II. Contrast of Science and Folklore “There are mysteries which men can only guess at, which age by age they may solve only in part. Believe me, we are now on the verge of one.” (Stoker 239) Victorian Britain moved from an agrarian into an industrial society and the industrialization brought new devices and technology that improved the Victorian lifestyle. Stoker’s Dracula is an example of the clash between the modernity and tradition. Stoker puts an emphasis on the newest technology of Britain and combines them with traditional and folkloric traits. He described through Doctor Seward and Doctor Van Helsing two main attitudes towards science. Doctor Seward stands for modern science and reasoning and Doctor Van Helsing represents the superstitious beliefs. Doctor John Seward is a British man who represents an objective and scientific approach. Seward runs an asylum and is aware of the newest scientific maters, keeps a diary on a phonograph, but most important, he is devoted to science: “Why not …show more content…
Lit, ETC, ETC” (Stoker 130) and is using the newest technology, he is also a connoisseur of vampires and superstitious methods how to destroy them. His knowledge of medicine and folklore enable him to solve Lucy’s condition as he explained to Harker “You are a clever man, friend John. You reason well, and your wit is bold, but you are too prejudiced.” (Stoker 202). He puts garlic flowers in Lucy’s room and tells Arthur that the only way to kill a vampire is to drive a stake through their heart. Van Helsing implies to the group that there are forces that cannot be explained with science: “You do not let your eyes see nor your ears hear, and that which is outside your daily life is not of account to you. Do you not think that there are things which you cannot understand, and yet which are, that some people see things that others cannot?” (Stoker