Dracula

# A Classic of the Gothic Genre

Enter the diabolic realm of Dracula’s castle! Invite your students to describe the imagery and themes that manifest in Gothic literature. They can explore both architectural and atmospheric features, understanding that a novel’s setting is essential to its mood.

“Welcome to my house! Enter freely and of your own free will!”

## Key Learning Outcomes:

1. Identify the key features of a Gothic setting
2. Describe how aspects of Dracula’s castle and Carfax Abbey create feelings of tension and an increasing supernatural threat
3. Evaluate the novel’s themes and motifs in reflecting the societal concerns of the Victorian era

## How to Use This Playlist:

This playlist is designed to help your students understand the impact of the Gothic setting on the characters in Dracula and its effects on the reader.

Here are some suggestions on how to use the resources:

***Dracula Explorable Scene*** – Exploring this scene, your students can discover the many hallmarks of a ‘Gothic setting’. Encourage them to find and describe the great round arch windows, gargoyles, stone walls, ceremonial tables and chairs, high ceilings, and ‘supernatural props’ like disorienting passageways, distorted portraits, half-open doors, and forbidden chambers.

- [Dracula](https://edvr.se/Ba5-cE0-axd/dracula-letters-literature)

***360 Images*** – These images allow students to visualise further aspects of the Gothic tradition. The striking images of the Romanian Hunyad Castle should inspire classroom discussion of Gothic imagery. Students might note the juxtapositions: the building exterior is both imposing and awe-inspiring, while its interior is both a hospitable refuge and a place of terrible supernatural happenings.

- [The Hunyad Castle front entrance and bridge](https://scene.link/PZH-f7s/cvr360-the-hunyad-castle-front-entrance-and-bridge-transsylvania)
- [The Hunyad Castle main hall](https://scene.link/PZH-f7s/cvr360-the-hunyad-castle-main-hall-transsylvania)

***3D Models*** – Introduce students to Count Dracula himself. They should note the pallor and red eyes, the animalistic bearing of teeth disguised in clothes of a polite host. Students should consider his character against Victorian fixations of ‘The Monstrous Other’. What aspects of his physiognomy instil fear in Harker?

- [Dracula](https://scene.link/PZH-f7s/3dm-dracula-transylvania)
- [Whitby Abbey](https://scene.link/PZH-f7s/Whitby-abbey-3D)

***360 Images*** – These Whitby sites inspired Stoker for one of Dracula’s most memorable scenes. Recurring motifs in Gothic literature often involve ‘liminal spaces’ – the shadows of the church are between light and dark, Dracula is between dead and undead, and dreams haunt those between sleep and wakefulness. The final image is suggested as a creative writing prompt.

- [Whitby Abbey ruins](https://scene.link/PZH-f7s/cvr360-whitby-abbey-ruins-england)
- [A view from the 199 steps in Whitby, North Yorkshire](https://scene.link/PZH-f7s/cvr360-a-view-from-the-199-steps-in-whitby-north-yorkshire)
- [The protestant Gustav Adolf Stave Church – Hahnenklee, Germany](https://scene.link/PZH-f7s/cvr360-gustav-adolf-stave-church-hahnenklee-germany)