Choose two passages that show different aspects of Stoker’s treatment of the

gothic tradition.

Stoker has demonstrated different types of gothic genres throughout the novel
ranging from early, emerging and late gothic, dating from the 1700s to the late 1800s.
The passage between pages 33 to 34 is an example of how Stoker uses late gothic to
convey the kind of open sexuality, which would have been shocking to a Victorian
audience, however it presents the threat of wanton and corrupt sexuality in which
Stoker displays in a vampiric shape. Their decadence, nocturnal existence and
indiscriminate desires distinguish vampires as a particularly modern sexual threat to
cultural mores and taboos. They are modern visions of epidemic contagions from the
past, visited on the present in a form that, like venereal disease, enters the home only
after (sexual) invitation. The female vampires represent the fates that will foreshadow
any woman who allow themselves to be allured by the power of a male vampire.
Another reason why this passage can be considered to have the typical
conventions of late Gothicism includes the fact that it contradicts many of the early
gothic traditions, which are very conventional. Instead of a fainting heroine that is
unprotected and in danger, we have Jonathan Harker being the one in a predicament.
He is male, yet we could say he was temporarily unprotected before Count Dracula
arrived. In late gothic, there is a reference to gothic romance where this usually
involves a male quest on an adventure. It provides the structure of a male fantasy of
sacred and immortal power, and we see this later in the novel where there is always
the battle between Dracula’s immortal power conflicting with the religious, sacred
objects and methods Morris, Harker, Helsing and Godalming use to weaken Dracula.
Turning the Gothic romance into a male quest romance ‘Dracula’ feeds off prevailing
cultural anxieties concerning corruption, sexuality and spirit.
Another traditional aspect of early gothic includes sexual stereotypes where
women, although often morally superior, are nearly always subservient to men, yet
these three vampire women presents a complete contrast. The social values of women
are dismissed. They are bold, rather dominate since Harker admits he was actually
afraid of them, ‘deadly fear’. The simile, ‘like an animal’ reinforces the idea of how
these women are not human and have sold their soul to the devil. The constant
repetition of ‘red’ refers back to blood and the loss of life. These women represent the
violation of purity, corruption, and more importantly temptation. In early gothic,
traditional features include the tyrannical older man attempts rape and murder in
pursuit of his ambition and lustful desires. Once again, we have a similar situation but
there is a switch in the gender roles. Stoker reveals the lustful desire among the three
vampire women towards Harker very clearly. Harker is swept by impulse and passion
driven that is clouds his sense of rationality to escape from the unseen danger at
present, he was in, ‘languorous ecstasy’. The feelings of sensual drama are evoked
leading back to the threat of wanton and corrupt sexuality, which then links to late
Gothicism. The ‘white sharp teeth’ describes carnal desire, ‘the red tongue as it
lapped’ embodies their animalistic nature, when one ‘liked her lips’ we can recognise
the animalistic hunger she possesses for the blood which is further emphasised by the
repetition of ‘red’. The reference to the word, ‘voluptuousness’ twice reflects pleasure
sensual and heat. The ‘hot breath’ is a contrast to the ‘soft, shivering touch of the
lips’, and this acts as a reminder of the difference between life and death.
The passage between page 247 and 248 presents many features of emerging
gothic where other less traditional gothic features begin to develop. There is
emotional atmosphere in this passage which creates the plot to become alive with a
sense of danger and terror. This is seen when Mina becomes slightly hysterical after
her terrifying encounter with Dracula. She calls herself, ‘Unclean!’ and her lament to
God; ‘the Almighty’ refers back to Christianity and its beliefs. The images provoked
when Mina was described with Dracula, make it seem she was almost raped. In
emerging gothic, sanity and chastity are constantly threatened, and we see this aspect
in Mina. Her emotional drama over how unworthy she is before God makes us aware
of how the trauma has affected her mentally and how very disturbed she feels. This
can also relate to another feature of emerging gothic: scenes of mental and physical
torture (usually woman).