Dracula: What To Compare It To (OCR A Level English Literature)

Topic sentence

Both Stoker and Carter present their stories from the perspective of naive narrators who initially appear ignorant to their fate, but later learn of it

Evidence and analysis

Dracula

The Bloody Chamber

Our first narrator, Harker, is oblivious to the danger of the count, even when he is warned

The narrator is a 17 year old girl who has just been married and who is sexually naive

The use of multiple narrators is effective as it complicates the narrative further and makes it harder for the reader to understand what is happening – we are as naive as the characters

The narrator is oblivious to the danger that the marquis possesses – she does not think she is in any danger or that her engagement is a risk, even when her mother asks her if she is sure about her marriage

Every narrator, especially at the start of the novel, is naive and they do not really understand the danger they are in. This is ironic as they are all highly educated, especially Harker and Dr Seward

She has feelings for the marquis but is unfamiliar with what she is feeling, which reinforces her innocence

The naivety of the narrator and their reluctance to accept the supernatural occurrences is a reflection of the impact of the Enlightenment and the limitations of their education and science

When she enters the room, she is forbidden from entering by the marquis; her innocence is shattered as she is confronted by the marquis’ dark secret

The reader is on a “journey” with these narrators

The story is written in past tense (hindsight) and by the end of the novel we see that the narrator has now matured and this is a contrast to her innocence at the start of the story

Topic sentence

Both Stoker and Carter use traditional Gothic settings to create an eerie atmosphere and a sense of suspense

Evidence and analysis

Dracula

The Bloody Chamber

The setting in the first few chapters of the wilderness and Dracula’s castle creates suspense and terror

The story takes place in a Gothic castle that is surrounded by the sea, making the castle isolated from the rest of society at certain points during the day 

Stoker has removed the narrator from their familiar place to somewhere unfamiliar, which leaves them vulnerable

The labyrinth of the castle could reflect Harker’s internal labyrinth and struggle as he realises he is a prisoner in the castle

The narrator’s bedroom being “surrounded by so many mirrors” adds to the sense of confinement and suppression. The overwhelming sense of isolation that the narrator feels is an essential element of the Gothic genre

The ruined abbey at Whitby and the graveyard/tombs also add an eerie Gothic atmosphere

When the narrator locates the “chamber”, she comments on the “absolute darkness”. Darkness is a classic Gothic convention as it symbolises the unknown and the narrator is completely in the dark, literally and figuratively

However, Stoker also moves the narrative to London which is a contrast to Transylvania. By doing so, he creates even more terror in the Victorian reader as it implies that Dracula has now infected their homeland, making him all the more threatening and sinister

The chamber is described so gruesomely and vividly that it has all the elements of the Gothic genre – darkness, blood and metaphors such as “the door of hell”

Topic sentence

Whilst both Carter and Stoker use characters who are the heroes of the story, Stoker stays true to the stereotypical image of a hero while Carter subverts it

Evidence and analysis

Dracula

The Bloody Chamber

Stoker mainly presents the classic, stereotypical male hero whose purpose is to save the female in danger (damsel in distress)

The Bloody Chamber is a reimagining of a fairy tale but it does not follow the standard template of one. It does not have a male hero to save the female (the handsome prince)

However, he also highlights how the typical educated man is no match for supernatural forces and how a reliance on science will limit understanding

The narrator’s mother is the hero of the story, which changes the typical passive role of the mother or the wicked stepmother into a strong female figure – she carries a gun, kills wild animals and rides on horseback to save her daughter

Van Helsing, who is not a typical Gothic hero, embraces religion, superstition and folklore to defeat Dracula, which makes him the real hero. The middle-class Englishmen in the novel do not consider and cannot comprehend anything that science cannot explain

The mother also defies patriarchy and status for love, which means she lives a life of poverty as her family are not accepting

Mina is also a hero in her own right as she takes a proactive approach in organising the documents and diary entries in order for the men to be able to track down Dracula

At the end of the story, when the narrator is in trouble, her mother arrives and kills the marquis to save her daughter

However, Mina takes a maternal role with the men, which reinforces the Victorian belief that women can be knowledgeable and helpful but only to fulfil their roles as wives and mothers

The narrator’s description of her mother’s actions at the end of the story with “one hand on the reins” of the horse and the other hand “clasped by father’s service revolver” portrays the mother in a very dominant and typically masculine way. She has taken the role of hero

Topic sentence 

While both Stoker and Carter use language that is suggestive and sexual, Carter uses it to liberate women whereas Stoker uses it to suppress women

Evidence and analysis

Dracula

The Bloody Chamber

The sexual language used in Dracula is much more subtle and is only used to reinforce the idea that those desires are unholy, repulsive and transgressive (for example, Harker with the female vampires)

