Thomas de Quincey Essays

world, when Thomas De Quincey wrote his essay, “A Postscript to On Murder as a Fine Art”, readers previously were inactive witnesses to the unfolding plot. De Quincey changed the reader’s role in literature and inspired countless authors of thrillers and murder mysteries. Scholars point to De Quincey as one of the first horror novelists, inspiring creators like Alfred Hitchcock in how to keep the audience

When we think about gothic fiction it is hard not to think about Dracula, a renowned novel written by Irish author Bram Stoker. It was published in 1897 and has set the foundation of the vampire villain character, which is still popular today. Although our current popular culture altered vampire-fiction immensely, Bram Stoker’s Dracula still remains the most popular vampire-fiction novel there is. The plot is set in the late nineteen century and we can say it is written in epistolary form, as a

author Bram Stoker, who, upon fact, legend and fiction brought to life his eponymous vampire: Count Dracula, a sinister and monstrous predator who thrived on the blood of living souls. Regarded by many as the defining work of Gothic fiction, Stoker’s fin-de-sìecle novel achieved a pervasive hold on Western

Stonehearst Asylum is roughly based on a short story short story "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" by Edgar Allan Poe. In this period piece the cinematography is employed to support the gothic theme of the era the film finds itself in. The Gothic theme is supported by four Gothic elements present in the film namely the isolated setting, entrapment/ imprisonment of the characters, the violence and insanity. According to the Oxford dictionary (2015:) can gothic be explained as belonging

In Dracula, Bram Stoker counters against the modern culture of the time. He claims that technology is limited in its capacity to help save lives or destroy the monster although many people wanted to use and trust technology. However, people unwittingly rely on technology too much by not preparing any back-up plans or trusting that technology will be perfect. Moreover, Stoker highlights the limited perspective and the fear of characters towards knowledge. Even though knowledge should have given more

One of the folk legends and traditions Van Helsing draws upon suggest that the most sufficient weapon used while trying to combat supernatural evil are symbols of divine good. The symbols that Helsing uses in the fight against Dracula take form of the icons of Christian Faith. In the novel, a crucifix is used to “shield” the human life from Dracula when he attempts to kill them. In chapter 21, Dracula lunges to attack Van Helsing and the men and this is when Christian icons appear in the novel; “Van

In regards to gender, Stoker’s Dracula usefully depicts progressive gender roles in Victorian times as well as demonstrating society’s attitudes toward gender. For instance, societal angst about independence interfering with proper female behavior is shown through the various diaries the characters write in. The main character, Jonathan Harker, uses the confidence of his diary to contrast his wife Mina with the brides of Dracula, writing, “I am alone in the castle with those awful women. Faugh! Mina

Likewise, another story where the setting is integral to the plot is that of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The Count is bound to his dwelling by his condition; he is forced to come back and replenish his strength in his grave. Consequently, the castle acts as both his home and his tomb; one which he controls completely and where he is exempt from danger. Dracula goes back to his castle in moments of distress and danger to store up his energies anew. This imposing castle is in a faraway place from civilization

Throughout the Harry Potter series, it can be seen that the most significant female character is Hermione Granger. The portrayal of Hermione shows Rowling believes about how women should behave as she is seen as the epitome of girl power (Pham, 2014). Her cleverness are shown throughout the series where she is seen to read and study a lot. Besides being smart, Hermione is known to be brave as she follows Harry’s battle to fight Voldemort by defeating the rivals. Other than that, she is known for

There is a dichotomy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: sinner or saint. Several characters are able to bridge this: Spike and Buffy being two of the notable examples, playing both roles throughout the series. However, the female vampires of the series consistently fall into the latter category of sinner, and not only that, but a sexually deviant or hyper sexualized sinner. There are no recurring female vampires in the show that do not become categorized in this extreme way. Willow is only a vampire in

