“I began to fear as I wrote in this book that I was getting too diffuse; but now I am glad that I went into detail from the first, for there is something so strange about this place and all in it that I cannot but feel uneasy.”
Stoker
Comments:
This quote reminded me of Cohen’s third thesis, that the monster is the harbinger of category crisis. This means that the monster refuses to be categorized and is often elusive or vague in its horror. As Harker is documenting his stay at Dracula’s castle, he quite quickly realizes that he is in a strange (even dangerous) situation. In the quote, he states that he is grateful that he was detailed in his writing, because he has a weird feeling about the place. The oddness comes from what he is directly experiencing, the count and ghost-like women, and from a general vibe of the castle itself. The evil is undefinable and constant, like the walls and floor themselves are an extension of the monster, which may be true considering how universally Dracula is paired with a big, gothic castle. Perhaps part of the horror comes from the setting, feeling like you cannot escape Count Dracula because the castle is a part of him.
Questions:
What are the specifics of Dracula’s powers? We know much, but can he see through walls or sense things around him? This would explain the eerie feeling Harker describes.
