The Marriage of Old and New

The Longman Anthology highlights several themes of the Victorian era. Two of these themes, modernity and religion, are highlighted and called into question in Dracula, reflecting Stoker’s doubts in regards to the Industrial Revolution, the subsequent urbanization of the city, and the crisis of faith that occurred in Victorian England, which is also addressed in Dracula.

Signs of modernity are juxtaposed by those of the old-world at every turn in Dracula. The Longman Anthology says that “the ‘newness’ of Victorian society—its speed, progress, and triumphant ingenuity—was epitomized by the coming of the railway.” Dracula essentially lives in gothic times; it requires a coach and carriage to reach his home. However, the further and further one travels from Transylvania and the closer one gets to London, the more modernized transportation becomes. Transylvania is also where Harker comes across people who don’t follow “modern” religion. The Longman Anthology discusses the clash of different sects and variations of Christianity, but more importantly that modern scientific discoveries cause a crisis of faith.

Harker states that he is an Anglican, dismissing the beliefs of the innkeeper and other village people in Transylvania as an old-world religion—superstition not yet updated according to Darwin or other recent discoveries. However, Stoker proves that Harker’s way might not be the only way. For example, the villagers seem to know a truth that Harker, his mind limited to things he can understand through science, does not have access to. Despite Harker’s dismissive attitude towards the act of the innkeeper’s wife putting a crucifix around his neck, the power of the crucifix is later verified which, in turn, begins to validate some beliefs of old religion. This is further confirmed by Van Helsing’s method of care for Lucy, which requires a marriage of western and non-western practices to protect Lucy from whatever is hurting her. While he does use the very modern technique of blood transfusions to restore her several times, he also covers her in garlic flowers based off of the superstition that garlic wards off vampires, and this succeeds in deterring Dracula on several occasions.

In his use of both modern beliefs and old beliefs, Stoker shows that he is necessarily condemning modern religion in favor of ancient religion, or vice versa. He is simply suggesting that the people of Victorian England, who are so set on thoughts of advancement and the new, might do well to avoid complete desertion of the old

3 thoughts on “The Marriage of Old and New”

  1. I think your argument makes a lot of sense. Stoker doesn’t seem to pick a side in the battle of modernity versus tradition. Many times throughout the novel, Stoker shows the benefits of modern advancement and traditional methods. One moment that I think combines the two practices is when Van Helsing travels back and forth from Amsterdam to London. Van Helsing must take a modern mode of transportation, the train, in order to bring old methods, the flowers, to London. He also brings old methods through his knowledge of vampires and the differing ways one must deal with them. I think Van Helsing as a character is a great mold for Stoker to showcase the positives of both times.

  2. I think that your claim about old versus modern in terms of both religion and science really encompasses what Ledger and Luckhurst describe as “the ambivalence of modernity.” Harker hails from London and is accustomed to the advancing science and technology of the city. He looks down on old traditions, specifically religious traditions like when the old woman places a crucifix around his neck. Yet, the two worlds, old Eastern Europe and new Western London, merge together in this novel despite the fact that they so clearly contradict each other. In Dracula, we see time and time again the contradictions between old and new, in terms of religion and modernity like you said. I think that this has an especially big impact given that the author of Dracula, Stoker, is Irish and presumably Catholic. What is the significance of Stoker writing about British characters, who are eventually saved by Catholic traditions and symbols, like the crucifix? Is Stoker’s novel a condemnation of the fast paced, new modernity in England?

  3. Your post on the clash between modernity and antiquity in Dracula reminds me of our discussion last Thursday. You say that Harker was limited to things he can only understand from science, a statement that is actually confirmed by Van Helsing in our last reading, as he implores his comrades to look past their “scientific matter-of-fact nineteenth century” and look to ancient superstitions in order to take down Count Dracula. Alternately, they must push their beloved Church aside to establish an understanding of these vampires. I found the mentioning of Thor, who is a figure of Germanic mythology, in the scene of Lucy’s “true” death, which takes place before Van Helsing asks them all to consider the legitimacy of other beliefs, to be the start of veering away from such a narrow mindset (especially from Dr. Seward, who is basically the epitome of the modern as a scientist). Is Stoker attempting to make criticism against the Catholic Church and its rigid teachings?

Comments are closed.