Dracula Essay, Research Paper
Stoker v.s Coppola
Where there is no imagination there is no horror. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Imagination is the force that keeps human desires alive. It is a state that allows someone to give up repression and indulge into temptation. Where the conscious mind is a state of composed and rational behaviour, imagination becomes the unconscious setting into a world of countless fantasies where one does not need to worry about the consequences. However, civilization is built on the fact that we are able to repress what we crave. All is held back for the good of society and in an instant, the battle between good and evil is created. The novel and movie Dracula exemplifies this conflict well. The story enables the audience to envision the repressed and forbidding nature of the horror genre. But here lies the dilemma, which version of the Dracula story better incorporates this conflict between good and evil, desire and the need for repression? Is it Bram Stoker s novel or Coppola s film? Let the exploration begin.
First of all, a great aspect of the Stoker version was the fact that the author wrote Dracula using profound imagery. Stoker pays a great deal of attention to every detail, minute as it may seem. An example of this would be when Stoker describes the castle as:
“Built on the corner of a great rock, so that on three sides it was quite impregnable, and great windows were placed here where sling, or bow, or culverin could not reach, and consequently light and comfort, impossible to a position which had to be guarded, were secured” (p.36).
This example enables the reader s imagination to overflow. The detailed description of the castle leaves the audience wondering what atrocities lie ahead in the building. Due to the vast and precise nature of the dialogue, the depiction of the castle can be seen as a forewarning element. In doing so, Stoker brings forth an atmosphere of suspense which embodies the horror genre. The castle, being described as being an impregnable fortress, foreshadows Jonathan’s future life, because if the castle lives up to its description, the reader is lead to believe that he will meet his doom. The fact that Stoker uses imagery and foreshadowing to compliment each other assures the reader that there is never a dull moment. The tale is so horrific that it could be closely considered as reality. Stoker seems to tie all of the elements that create horror and suspense together. He does not over expose the reader to simply people dying. He entices them to read further and experience the real terror of Count Dracula, leaving the readers imagination to run wild.
Secondly, in comparing with Coppola s film, the one thing his movie lacks is a narrative element with a coherent plot. There is no story we can follow well enough to care about. There is a chronology of events, as the characters travel back and forth from London to Transylvania, and rendez-vous in bedrooms and graveyards. However, Coppola seems to be more concerned with spectacle and set-pieces, rather than with storytelling. The movie is particularly fixed in the way it prefers climaxes to continuity. By including the love saga between Mina and Dracula, Coppola diminishes the frightful and intimidating nature of the title character. By doing so, he paints a clear cut image of Dracula. We clearly see why Dracula has become what he is, thus implying how the audience is suppose to feel. In Stoker s novel, there exists no love element between Dracula and any other character. This clearly is more enticing to the reader because we are not set to conclude the nature of Dracula s being. Everything is left to the imagination, and the element of mystery adds to the horror of the novel, for people in general are very frightful of the unknown. By pursuing major scenes to a concluded extent, Coppola has already painted in the audience s mind the way they should react.
Another example of this can be seen in the scene between Lucy and Dracula. From the arrival of Dracula, to biting the neck of his victim, the scene is already visually painted and there exists no other element to surprise the viewer. The best way to compare this is by looking at Dracula (1931), featuring Bela Lugosi. In the scene, Dracula s arrival includes a climax at which leaves the viewer at an uneasy state. Dracula s biting of Lucy s neck is cut short and the audience is left to figure out what had happened. The element of surprise truly leaves the viewer captivated. Evil is looming. This tone of surprise exists as well in the novel. The detailed nature of Stoker s version creates a sense of mystery crucial to a suspense novel, as the book becomes a kind of puzzle that both the reader and the characters themselves must fit together, in order to understand unbelievable events. In contrast, in Coppola s film, the story is pursued with a fixed climax. Nothing is left to the imagination.
Third of all, another aspect to look at would be the manner in which the female characters are portrayed. In the novel version of Dracula, Stoker mirrors the spiritual side of the women by contrasting it with unholy and wicked conduct. A good example of this would be with the character of Lucy Westenra. After her blood has been drained several times by the Count, she finally dies on September 20th. An article in the Westminster Gazette dated September 25th reads:
During the past two or three days several cases have occurred of young children
straying from home or neglecting to return from their playing on the Heath. In
all these cases the children were too young to give any properly intelligible
account of themselves, but the consensus of their excuses is that they had been
with a bloofer lady Some of the children, indeed all who have been missed
at night, have been slightly torn or wounded in the throat (p.229).
