Presentation of the uncanny in Dorian and Dracula
In the Picture of Dorian Gray and Dracula, the writers Wilde and Stoker use
the uncanny to convey the underlying tensions of Victorian society. The
uncanny is presented through the setting, the elusiveness of appearance,
and how the nature of supposedly innocent characters is corrupted. Sigmund
Freud, who was beginning to form his ideas on psychology in the 1890s,
defines the uncanny as notions that are familiar, but they are unsettling as
they are placed in different contexts. These notions are often repressed,
especially if they are fears. This idea of the uncanny can link to both novels,
as the authors introduce the reader to a character or a setting, then
revealing the darker, mysterious elements of them, highlighting an
unsettling feeling which the uncanny exposes. The idea of the uncanny
reflects the tensions that the fin de siècle brought, as the Victorians were
questioning the strength of the empire as Queen Victoria’s death was fast
approaching.
Firstly, the uncanny is presented through the setting. Wilde introduces us to
this beautiful side of London, through spaces where the wealthy characters
frequent. For example, Wilde uses the olfactory imagery of “the perfume” of
the pink flowering thorn” “The dim roar” of London is muted by the sounds,
sights, and smells of Basil’s studio. The street of London contrasts the
reader’s perception of London. For example, Wilde conveys how the
Victorians repressed and resented East London, with the simile of the streets
being like the “black web of some sprawling spider.” Perhaps Victorians
looked down on East London, due to their suspicion of Jewish eastern
European immigrants who settled in East London, which Wilde also
expresses through the visual imagery of Mr Isaacs as “hideous old Jew”. The
colourful nature of Basil’s studio, versus the “black” colour of the streets
conveys a sense of the uncanny, as the aristocracy reside in places such as
Basil’s studio, which commands proper behaviour and decorum, whereas on
the streets of London, Dorian can carry out his debauchery, as the streets
are a “web” where one can hide in. The lavish nature of Dorian’s sitting
room, with the frivolous “Louis Quatorze toilet seat”, compared to the bare
attic, “covered with dust”, also creates the sense of the uncanny. This is
because Wilde juxtaposes these two settings, yet emphasises how they are
in the same house, taking the familiar nature of the grandiose abodes of
, London’s richest and revealing the dark, hidden underbelly of these houses.
Perhaps this setting is a wider metaphor for Dorian’s psychological state, as
his repressed inner desires, come out when he is in the grotesque setting of
the attic. Perhaps this links to Freud’s idea of the inner desires, the ego and
the superego, which are all versions of the self, yet the inner desire is similar
to the uncanny as Dorian has repressed his aggressive desire to protect his
portrait, as it bears his soul. Therefore, the uncanny is used within the
setting to heighten tensions, as the more aesthetic environments mask the
sinful, psychologically repressed urges the rich give into when they are not in
these controlled environments.
Similarly, the uncanny is presented through the setting in Dracula,
highlighting the tensions between eastern Europe and the West, which Wilde
also alludes to in his depiction of East and West London. This is conveyed
through the description of the railways. For example, Harker notes the exact
time he arrived and how the train was “an hour late”. He also remarks on
how Eastern Europe does not have a system similar to “our own Ordnance
maps”, with the possessive words “our” and “own” highlighting his pride in
the fact that the British are so organised, and therefore, superior to the
Eastern Europeans. Stoker adds in these details to create a sense of unease
and the uncanny, as he takes railways, which the Victorians took pride in as
being a British invention and adds in unexplained irregularities about when
the trains come and little explanation of the routes. The uncanny highlights
how Victorians felt they were superior to areas they deemed “uncivilised”
such as eastern Europe. Harker describes the mountain range, “separating
the two atmospheres” and now he is in the “darker” one. Stoker highlights
the uncanny, as through Johnathan, he highlights the details of the
Romanian countryside, such as the “snowy mountain top”, yet this same
countryside has a darker side, as the setting is so dark and mysterious that
Johnathan remarks that it is as if he had “slept through” the whole cab ride.
Therefore, Stoker uses the uncanny to highlight the tensions within the
Gothic setting to the reader.
Secondly, not only is the uncanny presented through the visual imagery of
the settings, but also through the imagery of the characters’ appearances.
