Source: https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/5-1-1-transgression-of-boundaries [Revision notes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes.md) › [A Level](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level.md) › [English Lit](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature.md) › [OCR](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr.md) › [English Lit: OCR A Level Dracula](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula.md) › Transgression of Boundaries # Transgression of Boundaries English Lit: OCR A Level Dracula, topic 5.1.1 ## Transgression of Boundaries Duality is a frequent theme in Gothic literature, and _Dracula_ is no exception. Stoker presents the reader with a number of conflicting and contrasting ideas and the tension emanating from these helps drive his narrative. ### Boundary: life and death ![Boundary: life and death](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2019-10/6218e27b-2135-4b3a-aa09-1e133e620f59/grave-.jpg) - The vampire is neither truly dead nor fully alive. - It is a creature that exists in a permanently liminal state between the two, transgressing the fixed-boundary between life and death: when Seward naively states of Lucy’s death __“Ah well, poor girl, there is peace for her at last. It is the end!”__ Van Helsing, with an air of foreboding, replies __“Not so; alas! Not so. It is only the beginning!”__ ### Fear of death ![Fear of death](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-09/138fc828-d3c3-4084-ac2e-31bec62a6528/hell-purgatory-.jpg) - The vampire is a physical embodiment of the human fear of death. - To deny death or to cheat it, in the form of the parasitic-vampire is unnatural; to exist as a vampire is to do so in a constant state of purgatory. - Perhaps this explains the look of peace on Count Dracula’s face before he crumbles into dust - at last, he is free from centuries of living in limbo. ### Geographical boundaries ![Geographical boundaries](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2019-10/916887a4-4725-4d59-a6d0-29466e2d2d4e/romania-.jpg) - At the novel’s opening, Jonathan Harker must cross the frontier between Western, Civilised Europe and journey into its less-refined, wilder Eastern counterpart. - Maps of Romania are incomparable to the Ordnance Survey maps of Great Britain (first drawn in 1841) - conveying another boundary in the novel between tradition and modernity. ### Science vs traditional weaponry ![Science vs traditional weaponry](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2019-10/743b1b2c-302c-4995-9ef7-5c50a32b9b9b/kukri-knife-.jpg) - Whilst Van Helsing tells the others they are able to call on the advances of science and technology to aid them in the fight against Dracula, ultimately it is traditional weaponry (the knife) and religious faith, represented by the Holy Circle Van Helsing draws to protect Mina from the three ‘weird sisters’ - the female vampires - that ensure their victory over the Count and the forces of evil. ## Transgression of Boundaries (Cont.) Duality is a frequent theme in Gothic literature, and _Dracula_ is no exception. Stoker presents the reader with a number of conflicting and contrasting ideas and the tension emanating from these helps drive his narrative. ### Role of bribery ![Role of bribery](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-03/3346e09d-4963-4f1e-bc5a-359096d28cc0/shutterstock_280025948.jpg) - The victory over the Count comes at a cost - not just the death of Quincey Morris, but through forcing the band of heroes to transgress numerous virtuous boundaries, both legal and spiritual, in their quest. - Bribes can help them access Dracula’s other properties in London and acquire private documentation. ### Religious boundaries ![Religious boundaries](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-03/1cb150b2-a4d0-46b9-a8c3-da40dcb3b40b/shutterstock_723621043.jpg) - Jonathan feels uneasy, as __“an English Churchman”__ accepting the Romanian Catholic crucifix from the landlady of the Golden Krone Hotel. - In Castle Dracula, the item becomes his talisman, providing him with both solace and protection, despite the two branches of the Christian faith being at odds with each other (as depicted in this image). ### Transgressing femininity ![Transgressing femininity](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2019-10/126deaec-1f5b-4c64-a5c6-1db1d64c987b/vampire-fangs-.png) - When Mina, who with her __“man’s brain”__ and her __“brave and gallant”__ personality (Van Helsing) already transgresses traditional views of femininity and womanhood, begins to show signs of changing into a vampire, both she and Jonathan are considering taking actions that would have severe consequences, affecting their immortal soul. ### Suicide - escape? ![Suicide - escape?](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-07/3534071d-a536-4b60-b7af-5353906e3d53/hanging-death-penalty.jpg) - Mina wonders if suicide (considered as self-murder, just as sinful as any other murder in the doctrines of the Protestant Church) may offer her an escape, only for Van Helsing to tell her __“You must not die by any hand; but least of all your own. Until the other, who has fouled your sweet life, is true dead you must not die”__. - Such is Jonathan’s desperation for revenge on the Count that he claims, brashly, that he would sell his soul __“to wipe out this brute from the face of creation”__. ## Test yourself on Transgression of Boundaries - What geographical boundary does Jonathan cross at the beginning of the novel? - What does Jonathan feel uneasy accepting from the landlady of the Golden Krone Hotel? - What sin does Mina consider? [Practise this topic for free](https://app.senecalearning.com/classroom/course/508a7828-52ed-48a3-9259-00e65066f4c7/section/f77f9122-72ed-4aaf-9cc8-55fcf703efdc/session) - Previous topic: [4.4.2 