The reader can easily deduct that the bloofer lady is Lucy Westenra. The fact that Lucy goes out and harms these children gives the reader a sense of pure terror and malevolence, because she was once a character seemingly pure and innocent. What is so brilliant about Stoker s writing is the fact that he portrays the explicit nature of repression. Stoker destroys the wholesome side of women and brings out what is carnal and unspiritual. Once a model of modesty before her death and transformation, Lucy becomes after death a figure of sexual desire. In contrast, in Coppola s version, Lucy was a model of condescension. She was already a sexually explicit character from the beginning, making it hard for the audience to feel any sort of dread when she dies. Her resurrected character acts in the same way as when she was alive, leaving the audience having to witness the rebirth of a hated character.
In conclusion, as Joseph De Maistre once put it:
Man is so muddled, so dependent on the things immediately before his eyes, that every day even the most submissive believer can be seen to risk the torments of the afterlife for the smallest pleasure.
Horror, as a genre, is suppose to embody the conflict between unconscious desires and the demands of society. By comparing Stoker s version of Dracula with Coppola s, it s easy to notice which of the two better portrayed this theme. By creating a lead character, one whom openly acted upon his temptations and let his desires run rampant, Stoker s Dracula was a figure of pure mystery and dread. It lead the audience to wonder about the horrific nature of his actions. It truly created the emotions associated with the horror genre. In contrast, Coppola s film was pursued with a fixed climax, where nothing was left to the imagination. By pursuing the love story between Mina and Dracula, Coppola shies away from the horror genre and creates a story of tragedy. As Richard Dyer put it: The narrative devices used ostensibly keep the vampire at a distance.
Works Cited
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. New York: Penguin Books, 1993.
Bram Stoker s Dracula. Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. Perf. Anthony Hopkins, Gary Oldman and Winona Ryder, 1992. Videocassette. Warner, 1992.
Quotes to inspire you. : cybernation/victory/quotations/subjects.html
Dracula, fact and fiction :
ucs.mun.ca/ emiller/
Другие работы по теме:
Dracula Summary Essay Research Paper DRACULABasically the
Dracula Summary Essay, Research Paper DRACULABasically, the setting of the book is in the Castle Dracula, on a high mountain in Transylvania. Here the Count, Dracula lives. He has never been seen during the day, and most of the residents in Transylvania know that something evil takes placein the castle in which Count Dracula lives in, but none of them will speak about it.Jonathan Harker, a young Englishman, is invited to stay in the castle of Dracula to stay in as a guest.
Gothic Conventions In Dracula Essay Research Paper
The Gothic is a formula of stock conventions. It is interested in nightmarish mindscapes and a unique style of writing. This scene from Dracula is very much Gothic as it contains the basic Gothic conventions. It is significant to the story as it is Lucy s first encounter with Dracula. It is also important to invoke fear and uncertainty in the reader.
Nosferatu Essay Research Paper Horror films of
Nosferatu Essay, Research Paper Horror films of today employ several film techniques to invoke responses from the viewer. However, early silent films relied more on these techniques because without a
MARXISM VIEW ON BRAM STOKERS DRACULA Essay
, Research Paper Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula is a mystifying horror story that occurred sometime in the late nineteenth century, where a young English lawyer takes an excursion to Count Dracula located in Transylvania, in hopes of finalizing a real estate transfer. The novel portrays a gross representation of Anti-Christian values and beliefs, through one of its characters.
Who Is The Hero In Dracula Essay
, Research Paper In Dracula by Bram Stoker there are many characters that could be called a hero. Some of these heroes could be John Harker for identifying The Count and helping to kill him. Quicy for helping to kill The Count and Sacrificing himself in the end, or even Van Helsing for finding the facts about Dracula and how he must die.
Dracula And Women Essay Research Paper Women
Dracula And Women Essay, Research Paper Women: Object/Men: Protectors Bram Stoker s novel, Dracula, exhibits many characteristics of nineteenth century Gothic novels. In fact, this novel may be the best representation of the time period. It includes the elements typical of the novel: morbid melancholy, figures of the supernatural, dark romance, mysterious setting, and many twists and turns.
Dracula Essay Research Paper Bram Stokers DraculaLords
Dracula Essay, Research Paper Bram Stoker?s Dracula Lords of the darkness, Darkling Dancers, Nosferatu, Vrikolakas. And the list goes on like this. The vampire concept is thought by the most to be a myth that has crept into almost every culture. It has influenced many writers to write novels on them and many directors to shoot films on.
