Bram Stoker's groundbreaking novel Dracula has given way to the splendor of modernism. Demonstrating many revolutionary modernist techniques, Dracula particularly relies on the use of metatextual narrative. Stoker introduces his novel with a paragraph declaring that the manner in which "these articles have been placed in order will be made manifest when they are read." All unnecessary topics have been eliminated, so that a story almost at odds with the possibilities of later beliefs can appear as simple fact. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay There is no statement of past things in which memory can err, for all the documents chosen are exactly contemporary, given from the point of view and within the range of knowledge of those who made them. (Driver 5). Stoker immediately draws the reader's attention to the fact that he is using a metatextual narrative to tell the story of Dracula. The book comments on what he is going to do, specifically drawing the reader's attention to the process of his own creation. Throughout the novel, Stoker creatively stitches together different forms of media, which ultimately creates an overarching narrative and a general understanding of the power structure between the characters. Stoker's wide variety of creative media includes items such as: diaries, shipping receipts, letters, telegrams, medical notes, journals, logbooks, typewriter entries, etc. . Each artifact allows readers to see how history is framed and compiled. Many artifacts such as unopened letters and what are purported to be confidential medical records illustrate the importance of the concept of knowledge and secrets between the characters in the novel. Stoker begins his story of Dracula with Jonathan Harker's personal diary entries, here the readers first learn about the monster that is Count Dracula, in addition to personal information about Jonathan and Mina, and even his negative opinions about non-English culture. As the plot thickens when Jonathan realizes that Dracula is holding him prisoner in Transylvania, the narrative shifts to the journals of characters who are in London, eventually moving the story to London. By moving from one artifact to the next, Stoker creates and builds the suspense of secrets and the unknown that will persist throughout the novel. By using a metatextual narrative, Stoker lets readers draw a fine line between what is fact and what is fiction. For the most part, the novel consists primarily of journal entries and diaries. The purpose of journal entries and diaries is to form different views of the overall narrative. However, readers should keep in mind that first-hand accounts contained in documents such as these are not always accurate. The documents are all written after the events happened, and it can be assumed that all the characters have a different view of how the events unfolded. Stoker plays on the inaccuracies of the documents to establish a form of doubt between readers and the events that take place in the novel. The idea that knowledge is power is a constant theme that is highlighted throughout the metatextual narrative. Literally, the entire plot of the novel is based on the secrets, who is hiding them and from whom, the metatextual narrative is the perfect tool to instill this theme. As the novel travels back to England, a huge mess of secrets begin to emerge. This immense network of secrets begins to unfold.