Renfield](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/4-4-2-renfield.md) - Next topic: [5.1.2 The Supernatural & Un-dead](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/5-1-2-the-supernatural-and-un-dead.md) ## English Lit: OCR A Level Dracula contents ### 1 Context - Gothic Literature - 1.1 Origins & Conventions of Gothic Literature - [1.1.1 Origins of Gothic Literature](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/1-1-1-origins-of-gothic-literature.md) - [1.1.2 Key Ideas in Gothic Literature](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/1-1-2-key-ideas-in-gothic-literature.md) - [1.1.3 Gothic Genre Conventions in Dracula](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/1-1-3-gothic-genre-conventions-in-dracula.md) - 1.2 Vampires in Gothic Literature - [1.2.1 Vampires](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/1-2-1-vampires.md) - 1.3 'Terror' & 'Horror' - [1.3.1 Ann Radcliffe & Lewis' The Monk](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/1-3-1-ann-radcliffe-and-lewis-the-monk.md) - [1.3.2 'Terror' & 'Horror' in Dracula](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/1-3-2-terror-and-horror-in-dracula.md) - 1.4 Narrative Features - [1.4.1 First-Person Narration & Epistolary Format](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/1-4-1-first-person-narration-and-epistolary-format.md) ### 2 Context - The Victorian Era - 2.1 The Victorian Era - [2.1.1 Fin de Siecle](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/2-1-1-fin-de-siecle.md) - [2.1.2 The 'New Woman'](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/2-1-2-the-new-woman.md) - [2.1.3 The Contagious Diseases Act](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/2-1-3-the-contagious-diseases-act.md) ### 3 Chapter Summaries & Analyses - 3.1 Chapter Summaries & Analyses - [3.1.1 Chapters 1-2](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/3-1-1-chapters-1-2.md) - [3.1.2 Chapters 3-4](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/3-1-2-chapters-3-4.md) - [3.1.3 Chapters 5-7](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/3-1-3-chapters-5-7.md) - [3.1.4 Chapters 8-10](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/3-1-4-chapters-8-10.md) - [3.1.5 Chapters 11-12](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/3-1-5-chapters-11-12.md) - [3.1.6 Chapters 13-14](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/3-1-6-chapters-13-14.md) - [3.1.7 Chapters 15-16](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/3-1-7-chapters-15-16.md) - [3.1.8 Chapters 17-18](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/3-1-8-chapters-17-18.md) - [3.1.9 Chapters 19-20](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/3-1-9-chapters-19-20.md) - [3.1.10 Chapters 21-23](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/3-1-10-chapters-21-23.md) - [3.1.11 Chapters 24-25](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/3-1-11-chapters-24-25.md) - [3.1.12 Chapters 26-27](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/3-1-12-chapters-26-27.md) ### 4 Character Profiles - 4.1 Archetypal Gothic Characters - [4.1.1 Stock & Proppian Gothic Characters](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/4-1-1-stock-and-proppian-gothic-characters.md) - 4.2 Count Dracula - [4.2.1 Count Dracula: Character Profile](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/4-2-1-count-dracula-character-profile.md) - [4.2.2 Count Dracula: Different Literary Perspectives](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/4-2-2-count-dracula-different-literary-perspectives.md) - 4.3 Other Main Characters - [4.3.1 Jonathan Harker](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/4-3-1-jonathan-harker.md) - [4.3.2 Dr Abraham Van Helsing](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/4-3-2-dr-abraham-van-helsing.md) - [4.3.3 Dr Jack Seward](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/4-3-3-dr-jack-seward.md) - [4.3.4 Mina Harker](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/4-3-4-mina-harker.md) - [4.3.5 Lucy Westenra](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/4-3-5-lucy-westenra.md) - 4.4 Minor Characters - [4.4.1 Arthur Holmwood & Quincey Morris](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/4-4-1-arthur-holmwood-and-quincey-morris.md) - [4.4.2 Renfield](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/4-4-2-renfield.md) ### 5 Key Ideas - 5.1 Key Ideas - [5.1.1 Transgression of Boundaries](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/5-1-1-transgression-of-boundaries.md) - [5.1.2 The Supernatural & Un-dead](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/5-1-2-the-supernatural-and-un-dead.md) - [5.1.3 Masculinity & Femininity](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/5-1-3-masculinity-and-femininity.md) - [5.1.4 Science, Modernity & Superstition](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/5-1-4-science-modernity-and-superstition.md) - [5.1.5 Madness, Illness & Confinement](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/5-1-5-madness-illness-and-confinement.md) ### 6 Writing Techniques - 6.1 Writing Techniques - [6.1.1 Epistolary Form & Narrative Voice](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/6-1-1-epistolary-form-and-narrative-voice.md) - [6.1.2 Intertextuality & Cultural References](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/6-1-2-intertextuality-and-cultural-references.md) - [6.1.3 Structure](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/6-1-3-structure.md) ### 7 Critical Debates & Interpretations - 7.1 Initial Reception of Dracula - [7.1.1 Initial Reception of Dracula](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/7-1-1-initial-reception-of-dracula.md) - 7.2 Modern Reception of Dracula - [7.2.1 Modern Reception of Dracula](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/english-literature/ocr/dracula/7-2-1-modern-reception-of-dracula.md)