I am interested in the idea of how Harker's journal is working in Dracula. He clearly feels the need to verify the truth of his narration, as if he is writing for someone other then himself (and he does mention that Mina may one day read the text). This places the journal, as a text in Dracula, in the public rather than private sphere. By this I mean that the journal is not a site of personal reflection or psychological exploration as much as it is a record of events and a witness to what happens on this strange adventure. This dynamic plays into the details Harker chooses to include and the general sense of justification that permeates Harker's tone throughout his account. He is highly concerned with recording the strange things that he sees and does so in the tone of a man who expects to be judged (by. He defends himself even as he describes his experience. I wonder if this is a reflection of the professional Englishman who is concerned with efficient and accurate record-keeping or something else at work.
Janine P.
3/29/2012 08:38:07 am

I always find journal-style narratives interesting for this sort of reason. The amount of detail Harker recalls about the events in the castle are totally unrealistic. The journal entries also seem to exist outside the realm of time, and not as if he had actually had the time to sit and write, say before trying to escape from the castle.

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