Gorhic Novels

Jamie Trimmer

English Essay Mrs Parkin year 9 set 2

How does Bram Stoker use the Gothic Conventions in his Novel 'Dracula'?

Bram Stoker's use of Gothic Conventions in his most famous novel 'Dracula' have created one of literatures most terryfying and enthrawling reads.'Dracula' uses well known conventions that have featured in many other, older Gothic Novels. However, vampire novels were realativly new in the late 1800's, so Stokers novel would have embraced many new readers. A typical feature in Stokers writing are the strange characters found in his novels. A strange character such as The Count is described as 'clad in black from head to foot' and not having 'a single speck of colour'.This symbolises that The Count is full of evil because of the dark and ominous nature of the colour and that there is not an angelic characteristic in him ( lighter,brighter colours). Elements of these strange characters are also revealed in chapter three when Harker, the main character, finds himself in immediate danger from The Vampire Women. The women, who are not named to add extra thrill and secrecy, have a very voluptuous and sureal appeal to Harker. From chapter three, when Harker is describing one of the three women,'sweet as it was in one sense...but with a bitter underlying....a bitter offensiveness as one smells in blood'. This is written effectively using repetition of 'bitter' to enhance the effect of the sentence and also using a cluster of three. It also shows that what lies beneath is deadlier that what is prevaled above. The attributes of the setting works well to create a sence of 'Gothic erieness'. There are many elements of 'The Setting' convention throughout the novel, for example, 'I was not able to light apon any map or work giving the exact location of the Castle Dracula', chapter one, an Ominous Journey. A sentence such as this would immediately hint to the reader that Draulas' castle was unheard of and unspoken of and increases the danger Harker is in by making escape or rescue unlikely. The fact it is a castle also warns you of the dangers,the battles associated with castles and the 'Gothic Look' they have. From chapter eight 'There was a bright full moon, with heavy black driving clouds'. Stoker could have intended to reveal the moon and the clouds as heaven and hell battling against each other .I quote, 'Black driving clouds ' represents the armies driving forwards into battle.

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Jamie Trimmer

English Essay Mrs Parkin year 9 set 2

Isolation plays a huge factor in the beginning of the novel and aserts the mood for the rest of the story. From chapter two, A close shave, 'Doors, Doors, everywhere and all locked and bolted'. Evidently this is when Harker realises he is a prisoner.This certeinly creates a ambience of Isolation. Chapter Two is 'A Close Shave' in two meanings. One that Harker cuts himself whilst shaving, and secondly because of The Counts erratic and dangerous behaviour when he sees the blood from Harkers' shaving wound. An exract from 'Meeting the Count' 'He insisted on carrying my trap along the passage....up a great winding stair and along another great passage'. This shows The Count giving Harker a room deep in the heart of the building, maybe to keep Harker in? Or rescuers out?

Bram Stoker uses tension and suspence frequently to keep his readers on edge and to enable the readers to understand the inprisoned characters' emotions. These conventions are used in this novel when leading up to a dramatic event , the rise before the fall as it were. From chapter one before Harker gets to the castle, 'Do you not know that tonight when the clock strikes midnight, all evil things in the world.....do you know where you are going and what you are going to?'. A quotation such as this displays how Stoker uses not only the setting and the description of characters emotions to build up tension and suspence but also the charcters speech. The reader of the novel would now suspect something even if the character Jonathan Harker did not and of course there would not be a story if Harker did suspect anything! Mr. Harker brushes off any ideas of something being wrong by saying 'It was all very ridiculous...however there was business to be done and I could allow anything to interfere with it'. This was the last sentence in the chapter, and made the reader want to persue to the next page. 'we waited in suspense that made seconds pass with nightmare slowness'. This show the suspense and acknowleges the silent tension before the large event that follows in the last chapter, The Final Battle. Tension is also shown in the Counts emotions. An exract from chapter Twenty-Three, 'In the Vapires' Lair, 'You think you can baffle me! You with your plae faces, all in a row, like sheep in a butchers, you shall be sorry yet!'. Stoker uses 'you' three times to enhance the effect and a similie that displays Proffessor Van Helsing and his friends as sheep in a butchers about to die. The Count implies that they are dead meat To say Bram Stokers uses the Gothic Conventions superbly would be an understatment. His emphatic style of writing could be read by anyone who does not mind vampires! Although Stoker himself never visited Transylvanina, the setting for this novel is perfectly accurate for the events in the story. 'Dracula' is Bram Stokers most famous and most popular novel and I believe that it shall be popular still, with many generations to come.

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