Vampire Types in the novel:
1974: Censorship in U.S. was removed so violence and sex could be hinted at.
Stoker’s Dracula = literary vampire
Dracula = folkloric vampire
Renfield = psychotic vampire
Dracula to Mina and Renfield = psychic vampire
Vlad Tepes = historical figure
Setting
New tech- typewriter
New woman- Mina
Themes and Motifs (also see chart IIc on page 613 in Vampire Lore)
Faustian – Making a pact with the devil; no shadow/reflection, “Enter of your own free will”
Devil archetype – Dracula as an invading and tempting evil force
Hunger – for food, money, sex, etc; the reason Harker goes to Transylvania
Theory of the Four Elements – 3 are ‘cleansing’ elements like air (wind), fire (sun), and water (rain) while earth is the ‘bound’ element (dirt of coffin)
Christian symbols – crucifix, wild roses (as in Crown of Thorns), holy water
Times of Transition – between the real world and the supernatural world; regarding the sun (sunrise, sunset, also noon and midnight) and regarding the moon (high and low tide). Creatures can sneak into the human world during transition times.
New Science – contrasts with gothic setting
Shape-shifting – wolf, bat
Domestic v. Wild – England v. Transylvania, dog v. wolf
Pseudo-science – astral bodies, spirit world, mesmerism/hypnotism, non-tangible stuff
Body v. Soul
Blood Brotherhood - Van Helsing and group shared blood.
Blood – “Dracula’s Red Eyes”
Eroticism – phallic stake, sucking “life fluid”
Immortality – “the blood is the life”
New Woman – Victorian-era feminism where women first began to take on men’s roles in offices, for example, Mina is tech-savvy with phones and such
*Thanks Grace*
1974: Censorship in U.S. was removed so violence and sex could be hinted at.
Stoker’s Dracula = literary vampire
Dracula = folkloric vampire
Renfield = psychotic vampire
Dracula to Mina and Renfield = psychic vampire
Vlad Tepes = historical figure
Setting
New tech- typewriter
New woman- Mina
Themes and Motifs (also see chart IIc on page 613 in Vampire Lore)
Faustian – Making a pact with the devil; no shadow/reflection, “Enter of your own free will”
Devil archetype – Dracula as an invading and tempting evil force
Hunger – for food, money, sex, etc; the reason Harker goes to Transylvania
Theory of the Four Elements – 3 are ‘cleansing’ elements like air (wind), fire (sun), and water (rain) while earth is the ‘bound’ element (dirt of coffin)
Christian symbols – crucifix, wild roses (as in Crown of Thorns), holy water
Times of Transition – between the real world and the supernatural world; regarding the sun (sunrise, sunset, also noon and midnight) and regarding the moon (high and low tide). Creatures can sneak into the human world during transition times.
New Science – contrasts with gothic setting
Shape-shifting – wolf, bat
Domestic v. Wild – England v. Transylvania, dog v. wolf
Pseudo-science – astral bodies, spirit world, mesmerism/hypnotism, non-tangible stuff
Body v. Soul
Blood Brotherhood - Van Helsing and group shared blood.
Blood – “Dracula’s Red Eyes”
Eroticism – phallic stake, sucking “life fluid”
Immortality – “the blood is the life”
New Woman – Victorian-era feminism where women first began to take on men’s roles in offices, for example, Mina is tech-savvy with phones and such
*Thanks Grace*
