Dracula 3

It seems really obvious to us what is going on with Dracula, what he is, as the book goes on.  The boxes of earth in the tunnel leading from Dracula's room, not being allowed to fall asleep in any room other then his own, everything.  We have a very clear concept of the vampire at this point in time, it's nothing new.  So our dread comes from him not leaving the castle, not figuring it out.  It's like in a horror movie when we know that someone is about to be eaten by a monster or stabbed by the killer and we want to scream get out get out!  Because it hasn't all been from their point of view and we saw the last person who was killed.  But for the then population of England imagine how terrifying this novel must have been.  They saw only what the main character saw knew only what he knew, vampires weren't as defined and obvious they didn't have the same distinctive persona yet, because it was the book Dracula that gave it that.  So they had no way in the world of knowing what would happen and the book was, a result, much more scary to  them because it was more foreign.  Further in, I think it was, chapter three, when the character is aproached by the women it is even more strange to the readers.  Their idea of a women is very prim and proper and this, a women unabashedly approaching him in such a way, is unheard of.  We fear the unknown the uncommon and this book certianly was such in that time period.  Then when Dracula provides them the half dead child they are further removed from the common idea of a women, we loose the idea they could be mothers, and protective of children because it seems they are going to kill this one.  As we know, drink their blood, and though I can't be sure the original readers of this book would have figured out exactly what would happen to the child yet certianly they would know it wouldn't be good.  So another fear, beyond just death or imprisinment even, has arrisen in the readers mind.  This Dracula controls these women and now he is a threat to society as well.

Dracula

Okay, so I have been reading. I'm sorry i just haven't had a chance to post. So here's one of them. First of all I'd just like to say picturing Dracula with a long white moustacheas described took away from him being intimidating in my opinion. Which is probably why they took that out of the movies. As the book continues Harker is continuously given more facts towards Dracula not being a living creature. He shakes his hand and it's the cold dead firm grip of the undead. But he dismisses it as he dissmissed the carriage ride before hand. He also calls the castle uncanny. He's been brought up to think that he is beyond the kind of things like believing in vampires and such so he refuses to think like the transilvanians and go back to "primitive thinking". I think that's one of the main themes in the book, a comment on the fact the western world doesn't accept and examine the beliefs of other countries thinking that we're beyond that stage. Anyways I did look up some stuff about Bram Stoker and his story, one thing that kept poping up was Sigmund Frued's essay "The Uncanny" which discusses what brings up the feelings of dread and horror and it's one of two things; when primitve disproved beliefs seem to be proved true, as in the case of Jonathan Harker, or when "repressed infantile complexes are revived". The next day we don't see much of Dracula, I think this has to do with the fact that what our unconcious mind comes up with is going to be scariest to us, not what Bram Stoker thinks is scariest. That's why Jaws is so scary, we never see the shark. Though that was a fluke they couldn't get the thing to work. Hitchcock does the same thing, specifically with psycho. Does it not set off alarm bells that Dracula wants to purchase an old isolated manor surrounded by a lunatic asylum? Really? Harker should be going, um, creeper... And Dracula keeps him up all night then leaves at sun rise? Well Iguess that slightly disturbs him but then he writes it off again. Seriously dude, listen to your instincts. Just wondering, why does Dracula what a mansion near a church? Then of course Harker cuts himself and Dracula almost eats him and gets rid of the mirror. By this point in time any remotely intelligent person would be runnig screaming from the castle. And I think Harker tries, though he's telling himself he's exploring, and finds himself locked in.