Dracula
The aspect of Dracula that makes it so frightening, as opposed to contemporary horror, is that of the strong persona of Count Dracula himself. For all of the terror he inspires, The Count has few appearances in the novel, instead using his mystique to frighten the reader. While nearly all current books and films in the horror genre focus on the aspects of violence and shock appeal, Dracula uses the element of suspense to captivate the reader. By using the element of fear, Bram Stoker keeps the reader turning the pages in anticipation of the next series of terrifying events to occur. One of the major factors in the horror of Dracula is that so much of Count Dracula's actions are centered around the carnal and bestial, desires which are considered unnatural for humans. The Count is purely carnal and animal in nature, making him so terrifying for the men and women that become ensnared in his bloodlust. An example of The Count's animalistic traits can be found in his appearance. With his sharp canine teeth and rather hairy body, The Count certainly gives the impression of being something other than human. As stated in Jonathan Harker's journal, "...lofty domed forehead, and hair growing scantily round the temp
les but profusely everywhere else; The mouth... was fixed and rather cruel-looking, with peculiarly sharp white teeth; The ears were pale, and the tops extremely pointed..." (page 18). This is clearly not a man, but some sort of beast in a human form. This unnatural being subconsciously horrifies the reader, as it is not clear what to make of Dracula, whether he is a man or a beast. By leaving this element of mystery to the character of The Count, the reader is left with a feeling of suspense. This feeling is often lost in contemporary horror/gothic literature and film, which often shows the evil being in all of its horrific glory. By leaving these psychological aspects of fear and suspense, Bram Stoker writes a truly classic gothic novel. Dracula is truly a classic gothic horror novel of the best kind. Instead of focusing on the violent aspects that pervert most writing in the genre, Dracula uses the elements of fear and suspense. Using man's natural fear of the sexually unknown, Bram Stoker psychologically terrorizes the reader with dominant female characters that are dangerous threats to the men of the novel. By using inverse Christian symbolism, Dracula is shown as being truly evil, but is able to be subdued by Christianity and faith. These elements separate Dracula from contemporary gothic fiction, and simultaneously ter
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Approximate Word count = 906
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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