The epistolary nature of the novel fully develops as we are introduced to letters between Mina and lucy, Dr.Seward's Journal and a letter from Quincey P. Morris to Arthur Holmwood. Mina is a woman of the new century as she is an employed, educated woman. She is engaged to JH which explains much of his references to her from earlier. Her friend Lucy is a typical gothic heroine, fair and beautiful but also sickly as Mina writes 'she has got a beautiful colour since she has been here.' and subject to sleepwalking.
Interest in the contemporary modern technology such as stenographs and typewriters are suggested. Mina wishes to be able to write in shorthand and also type Jonthan's journal on a typewriter when he is back. There is a lot of talk about tombstones in the Whitby dialect which makes the bulky talk harder to understand. The only thing I found out was that not all the graves had corpses in them and the tomstones stated a lot of untrue things.
Dr. Seward's diary is kept in phonograph (modern technology) and a mental patient enters the story, a very interesting character that keeps insects as pets and eats them up when asked to get rid of them. This really is not intended for a pleasing image at all but manages to bring in the gothic effect.
Mina is very curious about Jonathan not posting any letter and suspects that something is wrong. When the letter does come she truly guesses that it is not Jonathan who has written the letter(technically). The sequel is well planned to keep the readers anticipating for news of Jonathan but it does frustrate you a lot.
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Some perceptive points about the contemporary technology - keep an eye out for all the things we discussed in class!
ReplyDeleteI was amused by the Renfield description - not all of it - but it is slightly humorous when they wonder where the bird has gone and then he "disgorged a whole load of feathers"!! Not pleasant, but yet a rather black humour.
As for the Whitby dialect - don't worry too much - you've got the basic idea. Suffice to say that Stoker was a bit obsessed - he is thought to have written a whole dictionary of dialect in order to get it spot on!! Why have him, a local, tell this tale in such a dialect? Is it perhaps to show that the rural people anywhere are full of superstition? Is he the English equivalent of the old woman? What do you think?