Dracula

**//Dracula//** Facilitator: Dr. Chris Swann Room Assignment: Student Enrollment:

Welcome to the //Dracula// page. To use a well-worn phrase, this is the mother of vampire stories. Count Dracula is as well-known, and is as much a part of Western culture, as Cinderella, Superman, and Santa Claus. I used those three figures deliberately, because they are the stuff of fairy tales. Dracula is a figure from the dark side of fairy tales. Lord Voldemort could learn a thing or two from him. If you've ever seen a Harry Potter movie, it appears that the directors knew this as well--Voldemort resembles Dracula in more ways than one.

But who is Dracula? And how come he is such a familiar figure?

Part of that is due to the early //Dracula// films. Bela Lugosi played the Count in the 1931 film, and he has fixed an image of Count Dracula in our minds: tall, imperious-looking, black hair slicked back to an arrow's point on his forehead, black cloak billowing out behind him, thick Hungarian accent. (Link here for images of Dracula from this 1931 film.)

But when you read Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, you realize Count Dracula looks very different, at least in the opening chapters:

His face was a strong--a very strong--aquiline, with high bridge of the thin nose and peculiarly arched nostrils; with lofty domed forehead, and hair growing scantily round the temples, but profusely elsewhere. His eyebrows were very massive, almost meeting over the nose, and with bushy hair that seemed to curl in its own profusion. The mouth, so far as I could see it under the heavy moustache, was fixed and rather cruel-looking, with peculiarly sharp white teeth; these protruded over the lips, whose remarkable ruddiness showed astonishing vitality in a man of his years. For the rest, his ears were pale and at the tops extremely pointed; the chin was broad and strong, and the cheeks firm though thin. The general effect was one of extraordinary pallor.

Hitherto I had noticed the backs of his hands as they lay on his knees in the firelight, and they had seemed rather white and fine; but seeing them now close to me, I could not but notice that they were rather coarse--broad, with squat fingers. Strange to say, there were hairs in the centre of the palm. The nails were long and fine, and cut to a sharp point. As the Count leaned over me and his hands touched me, I could not repress a shudder. It may have been that his breath was rank, but a horrible feeling of nausea came over me, which, do what I would, I could not conceal.

This is not the only difference between the literary figure of Count Dracula and the many following adaptations since on both stage and film. (There's even been a ballet.) We shall investigate these differences and see how they affect our understanding of the story.

What I invite you to do first is to read this novel as a thrilling horror story. There are a number of chilling moments that Stoker portrays well--Harker's first meeting with the Count; his encounter with the three women in Dracula's castle; the doomed voyage of the //Demeter;// Lucy's sleepwalking and ultimate transformation; the first destruction of a vampire in a crypt; and the climactic final scene are just a few.

But there is far more to //Dracula// than just a monster story. It is a story about fears, about superstition and science, East versus West, logic versus emotion. We'll unpack all of this when we meet in August. Might even show you all a movie clip or two. In the meantime, enjoy the book, and feel free to consider the following themes and questions as you journey through the novel. Enjoy.

Dr. Swann

__Themes from the Reading__ the Gothic novel tradition ways to read and analyze novels (in this case, through "lenses" of Gothic fiction, gender issues, and psychological, historical, and archetypal criticism) the British Empire (late Victorian era) and its anxieties death the role of women sexuality East versus West science versus superstition logic versus emotion

__Possible Discussion Questions__ Why did you want to read this novel? What is so fascinating about vampires? How does Stoker portray Count Dracula? Why does he appear so little in the novel? What happens to the female characters in the novel? How are the male characters depicted? In literary criticism, the vampire hunters in //Dracula// are often called the "knights of progress." Why do you think that is? While much of this novel seems "old" to us, it contains cutting-edge technology for its time. What are some examples? Victorians (not unlike us) were fascinated by madness. How is madness depicted in this novel? How is this novel organized and written? Why do you think it was written in this fashion? What does this novel suggest about late Victorian England?

__Guided Reading Questions / Questions for Understanding__ 1. In the first few pages of Chapter 3, Count Dracula tells Jonathan Harker about his ancestors. What were they like? How is the Count like his ancestors? 2. Where does Count Dracula wish to move, and why? What is Harker's role to be in Dracula's plan? 3. What are Mina Murray and Lucy Westenra like? How are they similar? Different? 4. Think of a few words you could use to describe each of the following: Abraham van Helsing, Arthur Holmwood/Lord Goldaming, Quincey Morris, Dr. John Seward, Jonathan Harker, Renfield. 5. What happens to Lucy, and how is she saved from her fate? 6. What happens to Mina, and how can she be saved from her fate?