Commentary on _Dracula_, Chapters 12-17 (Co-Leaders Akanimoh E., Madeline K, Sarah S. Brandon W.)

Please post a comment in response to one or more of the below questions from your student co-leaders:

Dracula and the supernatural in this novel seem to be rejuvenated from the “eating” or draining of life. Renfield is a particularly interesting character because earlier in the novel we are given the impression that he is human (because we are not otherwise told that he is supernatural), yet he also takes life away from the living. What do you think is the significance of this parallel between the two worlds? Is this another attempt at making the connection between vampire and humanity? In chapter 17 Seward remarks that Renfield’s “outbreaks were in some way linked with the proximity of the Count.” What do these clues indicate to you about the Count and Renfield’s relationship? Do you think they have a relationship? Why do you think Renfield suddenly wants to go home? Do you think that Renfield is scared of Dracula? If so, do you think he believes in the “supernatural”? What do you think will be Renfield’s fate if he does indeed believe?

(Akanimoh E)

The way Dracula feeds upon his victims is very different than the vampires we've seen so far (Zillah, Molochai, and Twig, but also the vampires in I Am Legend). Instead of ripping them apart, he uses them slowly over a long period of time; it takes week for Lucy to become weak enough to die. However, is this only because Dracula is turning Lucy into another vampire? Do you think that Dracula does have a "feeding frenzy" side like the other vampires we've seen? In addition, why do you think Dracula takes the time to turn Lucy? We know he has three women at Castle Dracula already, so what is it about Lucy that Dracula seems so drawn to? (Madeline K)

Within chapter 13 of Dracula we read about the preparation of Lucy's body for burial after her "illness" has taken its toll. Repeatedly the return of her beauty is brought to the reader's attention and highlighted within the beginning of the chapter, as well as mentioned at the end of chapter 12.  Do you think the appearance of beauty and revitalization would have been so frequently mentioned had it been the death of a man within the novel? Moreover, do you believe the mark of beauty is strictly reserved for women transitioning into vampirism, or is this a gender-neutral trait? (Sarah S)

In chapter 17 shortly after meeting Arthur, Mina empathizes with his feelings of sorrow over the loss of Lucy and gives him a shoulder to cry on despite just having met him. She goes on to explain this as due to her natural maternal instincts, writing, “We women have something of the mother in us that makes us rise above smaller matters when the mother-spirit is invoked; […]I stroked his hair as though he were my own child.” Contrast that to Lucy’s behavior as a vampire where, “With a careless motion, she flung to the ground, callous as a devil, the child that up to now she had clutched strenuously to her breast, growling over it as a dog growls over a bone. The child gave a sharp cry, and lay there moaning.” What does the difference between Mina’s maternal behavior and Lucy’s lack there of highlight about the two characters? What, if anything, do Mina’s statements tell us about the role of the “New Woman” in society or even Stoker’s portrayal of the “New Woman” or maternity? (Brandon W)

Comments on _Lost Souls_, Chapter 20-Epilogue (Co-Leaders Sara S., Jillian G., Kevin S.)

Please respond to one or more of the below questions.

Within chapters 20 and 21 of Lost Souls the reader becomes fully aware of the relationship between Zillah and Nothing as father and son.  Though they both now know of this relationship, they passionately continue their incestuous activities.  Do you think the lack of concern, guilt, or feelings of wrong-doing regarding this relationship stems more from the vampiric nature of the two or from their personal character?  If they were both completely human do you think their feelings would be different? (Sarah S.)

In chapter 21, Nothing ponders the fact that he is involved in an intense sexual relationship with his father, but he can't seem to make himself feel ashamed or regretful of it. He doesn't even feel offended by the idea of his non-vampire friends having sex with their non-vampire fathers. He even thinks, "were members of his race born with some sort of amoral instinct that shielded them from the guilt of killing to stay alive? " and later, when it's mentioned that they should eat Zillah and Ann's baby, Brite writes, "The idea did not strike Christian as particularly immoral, but it made him sad." What do you think about this? Do you agree with Nothing's idea that vampires are born with an amoral instinct? If so, when do you think these vampires begin to develop that instinct? Additionally, why do you think the vampires in this novel have such a liberal view on sexuality, so much so that they are not phased by things like age or incest? Is it for the same reason that they can kill without guilt? (Jillian G.)

Do you think that Steve has jealousy for Ghost's new mysterious friend Arkady Raventon? I think Steve and Ghost have a bond stronger than what they lead on to have. From learning about Poppy Z Brite and his whole sexual revolution and the change he made in his life, I think this reflects in his work, between these two characters. When Ghost meets Arkady it seems he's instantly drawn to him and Steve's reaction to him, isn't as welcoming. This is the line that I read that lead me to this thought. 

