Littérature Anglaise - Mythe Et héros (frankestein & Dracula)

Recap Dracula ( + Similarities with Frankenstein)

Theme 1: fantastic literature, imagination at work in Gothic novels

Theme 2: Mythical characters

Gothic novels are meant to/supposed to inspire awe.

Text 1: intro Dracula

Even if we don’t believe in vampires, the myth of Dracula is scary because it appeals to our belief in the existence and power of evil, which remains mysterious.

To appeal to: faire appel à

Text 2: Chapt II, first portrayal of Dracula as he is seen through Jonathan Harker’s eyes.

A very detailed description which emphasizes Dracula’s monstrous features: his “peculiarly sharp teeth” recall the fangs of a predator, a wolf, Dracula’s “children of the night”.

His peculiar white skin reminds us that he is a living dead/ he’s ghost-like.

+ His cruel-looking expressions, the hair in his palms are meant to frighten the narrator and the reader.

Text 3: Chapt III

A- Monsters in gothic novels:

Dracula is more animal-like than human.

The way he moves is scary: He “emerges” and “crawls” in an ominous way, his cloak is compared to a bird’s wings, his fingers and toes are like the claws of a vulture (“les serres d’un vautour”), they “grasp the corners of the stones”, he moves downward very fast like a “lizard”/ in the fashion of a lizard.

Dracula seems to be able to appear and vanish like a creature endowed with supernatural powers.

Endowed with: doté de

Compare Dracula’s features with VF’s creature in chapt V: find similarities

Dracula and VF’s creatures: monsters or fallen angels? In Coppola’s movie Dracula, Count Dracula inspires awe but also pity because he lost his beloved wife (romantic aspect of Dracula) and as he is doomed to wander eternally in a hellish world, he is more to be pitied than envied. (// Dorian Gray is young forever but he is doomed because of the horrible deeds he is made to commit. Dorian somehow gave away his soul to the Devil. Looking at what Dorian became on the picture and at the way he ended up, no one can wish to be young forever at this cost).

V.F’s creature says he is a fallen angel abandonned by his creator, his goodness and misfortune inspire sympathy.

All these characters are both frightening/ demoniacal and fascinating, probably because they are also romantic characters torn between good and evil, torn between dilemnas.

Theme 2: mythical characters: doppel gangers (= “doubles”), split personalities and mirror images in Frankenstein, Dracula and/ or The Picture of Dorian Gray. Explain why the characters are split or dopple gangers (monsters or fallen angels, good or evil) and the mirror images (VF, creator versus creature; Dorian/ Lord Henry, Dorian/ his picture, Basil creator versus Dorian the creature in the picture).

B- Plot: Harker is kept

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