Definition of Mood
The mood in Dracula is frequently foreboding and ominous, as the novel focuses on a chilling series of events in which the lives of the main characters are at nearly constant risk. In the tradition of gothic horror, Stoker largely makes use of nature to set this mood, with storms and fog signaling Dracula's evil doings. Furthermore, the natural cycle of night and day during the novel contributes heavily to mood: during the nighttime, the mood is more ominous, as it is during this period of time that Dracula is at his strongest. In a key example of this, Lucy Westenra records her frightful nighttime experience, occurring right before her death, in a memorandum at the end of Chapter 11:
The air seems full of specks, floating and circling in the draught from the window, and the lights burn blue and dim. What am I to do? God shield me from harm this night! . . . Good-bye, dear Arthur, if I should not survive this night.
The mood in Dracula is frequently foreboding and ominous, as the novel focuses on a chilling series of events in which the lives of the main characters are at nearly constant risk. In the tradition of gothic horror, Stoker largely makes use of nature to set this mood, with storms and fog signaling Dracula's evil doings. Furthermore, the natural cycle of night and day during the novel contributes heavily to mood: during the nighttime, the mood is more ominous, as it is during this period of time that Dracula is at his strongest. In a key example of this, Lucy Westenra records her frightful nighttime experience, occurring right before her death, in a memorandum at the end of Chapter 11:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The air seems full of specks, floating and circling in the draught from the window, and the lights burn blue and dim. What am I to do? God shield me from harm this night! . . . Good-bye, dear Arthur, if I should not survive this night.