A Stranger in “Your London”

The passage I have selected is in the middle of p. 27 in Chapter 2. After marking up the text and asking some questions about what was being said, I noted the evidence in this passage. The first thing I see is that Dracula is obsessed with the binary between stranger and master and that he wishes to be a master and not a stranger. There is also a major contradiction in what he wants. By this, I mean he wants to be a Master and have that count recognition and respect at the same time, but he also doesn’t want to stand out in any way or make himself an outcast. Then, Dracula talks about how important language and accent is in relation to him feeling as a “stranger.” He asks for help to learn the English intonation in his new estate in London and be told every time he makes an error, “even of the smallest.”

Considering this evidence, the passage explains a deep insecurity and confusion within Dracula. He wants to be different and have unique respect, but he doesn’t wan’t to be an outcast. He wants to be a master, but his biggest fear is being a stranger (the two are not that much different.” He even says, “the common people know me, I am a monster,” only to say he feels like a stranger right after. This juxtaposition is present throughout the entire passage. He also sounds powerless and incapable in this passage as he is relying completely on his friend and he admits he cannot learn this by himself and that he is “no one as a stranger in a strange land.” Relating to what we talked about in class, Dracula feeling foreign and outcasted is due to England’s superior national mindset with social Darwinism and age of empire themes at play.

One thought on “A Stranger in “Your London””

  1. To add on, Draculas want to have this “master” status may be because of his fear of being an outcast. As you said, he likes his home because the people know him and, even if he does not have the worlds greatest reputation, that makes him feel at ease. So, although he longs to go to a new place but this want comes at a cost of being a stranger. However, even though he may be a stranger in the new land, he remains a master (through Lucy and even by consuming all of the “Vampire hunting” team time and energy). So, no matter where he is he will never not be a master, even if he is a stranger.

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