Victorians! discussion

For discussion of chapters 19-23 of "Dracula." Beware of spoilers!!

I think there are really two very interesting aspects of this section - Mina's encounter with Count Dracula, and the search for the boxes of dirt.

Oddly, the boxes of dirt interest me more. There seems to be something that Stoker is alluding to here, beyond the supernatural aspect. It is as if he is making a statement about things that come into London from foreign lands, and their uncleanliness, or the concern he has that they will pollute England (ironic, I know, considering the amount of pollution at the time).

Did anyone else think of this as a connection, or do you think I'm out in left field here?

No, Paula, I don't think you are out in left field. I just didn't think of it that way, but I can see how fitting it would be.

I more thought that the dirt was Dracula's connection to home and his roots so to speak. So, I think that perhaps since England had so many immigrants, that Stoker was referring to the fact that all people bring something of their old culture to the melting pot. I guess the English being the English wanted to keep their line pure and were not a happy lot with the influx of foreigners. I think even today with the many foreign people living there, that they are not happy with that aspect. They have come to accept it but don't much like it. ( sort of like some of us with out illegals I guess)

Wow, you really read much into that story. I don't feel anything like that about those boxes. I only perceive them as a visible sign of Count's power spreading throughout London.
BTW, I think it's strange that vampires can only rest in sacred earth. Somehow, it's illogical. I don't know why Stoker chose it to be this way.

As for me, the book gets more and more tedious to read. I can't take their love and frienship and lengthy perorations about God anymore. I find this amount of sweetness sickening. Generally, the second half is a disappointment so far.

Kinga wrote: "Wow, you really read much into that story. I don't feel anything like that about those boxes. I only perceive them as a visible sign of Count's power spreading throughout London.
BTW, I think it'..."

I think the sacred earth has a connection to the graveyard, becasue vampires are the dead, or the un-dead as it were, so they have to rest within the soil of the graveyard in which they were burried. In the same way that Lucy would always keep trying to return to her own tomb.

***Spoilers***

I'd really like to know what everyone made of the scene with Mina and Dracula - he has her drink his blood! I thought it was just about the most grusome thing in the book to this point! I imagined it to be making some kind of comment of the eucharist but I'm not sure how to interpret it and what is the effect of her drinking it? Is she more doomed than had he just drank hers?

Em wrote: "***Spoilers***

I'd really like to know what everyone made of the scene with Mina and Dracula - he has her drink his blood! I thought it was just about the most gruesome thing in the book to this..."

I thought that scene was one of the most erotic moments in the book. I found the descriptions of that encounter to be highly sexualized. Vampires and the transactions of blood sucking are ripe with sexual metaphor.

I believe that the act of her drinking his blood was part of the process of Mina's transformation into a vampire. First he steadily drains her of her own blood and than to complete the process she must drink from his blood to affirm his control over her.

Silver is correct. Early in the book Jonathan illudes to some sexual connotations. I really didn't realize how highly sexualized Dracula was until I read the Intro of the Barnes and Noble version as well as the Penguin in both of these it is highly dicussed and referred too.

Yes, that moment is very erotically charged. He doesn't seem to have too much real control over Mina after that, so perhaps she can be saved in some way. I find the search for the boxes of earth interesting as well. I smile whenever Van Helsing talks about Dracula's "child-brain" and describes how he is figuring things out as he goes along. Van Helsing really seems to be right about everything. Definitely ready to read the conclusion!

Rachel wrote: "Yes, that moment is very erotically charged. He doesn't seem to have too much real control over Mina after that, so perhaps she can be saved in some way. I find the search for the boxes of earth in..."

Definitely agree to the eroticism of these scenes - anybody thought of how Van Helsing would know about vampires? I think I remember that at one point of the story it's made clear that he's been saved from some poison by one of Mina's followers' sucking out the venom of the wound - I honestly don't remember which at the moment - does anyone else remember that sentence (it wasn't mentioned in big style) and what do you make of it?

I was currious about how he knew so much about vampires. I think I do recall something like that. I do not remember exzactly but I think it was Dr. Seaward who saved him, becasue he new him the longest, and the others he just met for the first time.

Yes, it was Seward. He knew because he was old and experienced :)