ENG 3407, Gothic Lit, Fall 2019

Oh, my husband! my husband, indeed I would have spared you such a thought had there been another way; but I pray that God may not have treasured your wild words, except as the heart-broken wail of a very loving and sorely stricken man. Oh, God, let these poor white hairs go in evidence of what he has suffered, who all his life has done no wrong, and on whom so many sorrows have come.”

In this scene Mina pleads to God to forgive Johnathan for the manner in which he curses against Dracula and his hopes to bring him death. She hopes that his words are not taken by God figuratively but as the words of a man who has seen evil and felt pain for his wife. Johnathan has been a saint and if wasn’t for the ill doing of Dracula he would never speak in such a manner. She wants him to understand that even when he destroyed old Lucy, he killed a corrupt creature only release “purity” of new Lucy into a better place(heaven).  He might even have to bring the same faith to her, but he must do it with compassion and not hate.  So that he might be able to be called upon by God on Judgement Day and she can be released as “new Mina”. In spite of Dracula’s possession of Mina she continues to shows mercy towards him in that good will ultimately over come evil even after having witnessed the end result of Lucy, truly a woman of faith.

“I seized some of the firewood which was by me, and holding out some of the Wafer, advanced on them towards the fire…They could not approach, me, whilst so armed, nor Madam Mina whilst she remained within the ring, which she could not leave no more than they could enter.”

In this para phrase we see that Welsing was using a holy Wafer which is considered to be holy and sacred in Christianity. Also we read that Van Welsing makes a “holy ring” in which the three vampire sisters can come in and Mina can’t leave. These symbolize more of Christianity and shows that yes it does really support Christian forgiveness. When we think about it Mina could have turned into a vampire right away and not have the God’s blessing as some may say. Instead we have Welsing taking care of her and not killing her as she does not truly turn yet. The story could have implicated that Mina had turned right away and she had to be killed but instead she was protected by the evil and then she turns normal in the end of the story.

The story could have also led a way in which the three sisters have taken Mina with them and she turned completely having no other way out but killing them and Mina. The story does not go that way either, Mina was safe and sound and Dracula was killed. This shows that the story follows the belief of Christianity forgiveness.

From Quincey’s perspective–

Today I woke up feeling extremely curious. I asked my parents how they came about naming me “Quincey”. I was told they named me after a man named “Quincey Morris” a man who died in honor in a savage battle. Hearing this, my curiosity grew even more! They said that many years ago there was this evil man named, “Count Dracula” who was a vampire thirsty for blood and growing his vampire army. Mama and Papa told me that many people were scared of this man Dracula because he was very powerful and evil. They said that he knew how to climb on walls and how to travel from one place to another without making any sounds. Imagine that! I noticed that whenever they talked about Dracula, they talked to him in the past tense. I may be young but I am clever! I asked them what happened to Mr. Count Dracula. They said that they and a few of their men had to kill him, because his powers were becoming too powerful. Mama told me that she was once bitten by him and he had to drink his blood. Hearing this, I wanted to throw up instantly! I can not imagine such a thing at all. Thinking about it, Mama was almost a vampire. Mama told me that since they killed him, she could no longer turn into a vampire. I know that my parents experienced something great and evil because of this man Dracula and I am so happy that he is dead and gone forever. I am sad that my own mother was once a victim of this cruel thing. Mama and Papa told me that they will tell me much more when I am older and ready to hear more about their crazy journey they had. I am too eager to know more! I wish I was old now! 🙁

His hunger to find out the truth and what became of it definitely shows that Quincey is a child of Mina and Jonathan. He is eager to learn more about his parents’ encounter with the evil vampire man Dracula, but is aware that when the time is right, he will be told a great deal more of their hectic adventure.

Each of the prompts should be answered by at least 1 member of blog group 2. Please confer amongst yourselves as to who will write which prompt.  (Each member should try to do a different category than the one(s) they’ve already done!) Responses should be at least 250 words and posted by 11 am the day of class. Please remember to select the appropriate Blog category before posting.

CONNECT.

In our lecture Thursday, we discussed the historical context of late Victorian imperialism and its influence on the novel. Dracula can be seen as a “reverse colonizer” whose actions mirror the British Empire’s own actions in diverse parts of the globe. At the same time, Dracula’s presence justifies a renewal of patriotism and a determination to expel the “foreign” presence.

Connect one scene from Ch. 22-27 to a point raised during lecture. You might want to look at the scenes that depict the vampire hunters’ journey out of Britain back to Transylvania, and the way they literally reclaim soil by making it uninhabitable for the King Vampire. How does the scene critique or celebrate colonization and/or the taking of land?

CLUE.

In this final section, Mina’s “baptism of blood” introduces a ticking-bomb motivation to the action. The protagonists must race to defeat Dracula, and end his influence on her, before she completely turns into a vampire. While Jonathan longs for the chance to “send his soul forever and ever to burning hell,” Mina pleads with him to show mercy.

In light of the novel’s running fascination with religion, pick a scene that offers a clue as to which view of religion the novel sides with: Jonathan’s or Mina’s. You might specifically look at a scene where religious symbols or scriptures are invoked. Does the text ultimately support Christian forgiveness, or is religion mainly about carrying out God’s vengeance on a Satanic enemy?

CREATE.

At the novel’s end, we find out that Jonathan and Mina have a son–Quincey Harker. The boy takes center stage in the final lines, representing the future. At the same time, let’s not forget that his mother came very close to becoming a vampire, and did have Dracula’s blood inside her body at some point…

Create a paragraph, written from young Quincey’s perspective, in which he discuses his parents’ great adventure. What do they reveal to him, and what do they withhold? How does he react? Is there any suggestion of Dracula’s lingering influence? Include 1-2 sentences after the paragraph to support your characterization.

Lucy’s death bed condition in Seward’s diary dated September 7.

“I was shocked when I saw her yesterday, I was horrified when I saw her to-day. She was ghastly, chalkily pale; the red seemed to have gone even from her lips and gums, and the bones of her face stood out prominently; her breathing was painful to see or hear,”

I think this is a good definition of Lucy’s condition in a decaying state, wherein Seward uses a variety of descriptive words to tell Lucy’s condition. “chalkily pale, and spiritual pathology” seems she resemble a ghost(corpse) or a vampire; because vampire are of pale color and are soul seekers of blood.

The blood seemed to have gone from her lips and gums is a clear definition of what Felluga Kristevan, defines the word “abject” as a breakdown  caused by the loss of the distinction between subject and object or between self and other..

Seward described It is something like the way Dame Nature gathers round a foreign body an envelope of some insensitive tissue which can protect from evil that which it would otherwise harm by contact. this is a form of communicable disease.

I like the first person narration as it gives a meaningful descriptive words that are sad and depressing and also terrifying., which is anticipating the outcome.

Earlier Dates before September 7th, Lucy was getting better but then a sudden change for the worse days later. Lucy  was at her mother’s house instead of a hospital or hospice. But instead Seward who is in love with her decides to consult Van Helsing whom he thinks is “The Great Specialist.”