Valerie Inglesby English 316 11/9/14 Varying Depictions of Dracula Bram Stoker’s Draculais a gothic horror novel that created the mold for the classic vampire. In this novel, Dracula is not romanticized, glorified or empathetic in any way. Instead, his character is demonized, and he is depicted as a hellish creature with absolutely no redeeming qualities. The portrayal of the vampire as a vile predator in Stoker’s novel is quite different from the modern day depiction of vampires as mysterious and misunderstood beings. Even in Herzog’s 1979 film adaptation, Nosferatu, the Vampyre, of Stoker’s novel, Dracula’s character isn’t as detestable as he is in the original. However, the varying portrayals of The Count are not the only major discrepancies between the film and novel versions of the story. In fact, neither the plot nor the characters have the same multidimensionality or depth in Herzog’s adaptation as they do in the original book, but such a change is to be expected when an entire novel is condensed into a two-hour film. The first noticeable difference between Stoker’s novel and Herzog’s film adaptation is the setting. In Stoker’s version, the novel opens with one of the main protagonists, Jonathan Harker, as he is on his way from England to Transylvania. In his journal he writes about his journey so far, describing the countryside, the people, and the food in depth. Jonathan is excited to see a different part of the world and he starts his journey on an optimistic note, writing in his journal that “[he wants] to see all [he can] of the ways of the country” (3). Herzog’s version, however, begins with a much darker tone. In the opening scene, Lucy, who is Jonathan’s wife in the film, wakes in the middle of the night, screaming, as a bat flutters outside of her window. Not to mention that the characters in the movie are from Wismar, Germany, and speak German throughout the entire film. This is another big difference from the English Jonathan depicted in
the novel, who struggles with the German/English language barrier in the beginning, and needs to carry around his “polyglot dictionary” to help him understand the locals. (5) In both versions, Jonathan is a solicitor who specializes in real estate. However, Renfield, rather than Mr. Hawkins, is Jonathan’s employer in the film. Renfield tells Jonathan about a job in Transylvania, saying, “This won’t be easy. It’ll take you a long time, you’ll sweat a lot, and perhaps you’ll also… spill some blood.” (Herzog). Renfield then begins laughing uncontrollably, and it becomes apparent that he is aware of the danger that he is sending Jonathan into. Conversely, in the novel, Jonathan’s boss, Mr. Hawkins, credits his inability to travel to Transylvania to an “attack of gout,” which “forbids absolutely any travelling on [his] part” (14).
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