Narrative Structure and Other Elements of Fiction in “Dracula”

After reading the assigned sections of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Johnathan Culler’s Literary Theory, and the Dracula Context Lectures, I was able to find some connections between the three. One such connection was regarding the distinctive voices featured within a narrative. In Chapter 6 of Culler’s Literary Theory, it states that “the essence of the novel is the staging of different voices or discourses and, thus, of the clash of social perspectives and points of view” (Culler Page 88). I find that this can be greatly seen with the character of Quincy Morris within Dracula. In the novel when the party was discussing what to do to defeat Dracula, Quincy Morris sees something out of the window and leaves the room and after noticing it was a bat, shoots at it, stating after the incident regarding if he had hit it that “I don’t know, I fancy not, for it flew away into the wood” (Stoker Page 281). From this quote, the dialogue and actions of Quincy Morris differs from that of the other characters as it serves as a contrast to show that he is from Texas and because of this has a much different point of view as well as different mannerisms of speech. I find this to show that he both has a different point of view and social perspectives from the other characters who are native to Europe. I find this to relate to the Dracula Context Lectures as it is shown within the First Contexts Lecture that Stoker toured the United States with Henry Irving and would have thus been more familiar with Americans and American culture (Dracula Contexts Part 1). Because of this, Stoker was made more prone to add in this contrasting point of view and social perspectives due to the experiences that he had within the United States making him more familiar with the culture. In this way, I find that there is a connection between all three as it highlights the inclusion of different perspectives and point of views within the novel Dracula and the reasons for its inclusion. In conclusion, after closely examining Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Johnathan Culler’s Literary Theory, and the Dracula Contexts Lecture, I found this to be the strongest connection that could be made from all three.