It is coming - coming - coming!

Well, doesn't the pace pick up a little here? Why do you think the first part of the novel solely follows Jonathan, and then, as it progresses, flips between more and more points? Does it add realism to the plot? Does it give a sense of the storm gathering (in a metaphorical way)? As Dracula approaches on the ship, the pathetic fallacy is pretty impressive! Look at my earlier link regarding the sublime in this chapter for a further consideration of the idea, and in order to view some of the artists mentioned.

What do you think is the significance of the dog, and the bat and the bird? Could it be that Dracula is morphing into different animals? Some scholars suggest that in portraying him in this way Stoker is aiming to incorporate Darwin's theory of evolution. If so, what does this say about Stoker's response to evolution? Does he see it as a positive or as a threat? If Dracula is a shape-shifter, how would this fit with the idea of obscurity? Does this make the concept of a vampire easier or more difficult to grasp?

Lucy continues to be developed into the passive heroine, becoming more and more pathetic in these chapters. Do we feel sympathy for her? I find it hard to summon much... Rather, I think, we feel for Mina, who, for a long time has lost her fiance, and now her best friend is fading fast. Combine this with the fact that Lucy's mother is dying so Mina can't tell her her fears for Lucy, and surely Mina is en route to a nervous breakdown...  What is the symbolism here? Is it that the old order of women is past? Or does it signal an end to wealthy families' domination of life? Does Lucy have her just desserts, having broken men's hearts? Is this a warning to any of us who play the field? After all, why is it that it is Lucy who sleepwalks? Surely it would be more convincing to have the woman who is under pressure, i.e. Mina, the one that lets it all out in her unconscious... Just a few thoughts. Nevertheless, notice how we are being conditioned to receive Lucy as innocent victim: in her nightdress (which we assume to be white and thin) - implying innocence - as does the point that Mina makes - that Lucy follows her "with the obedience of a child". 

Incidentally - why does the dog cower? What is it sensing? Is it Lucy that is having such a negative effect?

Meanwhile, things are hotting up - Renfield is on the loose, his Master having summoned him (a bit Voldemort-esque here!) and the only vaguely good news is that Jonathan is alive, if being looked after by nuns, and raving in delirium. Interesting that Mina is told to marry him - by Harker's boss! Some new woman there then! So, leaving Lucy at a terrible time, she heads off to marry JH: a dilemma really - both of them have equal need of her!

A FREE copy of Dracula!!

Click on the title of this post and it will take you to simply audiobooks... where the free book of the month for October is none other than... you've guessed it...

Dracula!

A consideration of the sublime with pictures

Some useful extra discussion of the sublime  - with illustrations!

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Not the only ones

How exciting to find another Dracula blogging project happening simultaneously! 

Check out this link: http://infinitesummer.org/dracula/

Some really good posts!

Keeping up with Context

And then the scene switches completely... 

Lots of people getting frustrated with this interlude - just as it's all getting exciting at Castle Dracula! This frustration may blind us to the detail that Stoker weaves into the letters... important detail about the heroines of the novel - for yes - there are heroines too! 

We have heard mention of Mina and now we find out more. In the first few lines we (had we been reading the novel with the contemporary audience) would have been able to pinpoint her social status. Why? Well, from her occupation: 'assistant schoolmistress' implies that she has few financial resources of her own. Unmarried, yet educated women didn't have that many options for supporting themselves. Notice too her interest in lady journalists - remember our discussions of the 'New Women' surfacing at this time... where does Mina fit into this?

Building on this - we also have reference to shorthand, to stenographs, to the typewriter - all modern inventions at the time! Stoker is trying really hard to plant this in the time in which he is writing - but for what purpose? Why would you do this? 

What about Lucy? Several blog posts asking - what's the point in Lucy? Well, look at how she's being established. Very pretty and men seem to be falling over themselves to propose. She's wearing a 'white lawn frock'.... bells should be ringing by now. Think back to 'The Nightmare' by Fuseli and the paintings of the gothic revival: many feature pretty ladies in white dresses, who are ill, or become so... What do you think Lucy's function may become? 

Then there's the sleep walking. Remember that psychology is a new science at the time, and people are beginning to research dreams and study the consciousness - again this is aimed at the discerning late Victorian reader! Similarly the inclusion of Dr Seward's diary (which is kept in phonograph) explains his passion for... 'new classification' - think about Darwin - the Victorians are the collectors, the classifiers, the organisers of the natural world. He even makes references to contemporary scientists. Again - what is the purpose? I would suggest it is to make it seem as real as possible - because the more you can associate with, the creepier the unrealistic items become, and the more you begin to question what you know.

So, for modern readers, yes, maybe this is a release of tension... but for the contemporary reader...? Something worth considering in coursework - what would happen if you plunged this into the modern day - things caught on CCTV, posts by email...? Gothic takes the supernatural elements and plunges them into a contemporary setting, making the reader try to separate truth from fiction. The most effective are surely those in which it is hardest to separate the two?