Wilde makes use of the omniscient narration to highlight the uncanny, as the
In the Picture of Dorian Gray and Dracula, the writers Wilde and Stoker use
the uncanny to convey the underlying tensions of Victorian society. The
uncanny is presented through the setting, the elusiveness of appearance,
and how the nature of supposedly innocent characters is corrupted. Sigmund
Freud, who was beginning to form his ideas on psychology in the 1890s,
defines the uncanny as notions that are familiar, but they are unsettling as
they are placed in different contexts. These notions are often repressed,
especially if they are fears. This idea of the uncanny can link to both novels,
as the authors introduce the reader to a character or a setting, then
revealing the darker, mysterious elements of them, highlighting an
unsettling feeling which the uncanny exposes. The idea of the uncanny
reflects the tensions that the fin de siècle brought, as the Victorians were
questioning the strength of the empire as Queen Victoria’s death was fast
approaching.
Firstly, the uncanny is presented through the setting. Wilde introduces us to
this beautiful side of London, through spaces where the wealthy characters
frequent. For example, Wilde uses the olfactory imagery of “the perfume” of
the pink flowering thorn” “The dim roar” of London is muted by the sounds,
sights, and smells of Basil’s studio. The street of London contrasts the
reader’s perception of London. For example, Wilde conveys how the
Victorians repressed and resented East London, with the simile of the streets
being like the “black web of some sprawling spider.” Perhaps Victorians
looked down on East London, due to their suspicion of Jewish eastern
European immigrants who settled in East London, which Wilde also
expresses through the visual imagery of Mr Isaacs as “hideous old Jew”. The
colourful nature of Basil’s studio, versus the “black” colour of the streets
conveys a sense of the uncanny, as the aristocracy reside in places such as
Basil’s studio, which commands proper behaviour and decorum, whereas on
the streets of London, Dorian can carry out his debauchery, as the streets
are a “web” where one can hide in. The lavish nature of Dorian’s sitting
room, with the frivolous “Louis Quatorze toilet seat”, compared to the bare
attic, “covered with dust”, also creates the sense of the uncanny. This is
because Wilde juxtaposes these two settings, yet emphasises how they are
in the same house, taking the familiar nature of the grandiose abodes of
, London’s richest and revealing the dark, hidden underbelly of these houses.
Perhaps this setting is a wider metaphor for Dorian’s psychological state, as
his repressed inner desires, come out when he is in the grotesque setting of
the attic. Perhaps this links to Freud’s idea of the inner desires, the ego and
the superego, which are all versions of the self, yet the inner desire is similar
to the uncanny as Dorian has repressed his aggressive desire to protect his
portrait, as it bears his soul. Therefore, the uncanny is used within the
setting to heighten tensions, as the more aesthetic environments mask the
sinful, psychologically repressed urges the rich give into when they are not in
these controlled environments.
Similarly, the uncanny is presented through the setting in Dracula,
highlighting the tensions between eastern Europe and the West, which Wilde
also alludes to in his depiction of East and West London. This is conveyed
through the description of the railways. For example, Harker notes the exact
time he arrived and how the train was “an hour late”. He also remarks on
how Eastern Europe does not have a system similar to “our own Ordnance
maps”, with the possessive words “our” and “own” highlighting his pride in
the fact that the British are so organised, and therefore, superior to the
Eastern Europeans. Stoker adds in these details to create a sense of unease
and the uncanny, as he takes railways, which the Victorians took pride in as
being a British invention and adds in unexplained irregularities about when
the trains come and little explanation of the routes. The uncanny highlights
how Victorians felt they were superior to areas they deemed “uncivilised”
such as eastern Europe. Harker describes the mountain range, “separating
the two atmospheres” and now he is in the “darker” one. Stoker highlights
the uncanny, as through Johnathan, he highlights the details of the
Romanian countryside, such as the “snowy mountain top”, yet this same
countryside has a darker side, as the setting is so dark and mysterious that
Johnathan remarks that it is as if he had “slept through” the whole cab ride.
Therefore, Stoker uses the uncanny to highlight the tensions within the
Gothic setting to the reader.
Secondly, not only is the uncanny presented through the visual imagery of
the settings, but also through the imagery of the characters’ appearances.
Wilde makes use of the omniscient narration to highlight the uncanny, as the
