Bram Stoker’s Dracula Essay -- English Literature

Bram Stoker’s Dracula Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a classic example of Gothic writing. Gothic writing was very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the early centuries, Gothic writing would frighten the audience and it was also used as a style of architecture. Dracula, which was first published in 1897, would definitely cause a shock as there was a supernatural being, roaming around sucking people’s blood by the neck. Gothic literature usually includes vampires, monsters or some type of ancient mystical creature. It is also set in medieval castles with secret passages, dungeons and ghost places. There are various types of Gothic literature such as romance and horror. There is just usually horror used but mixing both has also become very popular. Romance on its own was very well-liked in the 19th century. The word Gothic actually comes from the Goths language. A Goth was considered one of a German tribe who invaded Eastern and Western Europe. Gothic was a type of architecture prevalent in Western Europe in the 12th - 16th centuries, it was barbarous, rude and uncouth. Dracula contains a lot Gothic conventions which incite the reader. A convention is the main point of a specific type of writing, for example in Dracula there is the use of journeys/quests, diaries, letters, journals, weird places and strange creatures. These conventions are essential in the story of Dracula and it is important to understand them. Dracula, just like any other gothic piece of writing has a villain/vampire-Dracula, a hero-Jonathan Harker and a victim-Mina. Van Helsing also plays a main role as the slayer of Dracula. Chapter 1, like a lot of the other chapters is written in journal style. This journal is of the main ... ...safe and also the plan to kill Dracula. There is more than one convention but still it will not excite the reader as much as the other chapters. Bram Stoker has created such an effective piece of Gothic Writing as the reader can feel how it would be if they were in the same predicament as some of the characters such as Mina and Jonathan. The conventions express one’s feelings out clear like all the opinions in the journals and the letters to each other. Suspense and fear are something that people express in their own way, not everyone can find the same thing frightening. Some people may just be scared of seeing Dracula and the way he kills everyone by sucking their blood, other people may fear turning into a vampire or becoming a victim. He tries to make us see how it would feel like, if there was a blood thirsty monster staring at you, ready to pounce!