Carter reclaims the male gaze by using a female narrator who does not use subtle language when referring to female sexual parts and desires

Any suggestive moment is seen through a male narrator, which reinforces the male gaze

The reader also gets an insight into the narrator’s thoughts and feelings about intercourse and her fears around it

The use of male perspective removes the power from the woman and reestablishes patriarchy

The narrator also uses vivid language. For example, when she finds the marquis’ erotic book

Lucy states that she wishes to marry as many men as she wants and, as a result, she is punished and infected by a male and no other man can save her

The language that Carter uses helps reclaim female sexuality from men and liberate women. For example when the narrator tries to be “seductive” as a weapon against her husband

Blood could also symbolise intercourse and Lucy has four blood transfusions from four different men before she dies. This reinforces the idea that women who stray and are unchaste will ultimately be punished

The female narrator is not punished for her use of sexual/suggestive language, unlike Lucy in Dracula, but is actually saved and liberated at the end

Text

Summary

Key comparisons with Dracula

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818) - set text list

This novel explores scientific experimentation and the consequences of playing God by creating and bringing a being to life

• Written in a series of letters, the novel tells the story of Victor Frankenstein who is pursuing a monster he has created in order to destroy him

• The novel warns of the dangers of scientific experimentation and the dangers of it if pushed too far

• It highlights how ambition can blind people and lead to their destruction

• The main character, Victor, rejects the monster he had created and, as a result, the monster vows to seek revenge

• This monster ultimately leads to Victor’s destruction and his family’s downfall

• Both monsters, in Frankenstein and Dracula, represent fear and are rejected by people who are horrified by them

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1890) - set text list

This novel examines the price of eternal youth and the consequences of selling your soul for a hedonistic lifestyle

• The plot centres around a young man named Dorian who is undeniably beautiful and charming

• Dorian sees a painting of himself and worries that his beauty will fade

• As a result, he sells his soul so that the painting will age but he will not

• It explores the idea of living a life without consequences

• It also highlights the superficial nature of society and of how, if one fits into the ideal beauty standards imposed by the society around them, their actions are overlooked

• Instead of the monster being a foreigner or unrecognisable, he is in fact a popular member of high society

Rebecca by  Daphne Du Maurier (1938) - set text list *first assessment June 2024

This novel centres around a young narrator who is haunted by the memories of her husband’s first wife. It delves into the themes of jealousy, the past and identity

• The novel is set in the 1930s and follows a woman called Mrs De Winter (the narrator) who marries a widower

• The narrative takes the form of a flashback

• The narrator is haunted by the ghost of her husband’s first wife, which is having an impact on her married life

• The novel deals with issues around femininity and the role of women/wives

• It deals with the issue of people claiming power over others through language

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by  Robert Louis Stevenson (1886)

This novel explores the idea of using science for experimentation, the dark depths of the human psyche and the good and evil suppressed in all of us

• Set during the early 1800s, the novel explores the duality in human nature

• It highlights the idea that good and evil exists in everyone and the struggle between the two within each individual

• The novel looks at how repression can lead to destruction and how the restrictions imposed by Victorian society can have a negative impact

• Unlike Dracula, the evil character in this novel is not from a foreign land but from within respectable society

• It is a reflection of the darker side of Victorian England

Carmilla by J Sheridan Le Fanu (1872)

Published approximately 25 years before Dracula, this novel explores the relationship between Laura and her strange guest, Carmilla. It explores the supernatural, sexuality and the blurred lines between danger and desire

• This is one of the first novels that depicts a female vampire

• This novel deals with themes and issues that were being looked at during the Victorian era

• The character of Laura lives in wealth and privilege and is targeted by the vampire, Carmilla

• It explores the idea of sexuality and forbidden passion

• Like Dracula, it explores the relationship between science, religion, the occult and the supernatural 

• The novel deals with a loss of innocence and the concept of a girl becoming a woman

Wuthering Heights by  Emily Bronte (1847)

The novel explores the idea of revenge, social class and passion in Victorian England as two lovers are unable to marry due to familial and societal pressure

• The narrator, Mr Lockwood, rents a house near Wuthering Heights and learns about the people who inhabited the estate

• The two characters, Heathcliff and Cathy, are madly in love but cannot marry

• Heathcliff was adopted but still feels like an outsider because of his dark skin and his unknown roots

• This novel explores the supernatural and how passion and love can lead to ruin if it is not socially acceptable (like Cathy and Edgar’s love, which is socially accepted and therefore seen as proper)

• The novel also examines the roles of men and women during a time when gender roles were rigid and restrictive