The Many Faces Of Count Dracul Essay
, Research Paper The Many Faces of Count Dracula Throughout the past century, many movies were made based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. These versions not only tell different series of events from the novel, but also describe a Count Dracula different in appearance, his animal morphism, and even in the way he dies.
Ideological Work Of Religion In Dracula Essay
, Research Paper Possibly the most terrifying aspect of Bram Stoker’s, Dracula, is The Count’s mocking of Christianity. Indeed, Dracula seems to be a total opposite of Christ and Christian values, driven purely by desire and lust, showing his demonic soul through the fire that burns in his eyes. Despite these opposites, Stoker repeatedly uses biblical imagery and references to compare Dracula to Christ, creating deliberate parallels throughout the novel.
Untitled Essay Research Paper How the use
Untitled Essay, Research Paper How the use of the diary form narrative is beneficial to the novel Dracula. Bram Stoker, being the creative and intellectual writer himself, wrote the
Dracula Essay Research Paper Dracula as the
Dracula Essay, Research Paper Dracula as the Anti-Christ Anti-Christianity is a major reoccurring theme throughout Bram Stoker?s Dracula. The novel portrays Anti-Christian values and beliefs, through one of its characters. Dracula one of the main characters in the novel is used to take on the characteristics of the Anti-Christ.
Dracula Essay Research Paper The book Dracula
Dracula Essay, Research Paper The book Dracula by Bram Stoker is a tale of the old-time legend of the most famous of vampires. It takes place in both England and Transylvania. Jonathan Harker s first assignment as a professional lawyer is to meet with Count Dracula at his castle in Transylvania on behalf of concluding a deal with the purchase of an English estate.
Dracula Characters Essay Research Paper Bram Stoker
Dracula Characters Essay, Research Paper Bram Stoker’s characters ? Dracula – central character of the book: An old vampire who lives in a crumbling castle in Transylvania. As the book begins, he is planning to move to England, where he can feed on fresh blood. When we first meet him, Dracula is described as an old man with a white mustache, and he appears courtly and charming; as the book progresses and feeds upon his victims, he grows younger and becomes more like a beast.
Dracula Essay Research Paper In Bram Stoker
Dracula Essay, Research Paper In Bram Stoker’ s Dracula, vampires act as principles of mixing in many ways. Dracula comes from Transylvania, which is a land of many people, and his castle is located on the border of three states. Dracula himself describes the place as the “whirlpool of European races”, and boasts, “in [his] veins flows the blood of many brave races” (p. 28).
Dracula Essay Research Paper Bram Stoker s
Dracula Essay, Research Paper Bram Stoker s Dracula Bram Stoker s Dracula sets the standard for horror stories by mixing sensationalistic writing types with documentaries.
Bram Stoker Essay Research Paper Bram StokerAbraham
Bram Stoker Essay, Research Paper Bram Stoker Abraham (Bram) Stoker was born November 8, 1847 at 15 The Crescent, Clontarf, North of Dublin, the third of seven children. For the first 7 years of his life Stoker was bedridden with a myriad of childhood diseases which afforded him much time to reading. By the time he went to college, Stoker had somehow overcome his childhood maladies and while at Trinity College, Dublin, the honor student was involved in soccer and was a marathon running champion.
Dracula 2 Essay Research Paper Dracula and
Dracula 2 Essay, Research Paper Dracula and its overwhelming appeal in the 20th Century Alia Lamaadar Mrs. Schuett 12 English March 5, 1999 “Books, like proverbs, receive their chief value from the stamp and esteem of ages through which they have passed.” (Temple, Sir William). Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a literary classic, which has stood the test of time.
Book Review Dracula Essay Research Paper By
Book Review- Dracula Essay, Research Paper By NVOT Student, 6/00 Bram Stoker s classic Dracula, first published in 1897, is a mystifying horror tale concerning the war of good versus evil, ages old, yet forever new. It is the gothic narrative of the undead creatures of the night, and the human lives they touch, seeking to satiate the cursed craving for their only sustenance human blood.
Dracula Essay Research Paper The creation of
Dracula Essay, Research Paper The creation of this monster was actually based upon a Romanian myth,(derived from the word draclu-devil) which implied the existence of vampires or the undead, as Stoker says. But, let?s look at this novel in a different way. Who was Dracula?
Vampires Essay Research Paper VampiresWhere did the
Vampires Essay, Research Paper Vampires Where did the history of the vampire start? No one really knows where or when the legend of the vampire came about. Although, these legends are very common in many cultures, throughout the decades, people have recorded instances of vampirism. Among these were the Ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Romanians (Baumann 5, Mcnally 144).
