Patrick O’Connell
Mr. Newcome
AP English Literature
April 15, 2010
Dracula
According to H. P. Lovecraft, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and
the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” In the late 18th century a new genre
was created to explore this fear: Gothic horror. Since its creation it has been relatively popular,
and new Gothic novels are still being written. Novels by contemporary authors, such as Stephen
King and Anne Rice, stay true to the Gothic tradition despite modern themes. Although many
Gothic novels have been successful, none have been as successful as Dracula, written in 1897 by
Bram Stoker. Dracula was an instant success, and has been in continuous publication for over
one hundred years. It was the first important vampire novel, and continues to set the standard for
modern vampires in literature. Dracula is a popular work of Gothic horror that uses many of the
characteristics of the genre, including an old castle, supernatural occurrences and intense feelings
of dread by the characters involved.
The late 18th century in Western Europe was a time of social change that worried both
the rich and the poor. The lower class was becoming angry, and was ready for a revolt. This
created fear and anxiety among the citizens. This social stress set the stage for the creation of
Gothic horror. Gothic novels usually involve an old, possibly haunted castle, unexplainable
deaths and the supernatural. This can make the stories seem completely unrealistic, and many
critics have said that the Gothic novel is an escapist form of literature that is read to “get away”
from ordinary life. Actually, Gothic horror was created as a social commentary of the times. The
supernatural occurrences in the Gothic novel represented people’s growing fear of the loss of
control over their own lives, as many characters in Gothic horror feel trapped and unsure of what
to do. In Dracula for example, Jonathan is trapped inside the Count’s castle and knows that his
life is in Dracula’s hands. The old, crumbling castles symbolized the social decay of the time and
the citizens’ disapproval of the government. There were other themes as well, such as the
commentary on prejudice and stigmatization in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Although many works of Gothic horror comment on social issues of the time, the
dominant theme of every Gothic novel ever written is fear. The fear that comes from reading
works of fiction is known as “aesthetic fear”, which is an artful simulation of real fear. Fear is a
very powerful emotion, and one effect is that life itself becomes more precious. Also, ethical
behavior is suspended, and because of this many works of Gothic horror question how human we
actually are when we are afraid. Aesthetic fear is popular with readers because it shows this
change: in The Rats in the Walls by H. P. Lovecraft, for example, the protagonist reverts to
cannibalism, and loses his humanity. Death is not as scary to readers, as it has some cultural
meaning and must happen eventually; what is truly scary is this loss of meaning. Gothic horror
shows that without feelings and sympathy for others, man is just an animal.
Another way in which this change is shown is in one of the most popular characters of
Gothic horror: the vampire. Although first used in literature in the 19th century, vampires have
existed in folklore hundreds of years earlier. The vampire, while appearing civilized and polite,
has no emotions and views humans as nothing more than food. This is, in a way, insanity, and
also represents a loss of humanity. The vampire’s life has lost all meaning, and it is just an
animal looking for food. Vampires are interesting to readers because this fate, the loss of
humanity, is much worse than death. Although the vampire appears and acts human it is really
something else, and “dominates humanity while standing apart from it.” (Deggans) The vampire
is an extension of our own animal self. It also shows us how much our life actually means, as
vampires are almost human but have no empathy, and are not even really alive by our standards.
In this way, vampires in Gothic horror show what it means to be “alive” and “human”. Vampires
are still used in modern literature, although their role has changed greatly in movies such as
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Twilight. The new model of the vampire is not the “powerful,
inhuman predator” (Deggans) it used to be, but has become almost human and much less evil.
Interview with the Vampire, written by Anne Rice and published in 1976, was the book that
created this new type of vampire. It focused on the vampires instead of the vampire hunters, and
“turned the vampire paradigm on its head” (Benefiel). After this the vampire began to be used
for social commentary, as vampirism was later used as a metaphor for drug addiction,
homosexuality, and even selfishness. Over time, this new depiction of the vampire morphed to
represent the fears of society.
The first real vampire novel was Bram Stoker’s Dracula, published in 1897. It became
successful almost instantly, and is still very popular. Most Gothic novels, even if they do get
famous, are forgotten quickly. However, this hasn’t happened to Dracula. There have been
around 500 films based on the Dracula story, several in recent years, and also many plays. Most
of these films and plays have also been very successful. The region in Scotland in which Stoker
wrote most of the book has become a very popular location for tourists. Slains Castle is now
known as “Dracula’s Castle” to the locals. The book has also been in print continuously since it
was first published. Dracula is probably the most successful work of Gothic horror, and uses
many characteristics of the genre.
The story is set in an old, crumbling castle in Transylvania. Gothic horror takes much
inspiration from the Gothic architecture of around the same time, with pointed arches, long
graceful forms and “spires intended to reflect the human reach heavenwards” (“Gothic Art”).
