Dracula Class 2 Octagonal Observation

biotrom

Member
There was some discussion of Harker's octagonal room in Dracula's castle. But no significance was found during the discussion. This could be helpful...

Catholic baptismal fonts are traditionally eight-sided to signify the New Creation (the "complete" 7 plus 1). And when the baptistry is an external building, then the building itself is octagonal. Like this baptistry, which is outside the Duomo cathedral in Florence.
https://gallery.tracinglight.com/featured/e1698d4ed

I don't know if this is Stoker's intention, but paired with Harker's skepticism of the crucifix and the fact that Dracula lives in churches and abbeys, it could be.

Proceeding on that assumption, is Harker's imprisonment at the start of the book in a baptistry a kind of inversion, like Dracula's inversion of the Eucharist?
 
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