Stock & Proppian Gothic Characters

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Stock Gothic Characters

A stock character is a character type easily and quickly identified as recurring in a certain genre.

The aristocrat

Often the villain, imprisoning the female victim.
Examples:
- Manfred from The Castle of Otranto.
- The Marquis from Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber.

The sacrificial victim

Typically a female character who is terrorised or abused by a male figure (often a family member).

The outsider

A figure who is isolated (or exiled) from the rest of society.
It is also the title of a short story by H.P Lovecraft, written in 1926.

The sage

A figure who possesses crucial information that can help resolve plot obstacles and mysteries affecting the main characters.

Proppian Characters

In his study of folklore tales, Russian literary scholar Vladimir Propp identified eight stock characters, many of whom are found in narratives across literary time periods and cultures.

The eight stock characters

The hero.
The helper.
The villain.
The false hero.
The donor.
The dispatcher.
The princess.
The princess’s father (sometimes amalgamated with the dispatcher).

Characters in Dracula

In Dracula, these roles could be assigned in the following way.
- The hero = Arthur - as described by Seward as he delivers the final blow to Lucy.
- The helper = Quincey Morris - Arthur’s loyal friend.
- The villain = Count Dracula.
- The donor and dispatcher = Van Helsing.
- In perhaps another slight at the concept of the ‘new woman’, Mina = the princess.

1Context - Gothic Literature

1.1Origins & Conventions of Gothic Literature

1.1.1Origins of Gothic Literature

1.1.2Key Ideas in Gothic Literature

1.1.3Gothic Genre Conventions in Dracula

1.2Vampires in Gothic Literature

1.2.1Vampires

1.3'Terror' & 'Horror'

1.3.1Ann Radcliffe & Lewis' The Monk

1.3.2'Terror' & 'Horror' in Dracula

1.4Narrative Features

1.4.1First-Person Narration & Epistolary Format

2Context - The Victorian Era

2.1The Victorian Era

2.1.1Fin de Siecle

2.1.2The 'New Woman'

2.1.3The Contagious Diseases Act

3Chapter Summaries & Analyses

3.1Chapter Summaries & Analyses

3.1.1Chapters 1-2

3.1.2Chapters 3-4

3.1.3Chapters 5-7

3.1.4Chapters 8-10

3.1.5Chapters 11-12

3.1.6Chapters 13-14

3.1.7Chapters 15-16

3.1.8Chapters 17-18

3.1.9Chapters 19-20

3.1.10Chapters 21-23

3.1.11Chapters 24-25

3.1.12Chapters 26-27

4Character Profiles

4.1Archetypal Gothic Characters

4.1.1Stock & Proppian Gothic Characters

4.2Count Dracula

4.2.1Count Dracula: Character Profile

4.2.2Count Dracula: Different Literary Perspectives

4.3Other Main Characters

4.3.1Jonathan Harker

4.3.2Dr Abraham Van Helsing

4.3.3Dr Jack Seward

4.3.4Mina Harker

4.3.5Lucy Westenra

4.4Minor Characters

4.4.1Arthur Holmwood & Quincey Morris

4.4.2Renfield

5Key Ideas

5.1Key Ideas

5.1.1Transgression of Boundaries

5.1.2The Supernatural & Un-dead

5.1.3Masculinity & Femininity

5.1.4Science, Modernity & Superstition

5.1.5Madness, Illness & Confinement

6Writing Techniques

6.1Writing Techniques

6.1.1Epistolary Form & Narrative Voice

6.1.2Intertextuality & Cultural References

6.1.3Structure

7Critical Debates & Interpretations

7.1Initial Reception of Dracula

7.1.1Initial Reception of Dracula

7.2Modern Reception of Dracula

7.2.1Modern Reception of Dracula

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