Orientalism. What are some of the ways in which the novel Dracula (and the Count himself) represent a Western fear of ""reverse colonization"" or ""infection"" by the ""exotic"" East? How does the novel try to define the West in a positive light?

Answer and explanation:

In the novel "Dracula" by Bram Stoker, the great fear the British had of what was exotic and foreign is explored. During the Victorian era, England saw itself as a nation with a colonizing mission. Having other nations under its control and being in touch with so many different cultures, it comes as no surprise that England saw diversity as a threat. A country with several languages, customs, and beliefs is much more difficult to subjugate and keep under control than a uniform one. England was, thus, afraid of reverse colonization, of the West being influenced by the Eastern countries they once invaded. The novel tries to define the West in a positive and civilized light, describing Dracula's country as, different, inferior, even barbaric:

In the population of Transylvania there are four distinct nationalities: Saxons in the South, and mixed with them the Wallachs, who are the descendants of the Dacians; Magyars in the West, and Szekelys in the East and North. I am going among the latter, who claim to be descended from Attila and the Huns. (Stoker 2)

"Transylvania is not England. Our ways are not your ways, and there shall be to you many strange things." (Stoker 23)