"complete and in order": Bram Stoker's dracula and the archival profession

Caryn Radick

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    6 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    Archival literature has discussed the portrayal of archives and archivists in fiction, but has not offered a reading of a work of fiction with little-to-no overt mention of the archival profession. This article demonstrates the value of looking at such works of fiction through an archival lens by providing an "archival reading" of one famous novel that has been the subject of numerous scholarly articles and books, Bram Stoker's Dracula. Although a tale of the supernatural, Dracula's narrative portrays the importance of recordkeeping, research, and access to and organization of information. This article considers the narrative and plot of Dracula from an archival perspective, discusses literature about the portrayal of archives and archivists in fiction, and examines how Dracula reflects nineteenth-century trends in organizing information.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)502-520
    Number of pages19
    JournalAmerican Archivist
    Volume76
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Sep 1 2013

    All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

    • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
    • Library and Information Sciences

    Keywords

    • Archival Records
    • Arrangement
    • Preservation
    • Writings about Archives

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of '"complete and in order": Bram Stoker's dracula and the archival profession'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this