If you missed class today, please answer the following questions and bring them tomorrow.

We will be writing an essay in class on Friday 30^th over the author’s use of imagery, diction, and detail to create a realistic and (possibly) frightening novel.

 

1. “Transylvania” means “the land beyond the forest.” ln what ways does Stoker create the impression that Jonathan is travelling to a part of the world beyond the reach of an ordinary Victorian reader?

2. What do we learn about Jonathan from the observations he makes about his exotic surroundings?

3. How does Stoker create an atmosphere of suspense in the opening sections of the first two chapters?

4. How does Jonathan react when faced with sights for which he can find no rational explanation?

5. How do the descriptions of Castle Dracula fit in with Gothic Literature conventions?

6. How does Stoker describe the Count? What are the effects of this description?

7. “l think strange things which l dare not confess to my own soul.” What is the significance of this statement?

8. What two strange things happen when Jonathan is shaving?

9. How does Jonathan respond to the realization that he is a prisoner? What does it mean that he considers his crucifix to be “a comfort and a strength”?

If you were absent, or would like to review the programs we listened to in class, check out these links:

Here, from You Tube (originally NPR) is the history of Welles’s radio broadcast.

From MercuryTheatre.info, the original CBS production by Orson Welles.

The essay on Friday will focus on the realism employed by both the novel and the radio broadcast. As you read/listen, look for diction, imagery, and details that make the novel/broadcast seem believable. How did Wells and Welles’s use of realism create dramatic tension in their pieces?

Quick reminder for all classes: Bring your chosen book or novel over your MGRP to class on Monday. You will have time to read/do further research in class. If you have questions this weekend, email me.

Dracula Reading Schedule

The classes reading War of the Worlds (3rd and 4th, I believe) should follow this reading schedule:

I will update this if something changes, and continue the schedule through the rest of the book as we move into December.

Cool story from NPR, “The ‘Dirt on Clean’ in an Oversanitized World,” describes a new book from Katherine Ashenberg on body odors throughout history.