19th Century Transylvania

Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula, was characterized and brought to life with the details of the setting where the events take place. The events in the story happen in the nineteenth century in Transylvania, and this choice of setting became synonymous with the main character, Dracula. Transylvania enhances the horror and mystique of Dracula and the supernatural events in the novel. An entire separate story that creates this feeling is created with the details of how people dressed in Transylvania, how people spoke there, and the historical details about Transylvania. 

History and Geography of Transylvania

Transylvania, as pictured on a locater map (Britannica)

Transylvania was the perfect choice for the setting of this novel, and this is partly down to the history of the place geographically. Britannica describes the origins of Transylvania by stating, "After forming part of Hungary in the 11th—16th centuries, it was an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire (16th—17th century) and then once again became a part of Hungary at the end of the 17th century" (Britannica). These details show that Transylvania has historically been a part of Eastern European countries and an empire, and this detail comes up often in Bram Stoker's novel. The rivalry and distinction between Eastern Europe and Western Europe are presented throughout the story, specifically in reference to the property in Carfax, England that Dracula obtains. In chapter seven of the novel, Dracula takes down a ship and its crew members that was heading to England from a Russian port, and then it is revealed that the boxes on the ship were sent to a property in Carfax, presumably Dracula's new estate. These historical details about Transylvania exemplify how its history was unique, as it was constantly under a new rulership or nationality. Also, being autonomous under the Ottoman Empire, Transylvania could have been ruled by the supernatural entities that resided there, such as Dracula and other vampires. This adds a feeling of unease and unknown to Transylvania, which elevates the supernatural events in the story.

Sighisoara, Romania (Britannica)

Britannica also describes how Transylvania "...was incorporated into Romania in the first half of the 20th century" (Britannica), and this is when the events in Bram Stoker's novel were occurring. The geological elements of Transylvania were described as having "...covered a territory bounded by the Carpathian Mountains on the north and east, the Transylvanian Alps on the south, and the Bihor Mountains on the west" (Britannica). In summary, Transylvania was surrounded by tall mountains, and this scene is set in the novel as well. These details add to the portrayal of the complete isolation of Transylvania from the rest of the world. Knowing that Transylvania is a real place and the region surrounding it is just mountains adds realism to Stoker's novel and helps instill fear into the audience more effectively because they can become more invested in the story with realistic details. Imagination can also help readers become more immersed, which is why how Transylvanian people dress can be important.

Romanian national dress from Saliste, Sibiu, Transylvania (Bianca)

The People of 19th Century Transylvania 

Transylvanian men and women had dress codes that were unique and distinct. Their clothing also represented Transylvania's cultural values and norms in the nineteenth century. This image to the left depicts Romanian traditional clothing from Sibiu, Transylvania. The image of the woman in this picture is described in the webpage "Romanian National Costumes from 4 Ethnographic Zones" with the statement, "The Romanian traditional clothing from Transylvania features two aprons, and a peasant blouse with puffy sleeves and ruffled cuffs" (Bianca). This insight helps give the audience of Stoker's novel a sense of the culture of the people by how they dressed. This image presents a formal attire, and the woman in this picture has very little skin exposed. This exemplifies the societal idea in nineteenth-century Transylvania that women should present themselves modestly and respectfully. In the novel, Mina can be considered a character who obliges by this societal standard. Lucy, however, is characterized by not following these standards, such as letting her hair down and going out at night in her nightgown in chapter eight of the novel. 

Apparel of a Sibiu man from a peasant country (Bianca) 

"Maygars of Transylvania" (1876)

The image of the man in this picture above and the men in the picture of the wood engraving "Maygars of Transylvania" are also relevant for the audience as contextual knowledge for Stoker's novel. When describing the scenery when he got to Transylvania in chapter one, Jonathan Harker states, "The strangest figures we saw were the Slovaks, who are more barbarian than the rest, with their big cowboy hats, great baggy dirty-white trousers, white linen shirts, and enormous heavy leather belts, nearly a foot wide, all studded over with brass nails" (Stoker 11). Some of these details are present in these images, and this helps also add another layer of realism to the novel because Stoker accurately portrays the culture of Transylvania during this time period. 

Philological Aspects of 19th Century Transylvania

Details about the Romanian language at the time also play a role in the plot of Stoker's novel. In a scholarly journal by Anca-Elena David and Raluca Stanciu, the cultivation of the language spoken in Transylvania was unique for the reason that although Transylvanians spoke Romanian, they borrowed other components from other languages and adopted them into their own language. Elaborating on this idea, the journal states, "The idea of affirmation and demonstration of the Latin roots of the Romanian language as part of efforts towards modernization is evident in the columns of all periodicals" (David and Stanciu 3). Transylvania being focused on modernization was a real concept, and in the novel Dracula often tries to modernize himself in an attempt to expand his empire into England. One example of this would be when Dracula dresses himself in the same suit that Englishman Jonathan Harker was wearing when he visited Dracula's estate in Transylvania. The journal also states, "...periodicals gave less attention to grammar than to other issues in the field of linguistics, since they lacked the specialization required" (David and Stanciu 93). There was more focus on "achieving unity of language" (David and Stanciu 93), and this may have led to some gaps in how some Transylvanians talked. According to this article, achieving unity was no easy feat. Issues with spoken language arise in Stoker's novel, specifically with Dracula, who Jonathan Harker notes speaks in a strange way after first meeting him. Also, the Carpathian peasants chanted incoherent words at Harker, and he had to use a translator to discover that they were chanting werewolf at him.

Works Cited

Bianca. “Romanian National Costumes from 4 Ethnographic Zones.” Traditional Crafts of Romania, 5 Apr. 2023, peasantartcraft.com/rural-romanian-lifestyle/romanian-national-costumes/. Accessed 20 March 2025.

David, Anca-Elena, and Raluca Stanciu. Philological aspects discussed in the 19th Century press from Transylvania., no. 2, 2022, pp. 85-94. Academic Search Ultimate, https://research.ebsco.com/c/qh4vbl/viewer/pdf/z2ttvfc2dn. Accessed 4 March 2025.

Kondracki, Jerzy A. “Transylvania | Location, Population, Map, & History.” Britannica, 24 January 2025, https://www.britannica.com/place/Transylvania. Accessed 4 March 2025.

Stoker, Bram. Dracula: a Norton Critical Edition (Second Edition) (Norton Critical Editions). Edited by David J. Skal and John Edgar Browning, W. W. Norton, Incorporated, 2021. Accessed 20 March 2025.

The Weekly Welcome. “Maygars of Transylvania.” 1876, Period Paper Historic Art LLC. https://www.periodpaper.com/products/1876-wood-engraving-magyar-people-hungarian-transylvania-romania-costume-tww1-237899-tww1-062. Accessed 4 March 2025.