Initially, I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc. Prof. Dr Ömer ŞEKERCİ for his endless support in the whole process of the thesis with philosophical aspects. A successful study is accomplished thanks to my advisor’s careful observations, wise decisions and personal experiences.
It has been the most important encouragement thanks to my father, Mehmet ATIŞ, my mother, Neşe ATIŞ, my brother Baturay ATIŞ to overcome all the difficulties in my life. Without their endless support, love and motivation, I wouldn’t have completed the thesis.
The following thanks goes to Ass. Prof. Dr. Lukasz MARZCAK for his guidance and support during the process of the thesis including Klaudia MICHALAK that I am indebted to her valuable love, lasting faith in me and patience in the production of this study.
Last wish to thank Andrzej JAN RUBİK, showed his kind interest for this study, gave me friendly support during the process.
Abstract
Lots of stories have been told about wretched vampires like Dracula. The publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula was in 1987 then religious myth evolved in that field.
The aim of this study is to search religious perspective by referring Anti-Christian values, biblical images and Evangelical term happens in the Victorian period. This study highlights and seeks the ambiguousness of religious perspective illustrated in Dracula. Van Helsing and his abettors primarily reveals a homiletic idea against vampirism in the consideration of Christian religion. However, Dracula exposes to superstitious mentality.
Moral thought portrays “uncleanness” thanks to religious materials like Communion Wafer or Crucifix in the novel. This study enlightens the purification of the society objected to religion like unclean women and Jews circuitously. Dracula is irresolvably contradictory in terms of religious perspective. On the other hand, Stoker centers contradictory opinions both vampirism and Christian religion in the light of evangelicalism. Stoker also explores sadism of vampirism from the point of Christian piety. Some dominant motifs of Wesleyan hymnal can be visible in the novel as well.
1.1. Introduction
Throughout the nineteenth century, Dracula struggles with the confidence happening in the Victorian period. Dracula challenges with some elements like faith, power of science, religious beliefs including dedication. Protagonist character in Dracula comes against to Count Dracula with these items mentioned above. However, if Dracula dies, he will be eternal by taking away other’s life. On the other hand, Dracula was killed but no one knew that his fear was the darkness side of the religion.
This study explores that Dracula encounters with the effects of Victorian values by the way of religion. We will explore how the novel reflects Anti-christian values and biblical images thanks to religious way.
1.2. The Scope of the Study
This study demonstrates how religious perspectives reveal in Dracula. Because of that reason, all religious norms reveals in the light of Christianity values. With the treatment of religion, some religious norms will be named like “Evangelicalism” and “Church of England”.
We can observe the influences of gothic melodrama thanks to Stoker’s consciousness in religion. In fact, Stoker wants to demonstrate the image of Jesus Christ according to Bible and theology.
1.3. The Aim of the Study
The aim of this study is to analyze the religious aspects in Dracula. Some literary critics approach to religion with the diversified ways. Our aim is to discover these religious items in the novel how they are appeared. Stoker determined the power of religion in England and also revealed major religious figures. The author initiates the hypocrisy of religious thought by referring to Bible. Both Count Dracula and Van Helsing have the same features in the novel analyzed in terms of Anti-Christian values.
Religious symbolism in Dracula is nearly ignored by the literary critics. Dracula’s religiosity is neither arbibrary nor simple plot to give social messages. Religious images are going to be discussed.
1.4. The Limitations of the Study
Dracula is a multi-directional novel analyzed in terms of psychoanalytic approach and female sexuality in Victorian period. This study is limited with the analysis of religious perspectives thanks to evangelicalism. The previous studies approached to Dracula from different point of views like gender roles, faith and cult novel. Therewithal, both the role of religion and the power of science will be discussed.
1.5. Literature Survey
Throughout the publication of Dracula, it has been numerous studies and films. Elizabeth Miller contributed to Dracula with different perspectives. She is known as one of the leading critics in Dracula. Miller has written lots of articles like Reflections on Dracula; A Dracula handbook, Dracula and The Shade and The Shadow about the origin myth of Vlad Dracula. According to our research, Robert Eighteen’s study is Miller’s Noted For Dracula includes Bram Stoker’s diary and autobiography. Another article is about Count Dracula vs. Vlad Tepes. Miller gives some information about Vald and Count as historical characters in the text.
Miller also focuses on Vampires and Count Dracula in his Getting Know The Undead text. While Miller is searching the background information of Count Dracula in detailed way, she reveals the historical vampires in Victorian period. In addition to these statements, From Demons to Dracula has been written by Matthew Beresford explored the historical and artistic feature of the vampires. In this text, Miller demonstrates some knowledges about vampires’ historical background. There are lots of studies written about Bible, Religion and confused relationship between religion and aesthetics.
Barb Kang, Arjean Spaite, and Rick Sutherland focuses on evolution of vampires in The Everything Vampire Book. The text includes the biography of Vlad and Count Dracula. Jane Doe also gives importance to Christian concepts by showing good and evil in Dracula.
Bruno Starrs mentions about Catholic allegory in Keeping the Faith as well. Stephenson Carter refers to God’s wish and collapse of Count Dracula. In Form & Faith in Victorian Poetry and Religion, Kirstie Blair talks about Christianity and biblical values. Justin Tadlock has lots of articles written about Religion in the Vampire Motif. Samuel J. Cliffs approaches to Christianity in Dracula. Ruth Kara studies about biblical images and progress of religion in Messianic Mother in Christian Traditions.
Ruth Kara touches biblical images and developing process of religion in Messianic Mother in Christian Traditions. Amanda Podonsky reflects and insults society in Victorian Term with religious aspects in Dracula.
Gordon Melton attempts to non-fiction vampire literature in his The Encyclopedia of The Undead. Some literary critics like Nina Auerbach, Lord Byron, Bram Stoker, Anne Rice focuses on variety of vampires in both literature and films. It has been numerous articles, books written about Dracula around the world. On the contrary, there are not so much studies related to Dracula in terms of religion too much.
In Turkey, there are only four studies written about Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The first one is that Corinne Stanton’s Ideology and gender in Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” (1999). The second one is The dichotomy of Apollon Dionysos at Francis Ford Coppala’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” by Eda Özlü (2004). The third one is the story of a terrorist against order (2006) by Ahmet Emre Körpe. The fourth one is Bram Stoker’s Dracula as cult-novel written by Birsen Bayan. This study focuses on gothic fiction. The last one is Ambivalent and Shifting Codes of Fear and Desire in Dracula Movies written by Kaya Özkaracalar (2004)