Dracula, Nosferatu, the “Other” and Blood Libels
By Alex
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Dracula in Bram Stoker’s novel is distinctly different looking then the other characters. He is first described as being “…a tall old man, clean shaven save for a long white moustache…without a single speck of color about him anywhere,” (Stoker 22). Here, Stoker’s depiction of Dracula does not all resemble a classically anti-Semitic caricature. In fact, one may argue that it was quite the opposite of what we normally think of as being anti-Semitic. Along with this, in terms of being racist or “othering” in general, this description also falls short. In McClintock’s Imperial Leather, she cites the fact that “…a sun-darkened skin stained by outdoor manual work was the visible stigma not only of a class obliged to work under the elements for a living but also of far-off, benighted races marked by God's disfavor,” (McClintock 212). From this, we can easily see how Stoker’s initial physical description of Dracula is in fact not “othering” at all, and even places Dracula, in some degree, as a sort of “elite.”
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However, a couple pages after Stoker’s original description of the Count, Stoker more specifically describes Dracula as having a “…high bridge of the thin nose and peculiarly arched nostrils…His eyebrows were very massive…The mouth…was fixed and rather cruel looking, with peculiarly sharp white teeth…As the Count leaned over me and his hands touched me…a horrible feeling of nausea came over me, which…I could not conceal,” (Stoker 24-25). Here, the description of Dracula’s nose paired with these more negative and repulsed images of the vampire, certainly demonstrates a more anti-Semitic sentiment. A high bridge nose and bushy eyebrows are classic Jewish stereotypes, and when paired with negative descriptions of and feelings towards the character, these physical characteristic can easily be seen as anti-Semitic.
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Dracula and the Fear of Modernity
By Amanda
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In addition to Stoker’s establishing of the otherness of Transylvania in the first couple of chapters, he also shows that Transylvania was a place of turmoil and conquering. Dracula relates to Jonathan that his lands make up “the ground fought over for centuries by Wallachian, the Saxon, and the Turk” and that there is not a region in all this land “that has not been enriched by the blood of men, patriots or invaders” (Stoker 22). Dracula has experience with conquering and being conquered. Being a vampire, and having lived for many centuries, he has most likely witnessed many of the conflicts which he speaks about. Although he hasn’t been a victim of British imperialism, specifically, he at least understands the act of being invaded by a foreigner. He wishes to reverse this invasion back on another invader, the British Empire, which had invaded many lands around the world and was the biggest empire in history. His reverse colonization scheme first becomes apparent in his quest to become more English. When he first meets Jonathan, he asks him to “rest here with [him] awhile, so that by our talking I may learn the English intonation” (Stoker 21) Despite the fact that he speaks English quite perfectly, according to Jonathan, the Count wishes to correct his accent because he says that if he went to London, “none there are who would not know me for a stranger. That is not enough for me. Here I am noble; I am boyar; the common people know me, and I am master. But a stranger in a strange land, he is no one” (Stoker 21). Dracula does not want to go to England to be ostracized. He wants to go to be part of society; he wants to retain his status as a master in England, so he can rule England, just like he did at home…
… Dracula’s arrival in England results in chaos. The possibility that the otherness he symbolizes may invade the Victorians, is demonstrated in the character of Renfield. Renfield is a patient at the insane asylum run by Dr. John Seward. He is obsessed with the consumption of life. He enjoys collecting animals, such as flies, spiders, and sparrows and feeding them to each other. He even eats the animals himself. As Seward notes, Renfield “disgusted” him because when a fly flew by him, “he caught it … and before I knew what he was going to do, put it in his mouth and ate it” (Stoker 74). Renfield also eats the sparrows he collected after Seward refuses to give him a kitten (Stoker 76). Renfield disgusts Seward because he is savage and primal. He is so obsessed with the consumption of life that he eats flies without a second thought and eats sparrows raw – something that no sane, civilized Englishman would ever do. These barbaric actions represent the other that England has always sought to control and civilize. Therefore, Seaward wishes to control Renfield, “with a view of making [himself] master of his hallucination” (Stoker 65). Renfield is the prototypical Englishman, wishing to control the “other” that is so different from him. However, Seward cannot control Renfield because Renfield already has a master. When Dracula finally arrives in England, Renfield refuses to listen to Seward and his attendants because “Master is at hand” (Stoker 108). Renfield escapes the insane asylum to meet his Master and tells Dracula that he has “worshipped” him “long and afar off” and that he wants to be his slave and do his bidding (Stoker 111). Dracula’s otherness has made it to England’s shores. He has transmitted his savagery to an Englishman, Renfield, and now Renfield has turned savaged and is being controlled by the other that the British have always tried to control.