Literary Analysis Bram Stoker s Dracula - 1285 Words

Sigmund Freud’s essay â€Å"The Uncanny† theorizes the duality of certain themes common in gothic literature as strange and frightening yet familiar, further explaining that the â€Å"uncanny effect is produced by effacing the distinction between imagination and reality.† (Freud pg.396) Bram Stoker s, Dracula, captures the thematic zeitgeist of gothic Europe; the repression and trappings of a rigid and formal society masking the carnal and base desires of the population at large. Freud s analysis of the uncanny, of attraction mixed with disgust, lays bare the underlying sentiment of stoker’s narrative; emphasizing on purity and virtue by definition of polite society and the church, while remaining at odds with the fundamental realities of the human biological condition. Stoker’s subliminal representations of themes such as the duality of Victorian sexuality, Oedipal fantasies, and the threat of foreign seduction and aggressive female sexuality sugge st the repressed and hidden drives of the unconscious mind throughout the novel. Interpreting through character development and common themes found in the Stoker’s, Dracula, suggests the monster Count Dracula is a projection of the repressed desires of man, while the â€Å"living† alludes to the traditional Victorian values deemed acceptable to society, or already known and familiar. Dracula’s central premise revolves around the battle between living and the dead, and the preconceived notion it is neither good nor evil that drives theShow MoreRelatedSexuality In Bram Stokers Dracula1082 Words   |  5 PagesSexuality in Bram Stoker s DraculaBram Stoker s Dracula, favorably received by critics upon publication in 1897, entertained its Victorian audience with unspeakable horrors such as vampires invading bedrooms to prey on beautiful maidens under the guise of night. The novel s eroticism proved even more unspeakable. Received in the era of repression, it remains questionable whether Dracula s readership perceived the sexuality flowing from the page. An advocate for the censorship of sexual materialRead More Intertextual Exchange in Carmilla, Dracula and the Historian1639 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Writers seldom duplicate their influential precursor(s); rather, they often work within a certain framework established by other writers or generic conventions, but vary aspects of it in significant ways† (Friedman 155). Sheridan Le Fanu’s, Carmilla, Bram Stoker’s, Dracula and Elizabeth Kostova’s, The Historian, clearly engage in this intertextual exchange, as evidenced by their use of narrative structure and striking character parallels. Published in 1872, Le Fanu relates the story of CarmillaRead MoreGothic Elements In Dracula Essay1499 Words   |  6 PagesBram Stoker s Dracula is a staple of the Gothic Horror genre. It is a novel that has been scrutinized by countless readers since it was published in 1897. While Stoker s novel is certainly not the first example of a piece of gothic horror, or even the first example of a gothic horror story focusing categorically on vampires, it still managed to plenarily capture the attention of the public. But not only did Dracula enthrall the readers of its time, but it perpetuated to be a mainstay of the gothicRead MoreComparing Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the 1972 Film Blacula Essay1917 Words   |  8 PagesBram Stoker’s Dracula is not only a classic story of men and monsters, but a dramatic reactionary work to the perceived threats to Victorian society in nineteenth century England. In modern times there have been many film adaptations of the novel, each devel oping a unique analysis or criticism of the literary text within the framework of the society and time period in which it was created. The 1972 film Blacula is one of the most culturally specific variations on the story of Dracula, and highlightsRead MoreEnglish Source Doc.7581 Words   |  31 PagesTitle: Dracula: Stoker s Response to the New Woman Author(s): Carol A. Senf Publication Details: Victorian Studies 26.1 (Autumn 1982): p33-49. Source: Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Jessica Bomarito and Russel Whitaker. Vol. 156. Detroit: Gale, 2006. From Literature Resource Center. Document Type: Critical essay Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale, COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale, Cengage Learning Full Text:   [(essay date autumn 1982) In the following essay, Senf contends that, contraryRead MoreThe Mystery Of Vampires From Folklore Tales1622 Words   |  7 Pageswould be known as the literary conversation of vampires. As a result, these literary vampires would be treasured through written masterpieces such as Polidori s The Vampyre, Penny Dreadful Varney the Vampire, and Sheridan Le Fanu s Carmilla. One particular book that made vampires a timeless horror classic would be Bram Stroker’s Dracula. Within this epic novel, Bram Stoker brought a few new traits to the folklore vampire. These new traits can now be debated as the literary vampires’ characteristicsRead MoreThe Vampire: What Boundaries Does the Vampire Threaten? Discuss with R9200 Words   |  37 Pagesof the Dracula story._______________________________________________ The Vampire in Dracula threatens the very existence of Victorian England. Stoker constructs the vampire as an embodiment of threat by surpassing his Gothic novelist predecessors to bring the threat of the Gothic home to Victorian England (Arata 119). This in turn crosses the boundary between what is foreign and what is national; and dually East and West. Dracula is open