Analysis

The analysis of the excerpts from the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker shows that the story follows a linear and chronological structure as Jonathan Harker recounts his experiences.

The main characters featured in the excerpts are Jonathan Harker, a solicitor’s clerk from London, and Count Dracula, Harker’s mysterious client. The first excerpt focuses on their first meeting.

The physical setting for the first part of the novel – to which the excerpts belong – is Transylvania, a region in present-day Romania. The events take place in the 19^th century. The exact setting is not specified in these excerpts but we can guess it with the help of clues from the story. The events take place mainly in the mountain pass and in the Count’s castle.

The excerpts are told by a first-person narrator, who is also the main character, Jonathan Harker. He records his experiences at Dracula’s castle in his journal.

The language is formal and old-fashioned, as it reflects the period when the novel was written. The excerpts you are studying focus particularly on descriptions of the characters and the setting and atmosphere.

You can read a full analysis on the following pages.

Engelsk

Short story analysis

I denne vejledning får du Studienets hjælp til at analysere noveller (short stories) i engelsk.

Excerpt

Below, you can read an excerpt from our study guide:

Similes

Jonathan describes the laughter of the three vampire women as being “like the intolerable, tingling sweetness of water-glasses when played on by a cunning hand”. Here, he refers to the practice of rubbing a finger over the rim of half-filled water glasses to create different notes. The simile is meant to show how unnatural the laughter of the three women sounds.

Jonathan also says one of the women “licked her lips like an animal”. The comparison with an animal...