There are many similarities and differences which have been represented in the extract and in the film such as the story, the Count’s appearance and the emotions felt and many more. There are not as many similarities compared to differences as both stories are similar however, some parts have been changed. In Nosferatu it is a film which can be watched. In the film there is no dialogue but music. There are only two protagonists. The story includes figurative languages and also a visual imagery of

According to the Victorian Web, a new and budding author named Bram Stoker entered the world in the year 1847, on the eighth of November. From a young age, Stoker loved to read about folklore, and later on in life he aspired to be an author. Although Stoker published several stories, only in the year 1897 did he publish his most well-known novel, Dracula. After this success, Stoker went on to write several other novels, and eventually died in the year 1912. (Scarborough) His novel, Dracula, tells

him at all. His vampire brides assist to Dracula’s dark deeds. What they all have in common is that they prey upon humans. On the other hand, the characters that are considered “good” in the novel are Jonathan Harker, Dr. Van Helsing, John Seward, Quincey Morris and Arthur Holmwood. Throughout the novel, the good characters are constantly doing generous deeds to save others from Dracula. There are many references in the novel that reflect upon the theme of good vs. evil. A quote that expresses “good”

Dracula starts off in Johnathon Harker’s diary. Johnathon heads to Transylvania on a business trip to sell Dracula, a wealthy count in Transylvania, some real estate in London. After several incidents of Count Dracula attempting to suck Johnathon’s blood, and imprison him, Johnathon escapes and the novel switches to Mina Murray, Johnathon’s fiancé, and her friend, Lucy Westenra’s, points of view through their letters. Its mostly just gossip, but there are several references to Johnathon. Next, it

When compared to how influential it was during the Victorian era, Dracula has become increasingly significant over the past decades. This can be attributed to the fact that, in actuality, the story only acquired its legendary classic status in the 20th century, when the cinematic versions appeared. In order to write the masterpiece described by many as “the sensation of the season” and “the blood-curdling novel of the century”, Bram Stoker had to engage in extensive research of vampirism; as a matter

In Dracula, Stoker constructed the novel as a series of journal entries and letters from multiple points of view. In doing this, he established an interesting and effective way of telling the story. First, we got an insight to many of the characters’ lives. We were able to experience each characters’ thoughts first-hand rather than through one traditional narrator. If it were through one traditional narrator, it would not be as interesting. Frankly, Stoker would have probably lost me because the

Peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society. Rather than having violent movements and harming citizens, it is better to peacefully resist. Once a violence is used, the resistance to the law becomes nulled. People tend to not follow a violence protester. Jonathan Harker is a “quiet, business-like gentleman” (Stoker ) who is very devoted to his fiancée, Mina. However, when the three daughters of Dracula enter his world, he discovers a new side of himself. Without Harker knowing, the

This is a disastrous story about madness and religion. This novel follows a young London attorney Jonathan Harker journeys to Transylvania to assist wealthy nobleman Count Dracula in buying a property in England. Dracula's suave politeness initially impresses Harker, but his strange ability to communicate with wolves and absence of servants eventually make him uneasy. He tries to run away, but three beautiful vampire women catch him and almost devour him. He contracts a serious case of brain fever

The beloved novel “Dracula” by Bram Stoker is an influential piece of gothic literature. Horror stories typically portray the Victorian woman to be a helpless victim and to be sexually objectified, but the story “Dracula” continuously uses the character Mina Murray Harker to challenges these gender norms. Mina is one of the several protagonists in the story, and it is important to note that she is the only female in the protagonist group. She is engaged to a man named Jonathan Harker who is also

in Bram Stoker’s Dracula” Phyllis Roth argues that Dracula is a misogynistic novel which is obvious in the system of power in which men are dominant and active figures whereas women are just followers and obedient to their system. She draws on Simon de Beauvoir’s idea that “ambivalence as an intrinsic quality of Eternal Feminine”, in order to show that women are victims to men powers. In her chapter, “Myth and Reality”, Beauvoir discusses the way that anybody in the society, specially men, doesn’t