Author: tuladhas

There’s a strong focus on suspense, heightened emotions, and often a preoccupation with exploring the darker sides of human nature in Victorian age literature. Stevenson’s “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” encapsulates many elements of this genre.

“Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile, he had borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness, and he spoke with a husky, whispering, and somewhat broken voice.” This passage, with its vivid portrayal of Hyde’s appearance and behavior, aligns with the sensational tendencies of Victorian literature in several ways.

Firstly, it uses a highly descriptive style, aiming to evoke strong emotions and intrigue within the reader. The use of adjectives like “pale,” “dwarfish,” and “displeasing” creates a vivid image of Hyde’s unsettling physicality. This emphasis on visual details is core to sensation fiction, where the narrative often hinges on creating a sense of unease or foreboding through vivid descriptions.

Secondly, the portrayal of Hyde’s behavior is characterized by an air of mystery and menace. The mention of a “murderous mixture of timidity and boldness” and his “husky, whispering” voice heightens the sense of suspense and adds an element of psychological complexity. Sensation literature often thrives on these psychological nuances, portraying characters with inner conflicts or hidden motivations that add depth to their actions.

Moreover, this passage underscores the duality of Hyde’s nature, a recurring theme in sensation literature. The physical description of Hyde as having an “impression of deformity without any nameable malformation” hints at an internal, unidentifiable darkness. This aligns with the Victorian fascination with exploring the complexities of human morality and the idea of the ‘double self,’ where individuals harbor both good and evil inclinations.

In conclusion, this passage from “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” encapsulates the essence of sensation literature through its detailed and evocative description, the portrayal of a mysterious and unsettling character, and the exploration of the dual nature of humanity. It captures the Victorian era’s fascination with suspenseful storytelling, psychological depth, and the exploration of moral complexities. Through such passages, Stevenson successfully contributes to the tradition of sensation fiction while offering a thought-provoking exploration of human nature and societal norms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” the scene where Lucy is saved by transfusions of multiple men’s blood is laden with symbolism and themes characteristic of the Victorian era.

Lucy Westenra’s affliction with vampirism represents more than just a physical condition; it’s metaphorical for the societal and gender norms prevalent in Victorian England.

“I want it done tonight. Van Helsing, you and I will stay and guard the coffin; Morris and Arthur will go back to rest…” These lines also indicate the gravity of the situation and the immediacy with which they need to act to safeguard Lucy. The need for Lucy to be saved by men’s blood reflects several intertwined themes such as

The contrast between Lucy’s salvation in “Dracula,” where she relies on male blood for her rescue, and the narrative in “Goblin Market,” where a woman saves her sister, is a striking exploration of gender roles and female agency in Victorian literature. In the male-dominated rescue in “Dracula,” where men’s blood saves Lucy, in “Goblin Market,” it’s Lizzie’s love, resilience, and sisterly sacrifice that saves Laura.

“Hug me, kiss me, suck my juices

Squeezed from goblin fruits for you,

Goblin pulp and goblin dew.

Eat me, drink me, love me;

Laura, make much of me.”

These lines portray Lizzie’s willingness to endure the suffering and humiliation imposed by the goblin men to bring back the miraculous and life-saving fruit for her sister, Laura. This act of self-sacrifice and love contrasts sharply with the theme of male intervention and dominance seen in “Dracula.” Lucy’s transformation into a vampire also ties into the Victorian obsession with purity and innocence in women. Her illness and subsequent need for male blood juxtapose the idealized image of the pure, chaste Victorian woman. Lucy’s reliance on male blood for her salvation in “Dracula” speaks volumes about the Victorian societal constructs of gender, power dynamics, and the challenges faced by women within that era. It symbolizes the complex and often restrictive roles women were expected to adhere to, while also hinting at the underlying fears and desires of the society concerning female independence and sexuality.

“The Castle is on the very edge of a terrible precipice. A stone falling from the window would fall a thousand feet without touching anything! As far as the eye can reach is a sea of green tree-tops, with occasionally a deep rift where there is a chasm. Here and there are silver threads where the rivers wind in deep gorges through the forests.”  Stoker, Chapter 3

The passage starts with a vivid description of the landscape surrounding Castle Dracula. The detailed imagery of a “terrible precipice” and the abyss beyond, “a sea of green tree-tops,” reflects the Victorian fascination with nature. The Victorians often portrayed nature as both sublime and threatening, emphasizing its power and potential for mystery and terror. This passage immediately sets the mood and atmosphere of the novel. It establishes the dark and mysterious tone that pervades the entire story. The description of a stone falling “a thousand feet without touching anything” foreshadows the perilous journey that Jonathan Harker is about to embark on, which I think is a metaphor for the descent into the unknown and the abyss of evil that is represented by Count Dracula. By emphasizing the dramatic and sensational nature of the setting, the passage aligns with the novel’s overall gothic and sensational themes. The landscape surrounding the castle can be seen as symbol of the unknown and the supernatural. This exactly complements what I’m trying to claim here. Sensational novels like Dracula are heavily dependent (or too dependent!) on the natural world to uphold its supernatural aura. If you were to remove the essential aspects of nature that convey the atmospheric and emotional feelings in “Dracula,” the story would lose its depth and intensity. Nature plays a crucial role in setting the mood, foreshadowing events, and reflecting the characters’ psychological states. Without these elements, the narrative would become less vivid and engaging.

