Perspectives

The horror genre 

Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula is part of the horror genre. Horror literature aims to inspire fear, shock, or disgust in the audience, often deals with the theme of death, and includes subgenres such as Gothic horror or supernatural horror, which Dracula is part of. Horror literature often includes monsters and villains which represent the general fears of society at the time. In the case of Dracula, vampires are a metaphor for Victorian society’s fears of moral decline, sexuality, and diseases such as tuberculosis or syphilis. 

One particular aspect of horror literature is the presence of an unsettling atmosphere, which is usually achieved through the help of the setting. In Gothic horror in particular, places such as old castles, dark forests, and mountains are often mentioned. This is also the case of Dracula, as we can see from the description of the journey through the mountain pass and the effect that Dracula’s castle has on Jonathan. Many of the events in horror novels and short stories take place at night. In Dracula, the driver of Jonathan’s carriage travels in circles until midnight, when he finally starts the journey towards the castle.

Literature belonging to the hor...