Vampire stories are very cool and interesting, but did you know that the story of Dracula has plenty of literary elements that better help the reader. Literary terms are terms used to discuss, classify, and analyze novels, poetry, and book like Dracula. Literary terms convey the writers’ message in a simple manner to the readers. In Brian Stokers Dracula, the use of literary elements help the reader better understand the story. Dracula has many gothic elements throughout the story which can better help the reader. The author Brian Stoker says in the book Transylvania is nothing like England when Jonathan is on is way here.
Brian Stoker gives Transylvania a dark gothic view to make sure the reader can know the setting of the place and compare it to England. “Transylvania is not England. Our ways are not your ways, and there shall be to you many strange things” (Stoker 26). Stoker makes Transylvania have a dark scary side to it by saying that Transylvanian’s ways are way different from the ways Jonathan is used to. This quote shows how the author goes out to make Transylvania sound gloomy and to give a gothic feel, by saying their ways are not like England’s. Round characters are throughout the story and all play a ignificant role during the story.
Jonathan, Mina, and Dr. Seward are all round characters that make a significant impact in the story. The round characters play significant and impactful part throughout the story. For example when Mina Harker was in the process of becoming a vampire in Chapter 26 she guides and helps the group consisting of Jonathan, Mina, Seward, Vanhelsing, Arthur, and Quincey Morris track down Dracula and kill him to set Mina soul free. Dr. Seward was a Doctor who helped Mina and Lucy to save one of their lives. The round character has to develop like Mina did.
The quote shows that round characters play a big part in the story. It proves round’s play a major role throughout the book even though some may not even notice. But they play a role that can change up the whole story Romantic relations/conventions are showed during the duration of the story. There are many things that Jonathan encounters but he writes in his journal that he was part of some sort of “queer dream”. Jonathan experiences a queer dream as part of romantic. When Jonathan is going to Transylvania he says he “met exotic-looking locals and a woman gives her his rosary.
Jonathan is met by a woman who is in to him, so he shares his story in his journal. He also says the people he has met were very odd and way different than the people back where he is from, because he has never seen this type of people before. Jonathan goes through a period of a romantic element when this lady approaches him wanting something from Jonathan. This supports the tesis because it shows the girl giving him her rosary and how that was a symbolic thing. What Jonathan explained had to do with a romantic element. The readers should follow the romantic pieces for example the
Jonathan meeting exotic people (which was the rosary lady), this can really set the tone for the scenes and be able to allow the reader to know what he has been through. Foreshadowing shows what will eventually happen before it happens, and in Dracula it shows well how this element is used. This element can really set the tone for the whole scene and even story by giving hints as to what is going to happen. Dracula says that he will suck everybody’s blood that he encounters on his journey during the story. Dracula plans to suck everybody’s blood and aid it before all of the action starts.
“The blood is life! The blood is the life! Stoker171). ” This is what Dracula says and that means that the blood of his victims gives him life and that blood is the only form of life. He also gets energy off of the blood he gets and this informs the reader what his intensions are and how he will do it. This scene foreshadows Dracula’s presence in England and what he is planning on doing while he is in England. He has possessed Renfield while in England to make him become one of him and also adding more people to his vampire chain by oing what he is doing to Renfield. An element is stereotypes; this can help the reader understand what vampires really are.
Stereotypes are what the readers thought vampires would be like vs what Dracula is really like and how he acts. According to Brian Stoker the author Dracula is much different than other vampires but still has the qualities and traits as normal vampires do. Vampires such as Dracula do other thi stay in a dark castle and suck blood, which is what the reader needs to know with stereotypes to let them better understand the storyline and the characters. In the book you see Dracula traveling all around the city and buying houses instead of staying in one place like most readers think Dracula does, but he doesn’t.
He is rich, that’s why he can do whatever he wants, he eats, and he can turn into a bat like every other vampire. Not all vampires are the same and act the same. There are different kinds of vampires and Dracula is a different kind of vampire. This supports the theses by giving examples how Dracula acts compared to how normal stereotypical vampires act and shows how unique Dracula is. Symbolism in Dracula shows up hroughout the story and they symbolize important things that happened during the story. Finding symbolism is very important for a reader because it can give the reader a better perspective on what certain things in the story mean.
The book has plenty of symbolism from animals to what blood can symbolize. The animals used to aid Dracula on his journey are symbolic for being used by Dracula to get what he wants. Wild animals are used by Dracula during the story to help him with whatever his mission was to do, which is symbolic of his out of control desires that are fulfilled by using the animals. For example he uses the bats, wolves, and spiders to do things for him and to aid him in his journey while in Transylvania. Dracula uses the wild animals for a reason and he can’t help it because it is a desire.
A desire is besides something that you can help doing so he can’t help using the animals This proves that the animals where a symbol of something in Dracula, so this can show the reader how the small animals in this story can be used as a symbol and help the reader understand more. In Dracula the write used literary terms to show how many connect with the story and how all of hem fit in with the storyline also to help the reader better understand what is going on in the story vs not knowing how the elements fit in.
Gothic elements provide different dark features in the story for example the castle. Round character show how they can develop throughout the story and how they plan a big part in the book. Even though the reader may not know but round characters are usually main characters are and 2nd main character. Romantic elements are all over the place especially with Jonathan and Dracula as they meet many women on their journeys. The romantic elements can inform he reader about the past and the main characters relationship with whoever the character had been with.
Foreshadowing showed how Jonathan and Dracula planned or knew what the outcome was going to be. Stereotypes should what the Dracula was really like and not what you think. Symbolism shows the many symbols in the story, for example blood and animals. The symbols can better inform the reader on what is going on and what the purpose of it is: Now do you believe there are plenty of literary devices throughout the whole book of Dracula that can help the reader better understand the story and the storyline?