Elizabeth Bathory Essay Research Paper Rachel SmithCaywoodAP
Elizabeth Bathory Essay, Research Paper Rachel Smith Caywood AP Eng. IV March 18, 2001 Throughout history vampires have been one of the most feared fictional characters. Vlad Dracul, often called “Dracula”, is the most renowned vampire. He impaled his victims on stakes in front of his castle in order to frighten away any enemies (Glut).
Dracul
’ Essay, Research Paper Dracul Vlad became quite known for his brutal punishment techniques; he often ordered people to be skinned, boiled, decapitated, blinded, strangled, hanged, burned, roasted, hacked, nailed, buried alive, stabbed, etc. He also liked to cut off noses, ears, sexual organs and limbs.
Dracula Essay Research Paper DraculaThe aspect of
Dracula Essay, Research Paper Dracula The aspect of Dracula that makes it so frightening, as opposed to contemporary horror, is that of the strong persona of Count Dracula himself. For all of the terror he inspires, The Count has few appearances in the novel, instead using his mystique to frighten the reader.
Dracula 2 Essay Research Paper Dracula by
Dracula 2 Essay, Research Paper Dracula, by Bram Stoker, is a classic tale of Gothicism. Traditionally, gothic tales only carried single theme of horror. Through Dracula, Stoker breaks this single theme barrier. The theme throughout Dracula is clearly displayed through the characters as they step from ignorance to realization in this tale of horror.
DraculaPlay Review Essay Research Paper Dracula
Dracula-Play Review Essay, Research Paper Dracula Dracula is a penetrating look at the novel written by Bram Stoker in 1890. This is just to let you know right up front that The Stratford Festival’s Dracula, is a keeper. Richard Ouzounian, who creates an evening of theatrical magic, directed this thrilling production.
Dracula Essay Research Paper DraculaCount Dracula as
Dracula Essay, Research Paper Dracula Count Dracula as a human beast, that’s what count Dracula is described in the mysterious and dreadful novel Dracula. The Transylvanian people conception about Count Dracula was described as the king of darkness, unpredictable savage and furthermore a human feeder to repopulate his own existence throughout the humanity.
Dracula Vs Anne Rice
’s Vampire Chronicles Essay, Research Paper Bram Stoker?s Dracula and Anne Rice?s series The Vampire Chronicles are books about vampires. The way the two authors write about the vampires?
Dracula Essay Research Paper 1
Dracula Essay, Research Paper There are many ways that Bram Stoker?s Dracula can be considered Anti-Christian by showing of Anti-Christian values and perversions of the Christian religion. In chapter one as
Bram Stoker Essay Research Paper Writer of
Bram Stoker Essay, Research Paper Writer of one of the world’s most famous horror novels, Abraham Stoker has shaped the remarkable Count Dracula into a legendary monster which numerous authors, directors, and play writers have emulated. His other works have not aged well, but the story of Count Dracula continues to sell steadily even to this day.
The Lost Trees Essay Research Paper Gail
The Lost Trees Essay, Research Paper Gail Allem Judi Slover ENC 1102 February 22, 1996 The Lost Trees The double shame in man’s war against man is the residual effect on nature; an innocent ,
Dracula And Evil Essay Research Paper Be
Dracula And Evil Essay, Research Paper Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. ? Romans. XII. 21 Evil often triumphs, but never conquers. ? Joseph Roux The two quotations from
Spirit Of A Late Victorian Age Essay
, Research Paper The Spirit of a late Victorian Age. With reference to Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Stoker’s monstrous figure, Count Dracula, has today reached epic and almost mythical proportions, like Frankestein (not the doctor), the Gordon Medusa, even Virginia Woolf (thanks to Albee). Like the aforementioned examples, what we associate in our minds to be these monsters, mostly conditioned by popular culture and Hollywood, are merely visual representation.
The Origin And Evolution Of Vampires Essay
, Research Paper The Origin and Evolution of Vampires Stories of vampires go back earlier than Abraham Stoker, before the existence of Vlad the Impaler, and even before the origin of the Hungarian word vampir from which we get the current word “vampire.” Stories of the undead were told in Ancient Greece and in Ancient Rome, and were called lamiae.
Vlad Tepes Cracula Essay Research Paper Just
Vlad Tepes Cracula Essay, Research Paper Just who was this peculiar Vlad Tepes Dracula? An explorer of the further realms of experience, a demon to some and Angel to others. Nevertheless he was