1.3.2

'Terror' & 'Horror' in Dracula

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'Terror' and 'Horror' in Dracula

Perhaps one of the reasons for the longevity of Stoker’s novel is its depiction of both Gothic ‘terror’ and ‘horror’.

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Satan, hell, vampire words

  • In Chapter 1, Jonathan Harker learns of many Romanian words for Satan, hell and vampire.
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Dracula's family

  • In Chapter 18, Van Helsing relays the history of Dracula, whose family were known to have “dealings with the Evil One", a concept that would instil fear in pious, Christian readers.
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Vlad the Impaler

  • The legend of Dracula is often associated with Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracul, whose brutal reputation is fitting for the graphic, grotesque violence associated with Gothic ‘horror’.
  • Vlad the Impaler was a Romanian monarch known for his bloody reign in the 15th century. He ruled over the region of Transylvania.

Jump to other topics

1Context - Gothic Literature

2Context - The Victorian Era

3Chapter Summaries & Analyses

4Character Profiles

5Key Ideas

6Writing Techniques

7Critical Debates & Interpretations

7.1Initial Reception of Dracula

7.2Modern Reception of Dracula

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