"You said you brought yourself back from the dead," Ghost reminded Arkady as they finished descending the stairs. Behind him, Ghost heard Steve mutter something, but he ignored it." (Kevin S.)

In class we have discussed how Lost Souls is a multiplot novel, the various narrative strands of which eventually converge.  Given that the novel is a well-known vampire tale an example of gothic horror, what do you think is the meaning and impact of the Steve/Ann plot?  That is, how does the inclusion of this plot in what otherwise might be the story of Nothing's self-discovery affect the meaning and telling of a vampire narrative? (Lauren G)

Dracula Comments, Chapter 6-12, Co-Leaders: Melanie E., Alex I, Lucy P., Andy S.

Please respond to one or more of the below questions from today's student co-leaders.

In Chapter 6, Mr. Swales denotes his inability to believe haunting legends, and informs Mina and Lucy that the graves at Whitby churchyard are vacant because these individuals perished at sea. Later, in Chapter 7 Mr. Swales is found with a broken neck. Is there a repeated theme of death surrounding those who refuse to believe? For instance, in Polidori's "The Vampyre", Aubrey refuses to believe the vampire stories told by Ianthe and her parents, and later she is found killed. Is this meant to be a coincidence in vampire narratives? (Melanie E.)

Half of the chapters for this week’s Dracula readings revolve around the journal entries and letters of the two main female protagonists, Mina and Lucy.  Initially, these characters are portrayed as objects of virtue, beauty, and vulnerability. Compare and contrast these descriptions to Stoker’s characterizations of the female vampires at the castle. What insights do these comparisons yield about sexuality and womanly virtue in Dracula? How do these insights contribute to the larger theme of good vs. evil with regards to women? (Alex I)

Throughout chapters 6-11, we see Lucy's health gradually deteriorate. Although we know that her illness is connected to Dracula, none of the characters suspect that there is a supernatural element to Lucy's illness. Dr. Seward, unable to help Lucy through the use of modern medicine, calls upon the aid of Dr. Van Helsing, who employs less scientific and traditional methods. What do you think Stoker is trying to say about science and modern medicine, and the society that they are products of? Why does he place so much emphasis on superstition? Do you think that the dichotomy between science and superstition will be a theme throughout the rest of the novel? (Lucy P.)

In a direct contrast to the citizens of Transylvania, whose lives are permeated by superstitious ideas, characters in Victorian society respond with reason and skepticism.  One such example is Mr. Swales, who all but laughs at the haunting stories about the town of Whitby.  Additionally, Dr. Seward looks upon Van Helsing's placing of garlic on Lucy when she falls ill as somewhat silly, as does her mother when she removes them and Lucy suffers another attack.  In essence, adherence to science and reason while refuting superstition and supernatural possibilities dooms her, making Dracula's reign of terror in England all the more effective.  Could this be by his design, knowing this characteristic of the populace he terrorizes?  Moreover, could this be a sort of warning/belief on Stoker's part that sometimes reason and science aren't everything? (Andy S.)

Brite's _Lost Souls_, chapters 1-19, Rohaina, Akanimoh, Robert F.

Please comment on one or more of the below questions for the student co-leaders for today:

Throughout Lost Souls [so far], there doesn't seem to be a glaring spotlight on the protagonist. Each character gets their 'fifteen minutes of fame' alternating in each chapter. What sort of effect does this have on our development of the characters? Does this leave us with a disconnect towards the protagonist? Does this form of storytelling leave you fulfilled? Alongside this question, there is an obvious protagonist, explicitly told to us… However, I'm curious if you think that any other character(s) could be considered as the protagonist and why? (Rohaina H.)

Sexuality seems to be a reoccurring attribute of vampire fiction that we can not escape.In what ways does this aspect of vampire sexuality "beef up" the novels we have read? In other words,how does it take them further? Is some sexuality something you have come to expect when reading vampire literature?  In what ways has vampire sexuality been similar or different between the books I Am Legend,  Dracula, and Lost Souls. Do you tend to think of a vampire's sexuality as "selfish"? (Akanimoh E.)

Throughout Lost Souls, Poppy Z. Brite creates vivid imagery through the use of very colorful and sometimes glamorous descriptions of both characters and the environments. How do you feel the imagery of this novel compares to that of other vampire novels? How does this effect the transition from older to more modern interpretations of the vampire? (Robert F.)

Dracula commentary, chaps, 1-5; Co-leaders: Maira A., Amanda K, Carlie L. Micaela M. Kevin S.

Please comment on one or more of the following questions from your classmates.

In Chapter 3 of Dracula, Harker is approached by three un-human women. Instead of Harker being scared, his feelings are described as a desire instead of fear. Do you think that the scenario would be the same if Harker had been a women? (Maira A.)

