Madness and verisimilitude in Dracula (1897), by Bram Soker

This article analyzes the madness not only as a pathology that integrates the fictional plot, but also as a literary device that gives verisimilitude to the narrative of Dracula (1897), the most recognized novel by Bram Stoker. In addition to highlighting the nuclear role of Renfield, Dr. Seward's patient, it is intended to demonstrate that the plurality of perspectives, manifested in diaries and letters written by different characters, supports a unit of meaning consolidated by the correspondence between author, work and reception. In other words, the absence of an omniscient narrator and the gathering of reports from multiple points of view allow the reader to assume the role of the doctor who studies, diagnoses and treats the alienated, scrutinizing their madness. The proximity between alienist and madman, however, blurs the line between sanity and insanity, which suggests the existence of a "language of madness" to guide the plot forged by Stoker.