Form and Structure in Dracula

Why is the novel written in journal entries and letters?

The theme of verisimilitude runs continuously throughout Dracula- the appearance of truth. The book begins with Jonathan Harkers personal journal, and begins with very dull, but normal events. He writes about how his train was late, he quotes real times, real places; "Left Munich at 8.35pm on 1st May, arriving at Vienna the next morning[...]". Although it is very dull, there is method in the madness. the real places, the typically real events (trains being late) and the use of real times allow the reader to gain a suspension of disbelief. By beginning the novel like this, the reader will accept, although not completely, the reality of the novel. This allows the reader have a trust between themselves and the characters (here Jonathan Harker), making the strange occurrences later in the chapters more believable. The idea of the suspension of disbelief allows the reader to not completely believe the text as if it is non-fictional, but accept the novel enough to enjoy the text without something to completely reject it.

Another major theme throughout Dracula is the invasion of privacy. We are told that the journals are 'personal' and private, and that no eyes should be reading them. This goes for the letters between the characters as well, 'this is a secret' etc. Again, it allows the reader to have some sort of suspension of disbelief. This privacy however could be linked as a symbol of Dracula himself. He is a creature whom attacks during the night, a time when one is asleep and at their most vunerable. in the 1800's, being in bed at night (especially for a woman) was a very private and intimate thing, yet Dracula chooses this time to attack. It also ties in with him being supernatural, could he have a power to see private thoughts?

The letters and journals allow the reader to have narrative irony, in which the audience knows something that the characters don't. Such as, after reading Jonathan Harkers journals, that audience knows that the great big bat at a window is Dracula, likewise with his red eyes, or 'pin-pricks' in the throat. So when you read onto Mina's journal, the reader knows that they are all linked with Dracula, but the characters are yet to find that out.

Although it can be boring and dull in parts, writing a novel in this structure does prove useful for the verisimilitude argument.