Teaching notes · Example 7
Teaching notes: Transylvania in Dracula
Essay questionRead the extract printed below. This is from the section of the novel where Jonathan Harker first arrives in Transylvania. Explore the significance of Transylvania as a location in the novel.
You should consider:
- the presentation of Transylvania in the extract below and at different points in the novel
- the use of fantasy elements in constructing a fictional world.
These notes sit outside the example essay. They are Estate teaching suggestions, not a College Board mark scheme or a prediction of an AP score.
Points for class discussion
- How does Jonathan’s confidence change?
- Which labels belong to Jonathan rather than an authoritative narrator?
- Does the plot challenge the narrator’s prejudices as well as his confidence?
Use the example for your assignment
This is a researched classroom essay, not an official or scored AP model. Use its literary argument and preparation flexibly. Its extract-plus-novel question differs from both AP passage analysis and the student-selected-work task.
Identify the thesis, the precise evidence that supports it and one complication the argument genuinely addresses. Ask how the conclusion interprets the work rather than just repeating a topic. If you adapt the material to an AP prompt, build a fresh plan around that prompt.
AP scoring and reader guidance · Return to the preparation and essay
Prepared by the Bram Stoker Estate. Page last updated 8 November 2026. Report a correction here.