“ The Horla ,” Dracula ’ s Older French Cousin
ship Dracula used in order to travel from his native Transylvania to the city of London . Furthermore , the protagonist ’ s gesture of salutation could be interpreted as an invitation to invade his home and his consciousness . Just like Dracula , the Horla travels by sea from a distant , exotic place to what can be considered as familiar surroundings�the outskirts of Rouen or different districts of London�and needs to be previously invited in order to invade his victim ’ s homes . The last revision of “ The Horla ” therefore adds an element which has since become one of the most well-known staples of the vampire ’ s narrative universe , the need for the monster to be invited in by his prey who therefore become involuntarily responsible for their own demise . This confers a truly tragic dimension to the characters ’ ordeal , as they appear prisoners of their actions , just as Oedipus was of his .
On the formal front , Dracula , interestingly enough , reunites the three types of narrative we find in the successive versions of “ The Horla ”: the epistolary format (“ Letter of a Madman ”), the testimony (“ The Horla ,” first version ), and the diary . However , the latter , which corresponds to that of the final version of Maupassant ’ s tale , overwhelmingly dominates the economy of the narration in terms of both quantity and significance , since the most important developments are presented through Lucy ’ s and Mina ’ s respective journals , Dr . Seward ’ s diary and , of course , Jonathan Harker ’ s journal , which opens the novel and first introduces the ominous Count Dracula . Jonathan Harker ’ s diary progresses in the same manner as that of the nameless narrator of “ Le Horla ,” starting by recording rather ordinary information , such as trite details regarding local cuisine and inadequate transportation until the final leg of his journey and his arrival to Dracula ’ s castle . However , in spite of the uncanny atmosphere of the castle , Jonathan Harker ’ s diary does not start to express
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