Bram Stoker, Dracula

Valerie Pedlar (The Open University)
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Dracula

, first published in 1897, has a significance that far transcends its value as a literary text. The title itself, the name of its central character, will be known to many people who have not read the novel, and who may even not know that it is the title of a novel. As a fantasy, the novel has achieved mythic significance, but it is also a horror story and an adventure story. Like Wilkie Collins's

The Woman in White

, Stoker's novel is written as a collection of first-person narratives, the principal contributors being Jonathan Harker, Mina Harker, and Dr Seward. Unlike

The Woman in White

, however, there is no overseeing or quasi-authoritative “editorial” voice; the narrative is carried forward by means of “documentary” evidence: newspaper cuttings, ship's log, business…

1156 words

Citation: Pedlar, Valerie. "Dracula". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 January 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5509, accessed 19 March 2024.]

5509 Dracula 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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