilloccur.
Incorrespondencetothenovelsthrustofthereaderintotherealityoftheirshifting
world,
Dracula
canbeseenasaworkofliteraryfiction.Itcontainsmanyoftheprominentissues
ofthetimeandpresentssubtlecriticismsofBritishxenophobiaintheformofDracula,whoisan
exaggeratedandoverthetopmonstercreatedbasedonthesefears.Thisportrayalresembleshow
StokerlikelybelievedtheVictoriansocietysawforeigners.
Intermsofstructureandcharacterization,
Dracula
isprominentlyaworkofcommercial
fiction.Firstly,thereisasharplinedrawnbetweengoodandevilunliketheblurredlinesofthe

twoinliteraryfictionDraculaismadeouttobeaviciousandimmoralanomalywhocauses
troubleforthemorallyvirtuousmenwhoaretryingtoprotectthefairmaidensofthenovel.The
menandwomenareverysimilarinnaturewithinthebooktheyarestaticandflatcharacters,
whichareoftenusedincommercialfictionsincemostofthefocusisplacedupontheplotofthe
story.Itisalmostlikethereaderalreadyknowsthesecharactersbecausetheyfollowstereotypes
suchastheselflessandbraveheroortheperfectbeauty.
Dracula
,inturn,isveryplotdriven.
Thesuspenseisbuiltaroundtheeventsofthenovelwhichmakesthereaderworrymoreabout
thewhatratherthanthewhy.Upuntiltheend,thestoryispredictable.Theconclusionofthe
novelissatisfying,whichleavesnomoreroomforfurthercontemplation.Thisunrealistic
happilyeverafterfallsbackontheconventionalmoralsofhowgoodalwaysprevailsoverevil,a
commonaspectofcommercialfiction.
Overtheyears,
Dracula
hasbecomeasignificantparttotheworldofliterature.It
providesinsightintothesocietalchangesoftheVictorianeraanditseffectsonthemindsetsof
thoselivinginsaidera.Despiteitscommercialelements,theliteraryelementsofthenovelhave
helpedtomaintainitsrelevanceintodaysanalysisofthecriticismsofthefearsofthemajority
presentduringthattimeperiod.


WorksCited
Stoker,Bram.
Dracula
.London:OneworldClassics,2008.Print.