In this blog post I would like to address the first prompt of Dracula as a novel that addresses the science and pseudoscience in the Victorian era. The notion that science has the ability to explain all things in life is a predominate belief in modern times. Humans are starting to rationalize their lives, and consequently distancing themselves from humanity. However, in Dracula, there is a reoccurring theme of doubt about scientific beliefs and theories. There is a constant struggle between scientific beliefs and superstitions in this novel. For example, when Van Helsing first puts garlic in Lucy’s room to ward away the evil spirits, Lucy’s mother then uses her common judgement and opens the windows as to not “suffocate” her child. Ultimately, this causes the near-death of Lucy. The whole novel is based on the Gothic motive of doubt because it plays on both the fascination of the inexplicable, but also the need for everything to have an explanation. John Bowen in his article “Gothic Motives” explains: “The uncertainty that goes with Gothic is very characteristic of a world in which orthodox religious belief is waning; there is both an exaggerated interest in the supernatural and the constant possibility that even very astonishing things will turn out to be explicable.” Bowen points out that even the strangest character such as Count Dracula ends up having an explanation, even if it is supported by pseudoscientific facts.