Dracula is a prime example of gothic literature, specifically gothic horror. Stoker's 1897 novel is a definitive text within this genre, bearing all its hallmarks. One of the genre's most distinctive tropes involves nature and natural entities (i.e. animals, the landscape, weather). In gothic fiction, Nature is often a character unto itself, mirroring the protagonists' emotions and defining the mood of the story at any given moment. While other genres make use of this personification of nature, few take figurative language and symbolism to such extremes. In Dracula, for example, storms and supernatural weather serve as foreshadowing of tragic or dramatic events. When Dracula arrives in England, a supernatural storm accompanies him; several days later, he preys on Lucy Westenra and she dies. Nature in Dracula is instrumental to the mood, setting, and plot.
Gothic fiction also typically contains supernatural elements; often, superstitions and the "old world" come into conflict with modern technology, modern science, and Christian anti-pagan sentiments. These supernatural forces, like Count Dracula, must be defeated by supernatural means. In the Western gothic tradition, Christian iconography or holy objects (such as the crucifix or holy water) are often the supernatural weapons used to defeat pagan forces of "evil."
