To commemorate the centenary of Dracula, Carol Margaret Davison has brought together this collection of essays by some of the world's leading scholars. This book offers analysis of Stoker's original work, but also celebrates the influence this famous monster has had upon our literature and culture.
The history of Bram Stoker's Dracula begins with its publication in 1897, though that event was largely unheralded. In the years that followed, the book has become, according to Davison, "one of the rare popular cultural novels to be canonised."
Dracula Influences
While the popularity of the Dracula myth has helped to keep the story alive, it has also created a great deal of "critical molestation." No reader can come to the text without preconceptions, derived from the screen and other vampire literature. It's interesting to note that although we've been influenced by these literary progeny from Anne Rice and all of the other writers of vampire literature, none of these works has managed to overtake or overshadow the original Dracula. As James B. Twitchell says, "There have been many twentieth century novelists... who have dealt with the vampire, but none so strikingly as Stoker."
Dracula Influences
While the popularity of the Dracula myth has helped to keep the story alive, it has also created a great deal of "critical molestation." No reader can come to the text without preconceptions, derived from the screen and other vampire literature. It's interesting to note that although we've been influenced by these literary progeny from Anne Rice and all of the other writers of vampire literature, none of these works has managed to overtake or overshadow the original Dracula. As James B. Twitchell says, "There have been many twentieth century novelists... who have dealt with the vampire, but none so strikingly as Stoker."
Whenever a vampire is mentioned, the monster Dracula invariably still comes to mind, even if that character has been dramatically altered by movies and other films. As Margaret Carter writes, "The figure of Dracula pervades our culture's conception of vampirism. Authors who choose not to imitate the plot structure and characterization of the model often deal with its influence by self-consciously subverting it."
Patrick McGrath describes the novel as a "sort of lens," which brings into focus Gothic motifs: vampirism, "madness, the night, spoiled innocence, disorder in nature, sacrilege, cannibalism, necrophilia, psychic projection, the succubus, the incubus, the ruin, and the tomb." He concludes: "Gathering up and unifying all that came before it, and casting its great shadow over all that came and continues to come after, its influence on twentieth-century Gothic fiction and film is unique and irresistible."
Patrick McGrath describes the novel as a "sort of lens," which brings into focus Gothic motifs: vampirism, "madness, the night, spoiled innocence, disorder in nature, sacrilege, cannibalism, necrophilia, psychic projection, the succubus, the incubus, the ruin, and the tomb." He concludes: "Gathering up and unifying all that came before it, and casting its great shadow over all that came and continues to come after, its influence on twentieth-century Gothic fiction and film is unique and irresistible."
Teaching Dracula
In her essay, "Teaching the Vampire Dracula in the Classroom," Norma Roman writes about her experience in teaching vampire texts. She took several different approaches in her teaching: psychological, folklore, socio-cultural, Marxist, and spiritual/religious. She has found that the psychological aspect of a study of the vampire has intrigued students, as has the "socio-cultural connection with the alienated and marginal."
While the idea of immortality is often one of the most fascinating aspects of the Dracula myth, Roman says, "Dracula gave the students pause, prompting them to reassess their prior assumptions about the vampire." Not even immortality looked as attractive when linked with this monster. After all, "the journey into the dark and hidden reaches of the self is more difficult when the shadow/guide assumes the form, not of someone youthful and attractive — however murderous — but of a repulsive and unrepentant elder with bad breath."
While the idea of immortality is often one of the most fascinating aspects of the Dracula myth, Roman says, "Dracula gave the students pause, prompting them to reassess their prior assumptions about the vampire." Not even immortality looked as attractive when linked with this monster. After all, "the journey into the dark and hidden reaches of the self is more difficult when the shadow/guide assumes the form, not of someone youthful and attractive — however murderous — but of a repulsive and unrepentant elder with bad breath."
Monsters in Literature
Richard Anderson writes, "Monsters have been a feature of western literature from Beowulf onward, but there seems to be something particularly interesting about the monsters of the modern imagination, and Dracula in particular." Beyond, the initial vision of Dracula as a monster, there's the image of him residing in terrible loneliness. But is his demise a tragedy?
In "The Death of Dracula," Benjamin Leblanc writes, "Dracula's death should not be considered a tragedy. After all, he died of 'natural' causes, and left a legacy to his descendants, one which is both dark and powerful. In a way, he will live forever through his descendants and in our memories."
Davison's collection draws from a variety of sources to create a comprehensive look at how Stoker's Dracula was affected by the culture of that day, of fear and uncertainties. But, the essays also dramatize the true importance of the work, as the last Gothic novel, as representative of the period, and as a work that has transcended time and place.
In "The Death of Dracula," Benjamin Leblanc writes, "Dracula's death should not be considered a tragedy. After all, he died of 'natural' causes, and left a legacy to his descendants, one which is both dark and powerful. In a way, he will live forever through his descendants and in our memories."
Davison's collection draws from a variety of sources to create a comprehensive look at how Stoker's Dracula was affected by the culture of that day, of fear and uncertainties. But, the essays also dramatize the true importance of the work, as the last Gothic novel, as representative of the period, and as a work that has transcended time and place.