I also found recurring themes within passages in chapter four “The castle is a veritable prison, and I am a prisoner! The ground is full of grooves like ruts that come from the wheels of heavy wagons.”  Similar to the first passage, this excerpt also conveys a sense of imprisonment through the imagery of nature. Jonathan Harker is confined within Castle Dracula, and he describes it as a “veritable prison.” This mirrors the feeling of captivity and isolation found in the earlier passage. Both passages maintain a foreboding and ominous atmosphere. In this passage, Harker senses trouble and danger. The mention of the “heaviness of doubt and fear” in the air aligns with the dark and mysterious mood established in the previous passage. When comparing these differences across these similarities, the first passage describes the external surroundings of Castle Dracula, highlighting the nature and isolation of the castle’s location. In contrast, the second passage focuses on Harker’s internal experience within the castle, including his confinement and the sense of being watched. Harker’s feeling of imprisonment is more intense in this passage from chapter four. He explicitly refers to the castle as a “veritable prison,” indicating a deeper sense of entrapment. This intensification of the confinement adds to the growing tension in the story which is again conveyed through metaphors and imagery of nature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      “What had been his love for his first wife but a poor, pitiful, smoldering spark, too dull to be extinguished, too feeble to burn? But this was love—thiS fever, this longing, this restless, uncertain, miserable hesitation; these cruel fears that his age was an insurmountable barrier to his happiness; this sick hatred of his white beard; this frenzied wish to be young again, with glistening raven hair, and a slim waist, such as he had twenty years before; these, wakeful nights and melancholy days, so gloriously brightened if he chanced to catch a glimpse of her sweet face behind the window curtains, as he drove past the surgeon’s house; all these signs gave token of the truth, and told only too plainly that, at the sober age of fifty-five, Sir Michael Audley had fallen ill of the terrible fever called love.

If he ever remembered these things, he dismissed the thought of them with a shudder. It pained him too much to “believe for a moment that any one so lovely and innocent could value herself against a splendid house or a good old title.” (Lady Audley’s Secret, Chapter 1)

The passage I chose to analyze for this blog post is from Lady Audley’s Secret. Early into chapter one, the narrator describes Sir Michael Audley’s first marriage, and his desire to have a young and beautiful wife at the age of fifty-five. The passage vividly describes Michael Audley’s former marriage as “mediocre” by saying “the spark was too dull to be extinguished and too feeble to burn”. Furthermore, it even goes on to say that he might have been secretly relieved by the demise of his wife and sheds a light on Michael Audley’s desires and how his actions have contributed to the things that happen in the novel.

As we know Michael is hopelessly obsessed with Lucy Graham and is blind to her atrocious doings which are happening right under his nose. He is almost a puppet to Lucy’s plans and hunger to have a life of high social status and riches. The way the passage describes Lucy Graham early on in the novel is quite in convention with the gothic genre as Lucy Graham’s features are excessively highlighted and sexualized while it appears she has underlying motivations and also portraying the characteristic of femme fatale. Michael is in denial by the very fact that Lucy’s intentions for marrying him was only for his social status and wealth. Consequently, ending up portraying Michael Audley as a symbol of innocence and naivety and is quite ironic that this is exactly how Lucy Graham was described in the beginning of the novel.

“It isn’t kind of George Talboys to treat me like this.”

But even at the moment that he uttered the reproach a strange thrill of remorse shot through his heart.

“It isn’t like him,” he said, “it isn’t like George Talboys.” (Braddon, Chapter 12)

In this excerpt from chapter twelve, Robert Audley is confused and in great disbelief by the sudden disappearance of George Talboys. Robert has searched up the stream and even where George Talboys stayed in London without any trace of him until he finds out from his father-in-law that George has “left to sail for Sydney.” This was particularly interesting to me as Robert simply cannot believe by the thought that George left quite strangely. However, upon reflecting on George’s character, this seems to be not uncommon as he has already portrayed this pattern of behavior before when he sailed for Sydney without even telling his beloved wife and child for three years. He did the same to Robert too. Mary Braddon’s phrasing of the description of George Talboys is quite perplexing as it was quite obvious to the reader and even for Robert as a character that it was something he had done before.

Robert also seems ravaged by the fact that George, who he considers a dear friend, left without even a proper goodbye. Although their friendship is of old, and the situation is slightly different now, it isn’t clear why he is so deeply impacted by George’s disappearance now. This made me question why Robert has gone lengths to find out about his whereabouts now and not when he found out he disappeared three years ago. The lines “even at the moment that he uttered the reproach a strange thrill of remorse shot through his heart” could also further have a double meaning of Robert playing some part in George’s disappearance for which he feels guilty.

What I am really trying to say here is that, I think these lines hint on underlying traits and motivations of Robert and George that will unfold in the later chapters. The use of contradicting thought processes despite obvious evidence of a certain behavioral pattern of characters also intrigued me.