Dracula tells Harker, " 'Well I know that, did I move and speak in your London, none there are who would not know me for a stranger. That is not enough for me. Here I am noble; I am boyar; the common people know me, and I am master. But a stranger in a strange land, he is no one; men know him not - and to know not is to care not for. I am content if I am like the rest, so that no man stops if he see me, or pause in his speaking if he hear my words, to say, 'Ha, ha! a stranger!' I have been so long master that I would be master still -- or at least that none other should be master of me.' " 

Why do you think Dracula feels this way? Why do you think that he wouldn't want to seem like a stranger in London? (Amanda K.)

In Chapter 3, after discovering he is imprisoned, Jonathan Harker approaches the Count with questions about Transylvanian history, a subject to which the Count "warmed up wonderfully," and which Harker calls "most fascinating." The Count speaks with pride, as if he was there--a ruler, a king, plural--and giving the account caused him to "[walk] about the room pulling his great white moustache and grasping anything on which he laid his hands as though he would crush it by main strength." What do you think Stoker's motive was for including such an impassioned oration? More specifically, is it possible there is a correlation between human royalty, power, and vampiric rule? In what way does this oration confound the distinction between lore and history's accounts of conquest? Consider how crucial to the account the Szekelys and "the Dracula as their heart's blood, their brains, and their swords" are. Finally, does this deserve such intricate attention after Harker's imprisonment early in the novel, and what implications for vampirism's role in history (or at least the history of Harker's and Dracula's world) does Stoker seem to leave us by closing this journal entry without interpretation of the discussion from Harker? (Carlie L).

Isolation seems to be a recurring theme that we have discussed in Polidori's "The Vampyre" with Aubrey and in Matheson's I Am Legend with Robert Neville.  How does isolation seem to affect Johnathan Harker's character early on?  Furthermore, do you think that there is a sense of isolation that his character feels prior to the end of Chapter 2 in which he claims to be a prisoner in Dracula's castle?  Is the isolation of being a prisoner different from the isolation that Aubrey or Neville dealt with? (Micaela M.)

When Harker enters the castle do you think his fear disappears because Dracula enthralls him or is it just Harker losing his fear, because the image of the vampire he imagined wasn’t as ugly or monstrous as he thought it would be. I thought this would be some later foreshadowing for Dracula’s powers that are so famously emphasized in every movie or book I have ever read, his beauty incapacitating those around him they are somewhat compelled and they are victims to his will as theirs diminish. (Kevin S.) 

I Am Legend/Dracula (Alex I/Rosalinda R.)

Please respond to either or both of the below questions.

Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend is set in a post-apocalyptic world and the events of the story unfolds as a third-person narrative, whereas Bram Stoker’s Dracula is [partly] set in the East European principalities of Transylvania and Bukovina and the story is told through a series of letters and diary entries written in first-person from the perspectives of various individuals. How does the choice of setting and stylistic approach contribute to the author’s overall vision of vampires in these respective works? (Think about how Stoker uses folklore and history in justifying the existence of vampires, whereas Matheson attempts to explain them in scientific terms) What similar elements emerge? What elements are different? (Alex I.)

In I Am Legend Neville is a prisoner to the new society. Too much killing and misunderstandings have occurred in order for the infected and uninfected to coexist. He realizes that he is an outcast to the world he used to know and understands that he cannot live side by side with the infected. In Chapter 2 of Dracula, the Count tells Harker, “I long to go through the crowded streets of your mighty London, to be in the midst of the whirl and rush of humanity, to share its life, its change, its death, and all that makes it what it is.” The Count is also an outcast to this new society because of his lifestyle and what he is.
With that being said, do you believe that it is possible for vampires and humans to coexist in the same society as equals? Or are they too different of creatures to be occupying the same space? What would need to change in society in order to make this a possibility? (Rosalinda R.)

"The Vampyre"/_I Am Legend_ (Lauren G/Rick R.)

Comment on either "lead" question or both!

The opening paragraph of Polidori's "The Vampyre" makes reference to Lord Ruthven's "dead grey eye."  Early in Matheson's I Am Legend, Robert Neville sits "staring with dead eyes" at a mural in his daughter Kathy's room (31).  Do you think this similarity was intentional?  Why or why not?  In what ways does Matheson's 1954 novel diverge from Polidori's early tale?  In what ways does it seem like it, intentionally or not?  (Lauren G.) 

In both stories, the protagonist is very isolated against the vampires. Robert Neville is isolated by being the "last man on earth," while Aubrey is isolated by the vow he took that will not let him share his knowledge of Lord Ruthven. This sense of isolation appears to be key to a vampire narrative. How does isolation affect the horror aspects of the story? Do you think we will encounter feelings of isolation in Dracula or the other novels we will read this semester? (Rick R.)