Stoker wrote that Slains Castle, the castle that originally inspired him to write Dracula, appeared
to be “reaching into the darkening sky like a mysterious sentinel overlooking the inhospitable
North Sea”. This sinister, ominous appearance set the tone for Dracula, which was very similar
to the mood of other works of Gothic horror. These old, crumbling castles in which many stories
are set can also be seen as symbolic of the social unrest of the time, and of the population’s
growing dissatisfaction with the government. They represent the inevitable decay of everything
made by humans, and were a depressing reminder of this ending. Gothic horror, initially
influenced by the Gothic architecture in the 19th century, later influenced European architecture
during the Gothic revival of the 1830s and ‘40s.
Another characteristic of Gothic horror is the supernatural. The supernatural occurrences
in Gothic horror, far from being just a fantasy, represented people’s uncertainty and fear in the
late 18th century. Dracula is about vampires, blood-sucking creatures that are hard to kill and
can transform other humans into vampires. Count Dracula is much more powerful than the
humans in the book, and at times they feel completely powerless. This is symbolic of people’s
lack of control over their lives at the time. Supernatural creatures, such as vampires, were
something that humans had no power over, and barely even understand. In an age when humans
were used to feeling empowered with science and their control over many things, the vampire
was a scary representation of that which people did not understand.
Probably the most important characteristic in Gothic horror is the intense emotions,
mostly fear and dread, felt by the protagonists. In Dracula, Jonathan notes feeling very
suspicious several times before he arrives at Dracula’s castle, and says once “a dreadful fear
came upon me, and I was afraid to speak or move.” These emotions are important because they
help the reader to experience exactly what the narrator is feeling, and make the message more
effective. This fear can also cause characters to do things that they know are wrong, as “any
means are justified” (Oates) in order to defeat the evil in the story. Gothic novels also use
descriptive language to set the mood and portray this emotion. In Dracula, Stoker writes “The
Thing in the coffin writhed; and a hideous, blood-curdling screech came from the opened red
lips. The body shook and quivered and twisted in wild contortions; the sharp white teeth
champed together till the lips were cut, and the mouth was smeared with a crimson foam.” This
detailed description is typical of Gothic horror, and allows the reader to imagine the scene and
feel the emotion that the characters are feeling.
Gothic horror, including Dracula, also relies on shock. The idea of a monster that not
only drank living people’s blood, but also transformed its victims into a vampire also, is certainly
shocking. The reader also sees what Lucy went through while becoming a vampire, and also
what her death was like. This, along with the description of Jonathan’s journey to Dracula’s
castle, contributes to the shock value of the story. Ann Radcliffe said that there was a difference
between “terror” and “horror”; “terror” means mystery and suspense, while “horror” is shock,
violence and repulsion.
Gothic novels are also, surprisingly, about morals. The monster in a Gothic novel is
meant to test the characters, and no one dies unjustly. In the end the truly “good” characters
remain, and the evil is destroyed. In Nosferatu and some later novels and films based on
Dracula, a major change was made to the character of the vampire. In the original Dracula the
vampire only had to drink the blood of the victim, but in later stories the blood had to be given
willingly for the victim to become a vampire. This adds the theme of temptation, and the vampire
is meant to test which characters are more impulsive and easily tempted. In Nosferatu, the
vampire himself also shows emotion. Unlike in the original, where he simply views Mina as a
victim, he is attracted to her.
One interesting aspect of Stoker’s writing style in Dracula is the “unintended persuasion”
used. Modern studies show that humans are naturally suspicious of attempts at persuasion. In
Dracula, instead of a narrator directly asking the reader to believe him, the book is told as a
series of journal entries. This makes the story more convincing, as the reader is not suspicious
that the narrator is trying to deceive him or her. The journal can also contain secrets that
Jonathan would not have wanted people to know, but if Jonathan was narrating the story it would
sound strange for him to tell the reader these secrets. These studies were not around at the time
Stoker wrote Dracula, however, so he probably chose to use journal entries for a different
reason.
Gothic horror continues to be a relatively popular genre, with new works written by
several contemporary authors. Many people wonder why Gothic horror is still so widely read.
The most likely answer is that people like the fear that comes from reading a Gothic novel. This
fear is not only entertaining, but can also provide insights to the reader about his or her own self,
and about humanity in general. Novels such as The Rats in the Walls show us the thin line
separating humanity from insanity, while Dracula is based on the fear of the unknown. Some
Gothic novels include some themes that seem less Gothic, such as the message about prejudice
found in Frankenstein. However, most Gothic novels don’t become as popular as works of other
genres, and are typically forgotten rather quickly. Dracula, on the other hand, has been
extremely successful. It is the most popular Gothic novel ever written, and also a good example
of the genre. It incorporates many of the characteristics that define Gothic horror including the
supernatural, an old and crumbling castle, violence and most importantly, fear. It is a social
commentary on the time in which it was written, and provides a moral lesson. It is an essential
work of Gothic horror, has had many plays and movies based on it, and continues to influence
contemporary Gothic novels. Many critics wonder how Dracula was so successful when it was
written, much less how it remains so popular. This is especially surprising given the number of
Gothic novels that were forgotten almost instantly after being published. According to many
critics, Dracula is poorly written and made of flat characters. Nevertheless, Dracula is an
important piece of Gothic literature, and a great example of the genre.
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