Dracula by Bram Stoker

¶ … origins of Dracula and the various influences on its author have been the subject of numerous texts, treatises and analyses over the years, but it is clear that the period in history in which it was penned had much to do with its subject matter. For instance, in her introduction to a recent edition of Bram Stoker's classic, Dracula, Ellman (1996) reports that, "Only recently have critics begun to acknowledge the novel's enduring power not only as a gripping horror story but as a symptom of the terrors of its age" (viii). Indeed, there was much to terrorize the populace at the end of the 19th century when the tale was penned. In this regard, Ellman emphasizes that, "Since the 1970s . . . Dracula his been read as an allegory of empire, of monopoly capital, of female emancipation, and of closeted homosexuality. Vampirism has been linked to the syphilis scare that gripped the popular imagination at the fin de siecle" (viii). In addition, innovations in undertaking and embalming during this period in history were influential on Stoker's perception of the so-called "Undead" as they laid in their coffins (Scandura 1996:18). It is also clear that Stoker enjoyed several real-life models upon which to base his characters. For example, according to Glover (1996), "Stoker is a writer who stands at the center of a number of conflicted and conflicting currents. Stoker's middle-class Irish Protestant origins provided him with models of respectability and penury that remained with him all his life" (9).

Although Stoker enjoyed a number of real-world models that he could use in his characterizations, he was also apparently a meticulous researcher concerning details that would lend an air of authenticity to his work. For instance, according to Senf (2002), "Stoker was fortunate to have experiences that he could translate easily into literature, but he also apparently spent a great deal of time doing research to make certain that his details were accurate" (60). In this regard, Glover notes that one of the texts that Stoker consulted while researching Dracula was Major E.C. Johnson's On the Track of the Crescent: Erratic Notes from the Piraeus to Pesth (34). Likewise, Leatherdale analyzed the research Stoker performed on the sea in his work, The Origins of Dracula and notes that, "Stoker's enthusiasm for naval folklore is reflected in his source notes. During his visits to Whitby he recorded conversations with fishermen and coastguards and took note of several shipwrecks, including that of the Russian schooner Dimetry in 1885. He records the Beaufort windscale and other meteorological information taken from Robert Scott's Fishery Barometer Manual" (160). Other authorities cite Leatherdale's seminal work as well. For example, Frost (1989) reports that, "In his detailed analysis, the author considers the folkloric and historical background of the novel, and describes the development of the vampire legend in Europe. . . . The text of the novel is analyzed in terms of its pervasive and powerful sexual symbolism, its Freudian overtones, its religious themes, its relationship to occult and literary myths, and its significance as a political and social allegory" (33).

Given its enormous impact on Western culture since its publication, it is not surprising that such a wide range of interpretations would be attributed to the novel. A careful examination of Stoker's own thoughts on the subject, though, suggest that some of these interpretations are misplaced. As Frost emphasizes, "Although there is no reason to believe that Stoker regarded Dracula as anything other than a straightforward story of Good vs. Evil, most commentators today interpret it as a sexual rather than a theological allegory, even going so far as to call it one of the most erotic novels ever written" (55). The legends of vampires that prevailed well into the 19th century throughout Europe were enough to give anyone nightmares, and the author consistently maintained that this was in fact the source of his inspiration for Dracula. As Frost points out, "Stoker, himself, always maintained that the genesis of his novel was a vivid nightmare; but following recent disclosures about his private life the book has taken on a new significance, and is now generally regarded as an expression of the author's frustrated sensuality" (55).

Although the novel is slightly flawed in places from a purely literary perspective, Stoker's Dracula remains the quintessential vampire in literature and cinema alike. According to Holte (1997), Stoker's novel was influenced primarily by three traditions, Le Fanu's novella "Carmilla," Eastern European folklore concerning vampires and Vlad the Impaler. In this regard, Holte advises, "The prototype of the female vampire appeared in Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's 1871 novella, 'Carmilla,' a tale that inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula" (7). This author adds that, "Stoker drew on two other traditions, however, the Eastern European folklore about vampires and the actual history of Vlad Dracula, or Vlad Tepes, the fifteenth-century Wallachian prince otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler. The success of Dracula is a result of Stoker's combining elements from all three traditions" (8).