Bram Stokers Dracula :: Dracula Essays

Bram Stoker's Dracula         Ã‚  Ã‚   The setting of the story begins in 19th century Europe, in the eerie country of Transylvania.   A solicitor from England named Jonathan Harker is sent by a business man to meet with an old Count named Dracula at his castle located far from civilization.   Residents of Transylvania who become aware of his destination begin crossing themselves and giving him garlic and blessings.   As a result of these gestures, Mr. Harker soon develops an uneasy feeling about visiting the mysterious Count.   He arrives at Castle Dracula regardless, and makes his acquaintances with Dracula.   He soon realizes that the count is no normal human, but an evil, blood-sucking vampire, who can command animals and elements with the wave of his hand. Harker escapes but the Count has devised an intricate plan to move to London and exercise his evil forces on innocent people there.   However, a group of friends, including an open-minded but ingenious professor, a psychologist, an American, a rich man, as well as Jon an Harker and his wife Mina, learn of the Count's sinister plan and pledge to destroy him before he can create an army of un-dead vampires.   They systematically destroy his coffins with holy wafers and chase him out of England back to Castle Dracula.   There they carry out an ultimate plan to destroy Dracula.      Ã‚  Ã‚   The Author uses suspense as a storytelling device rather effectively throughout the story.   There are a fair number of parts in which the reader is left suspended on the edge of   seat, eager to find out what is to happen next.   However, there were parts where suspense could be used in a manner that would enhance the gravity of the plot.   Nonetheless, The book is written in a unique way that allows suspense to be used easily and effectively built up.   Dracula is written in first person like many other novels but then it differs slightly.   The book starts off as a first person Journal of the first character describing his experiences.   But then it switches to someone else's journal, and then to letters between two characters, and later to a newspaper article.   It follows this pattern