Topic > Psychological Literature in Bram Stoker's Dracula

In the story “Dracula”, composed by Bram Stoker, the psychological literature is well presented. “Dracula” was composed in 1897, a time when psychology was first introduced. The novel "Dracula" was written in an epistolary formation known as a series of letters, newspaper clippings and diary entries. Jonathan Harker, a young lawyer, travels to Transylvania to presume a real estate transaction with Count Dracula. During his arrival he suspects strange activity is occurring. Bram Stoker's "Dracula" symbolizes the functions of the human mind and how paranoia affects characters, marking the beginning of the psychological age. A severe economic depression, as well as the beginning of psychology as a social science, marked the 1890s. It is known that paranoia is a thought process, strongly influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid beliefs may also be associated with feelings of helplessness and victimization. When Christian von Ehrenfels founded Gestalt psychology, William James also published “Principles of Psychology,” which introduces readers to four methods of psychology: analysis, introspection, experiment, and statistical studies. This period experienced enormous growth in scientific studies of the psychological mind and can be known as the experimental phase of the social sciences. The story begins when Jonathan Harker, a lawyer, travels to Castle Dracula in Transylvania to conclude a real estate transaction with the great Count Dracula. During his travels he experiences new foods, sightseeing, and some unusual behaviors expressed by others. In the midst of his journey, an old lady approaches Harker in a very hysterical manner asking, "Mu... in the middle of the paper... is there danger," because there was a sudden fierce, oblique look that meant killing” (Stoker 208). The study of mental disorders and psychology was well demonstrated throughout the text. As a psychologist, Dr. Seward also helped show references that supported the idea of ​​mental disorders. When the atmosphere of the story starts normally, it slowly progresses into a crazy plot full of vampires and tainted animals. As the mood progresses throughout the story, the characters also begin to display further extended behaviors to help support the behavioral disorders. The idea of ​​reality and paranoia is well expressed in this article when Jodar states: "Thus, the lines between reality, dream, fantasy and paranoia are blurred in a world where the four come together to create a collective and illusory monster embodied in figure of Dracula, the vampire" (Jodar 37).