Dracula (Norton Critical Edition)
by Bram Stoker
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Read in April, 2008
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)
The CCLaP 100: In which I read a hundred so-called "classic" books for the first time, then write reports on whether or not I think they deserve the label
Book #13: Dracula, by Bram Stoker (1897)
The story in a nutshell:
To best understand the storyline of ...more
The CCLaP 100: In which I read a hundred so-called "classic" books for the first time, then write reports on whether or not I think they deserve the label
Book #13: Dracula, by Bram Stoker (1897)
The story in a nutshell:
To best understand the storyline of ...more
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Read in October, 2007
When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to arrange for an English home purchase for Count Dracula, he becomes a prisoner in Dracula's castle and discovers horrific and unnatural facts about Dracula himself. Not long after, strange events occur in England—a unmanned ship beaches on shore, a madman awaits his master, and a young woman with unexplained puncture wounds on her neck becomes pale and ill. These events bring together a diverse cast of characters who tell the story through their di...more
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Read in November, 2006
'Drácula' me parece un libro con aspectos muy buenos, pero algo irregular. Las dos primeras partes están infinitamente mejor resueltas que el final, que me ha parecido que tardaba en llegar y, por tanto, se acababa matando todo el suspense, y aún así el final-final me ha decepcionado, porque me ha parecido muy anti-climático. La primera parte, con el pobre Jonathan Harker atrapado en el castillo del Conde es lo mejor. Tiene toda la emoción que no tiene el final. Quizás sea la mejor parte ...more
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Read in August, 2005
I've never been a huge goth/horror fan. I suppose werewolves and undead and all that are okay, as long as the heroes get to smack them good before the story's over. But if it gets too scary, I don't like it. I don't like being seriously scared, I guess. Suspense, that's great, and adventure, but not horror.
Anyway, I really loved this novel. I was a little leery at first, for the reasons mentioned above, and also because of the sometimes association of vampires with sex. I wanted to read it b...more
Anyway, I really loved this novel. I was a little leery at first, for the reasons mentioned above, and also because of the sometimes association of vampires with sex. I wanted to read it b...more
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Read in January, 2006
I didn't know so much what to expect. I have never read any "horror" novels before, frankly because I'm not into horror and gore. I like thick, intricate plot and good characters, but not so much blood and guts. But, for my offline book club this month we are reading The Historian which, I heard, is a companion book to Dracula. I thought that this was as good a time as any to give Dracula a try.
I loved it. LOVED it. Found it completely en"gross"ing. Ha. Yes, it's bloody. ...more
I loved it. LOVED it. Found it completely en"gross"ing. Ha. Yes, it's bloody. ...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in July, 2007
All cliches were once new. Yet even in Bram Stoker's day, vampire lore had already been around for centuries (indeed, Stoker plundered earlier, though more forgotten, writers on the subject). It is all here in "Dracula": the dark and stormy night, the castle, the funny Eastern European accent, the sexualized nature of vampirism. We've seen it so many countless times by now that we forget that the horror of it all was once fresh...and still is.
"Dracula" remains fresh. ...more
"Dracula" remains fresh. ...more
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What can I say about this book? Wow, is one word. Holy crap, another couple.
I've never been interested in horror/suspense books - in ANY capacity - mostly because the times I've tried that genre, I've been immediately and viciously disappointed. But Dracula is like what I'd hoped those previous disasters would've been - incredibly well-crafted, subtle and strong enough in all the right parts - and well, SCARY. Seriously.
The journal-style works amazingly. It drags you down into the narrat...more
I've never been interested in horror/suspense books - in ANY capacity - mostly because the times I've tried that genre, I've been immediately and viciously disappointed. But Dracula is like what I'd hoped those previous disasters would've been - incredibly well-crafted, subtle and strong enough in all the right parts - and well, SCARY. Seriously.
The journal-style works amazingly. It drags you down into the narrat...more
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Read in March, 2008
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Read in January, 1990
recommends it for:
Any fan of vampire fiction, or of supernatural fiction in general
Actually, I read Dracula in a different edition than the Norton one (and so can't comment on that edition's critical features). I'd read a dumbed-down kid's adaptation of it as a child; but when I was in the process of writing my own vampire novel, I wanted to read the real thing, just to experience the roots of the literary tradition. I'm glad that I did!
Of course, Stoker's isn't the first treatment of the vampire theme in literature, though it became the first one to have world-wide popu...more
Of course, Stoker's isn't the first treatment of the vampire theme in literature, though it became the first one to have world-wide popu...more
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Read in August, 2007
After a conversation at work about "Vlad the Impaler" as he is known in some instances, I started wondering about the whole vampire thing. As far as I can tell, Bram Stoker is the one who started it all or at least the one who made it stick. Most of the stories around refer to the original Dracula in some way. I was never expected to read it in school, so I thought I should start there.
The story is a classic for obvious reasons. It's kind of like the 1930's horror movies that ...more
The story is a classic for obvious reasons. It's kind of like the 1930's horror movies that ...more
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I have finished rereading Dracula and it has once again gotten better than the previous time. It is amazing how one book has transformed/created so many genres of literature and film since its publication. It’s fascinating to read for yourself and think that the words being read are the actual birth of a legend that has become an unmistakable image in our time. Surprisingly, the book is extremely frightening even today. There are certain parts of the book I look forward to reading each tim...more
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
Victorian lit fans, anyone interested in a seminal horror text
Dracula is far from a great novel, but it sure is a ton of fun to read. Stoker wrote great set pieces -- the ship driven into harbor by a storm, a dead man lashed to the wheel and a horrible story in its log book; Lucy risen from the dead; Dracula's weird sisters and their horrible dining habits; Renfield begging for a sleek little kitten to play with ... and feed. There's also a layer of enjoyment that Stoker never intended, because a century on some aspects of the book are hilariously of their...more
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recommends it for:
anyone, vampire lovers.
I hate to admit how many times I've read Dracula; let's just leave it at my first Master's thesis was on Dracula, and let your imagination take it from there. Although Stoker does make errors in the writing of this novel that can make you cringe, it is going to be entertaining, thought-provoking reading until the end of time. No matter what perspective you take it from--feminist, historical, Marxist--it's a brilliant read.
This go-round, I'm thoroughly enjoying thinking about the naming of ...more
This go-round, I'm thoroughly enjoying thinking about the naming of ...more
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16 comments
Read in October, 2006
recommends it for:
Everyone
Bram Stoker published Dracula in 1897. The horror novel is mostly written in journal entires, but also includes newspaper clippings, and dialog with very little narrative. At the time of publication, Dracula was seen as one of the most enthralling and unique romances ever written by the Victorian and Christian cultures. Main character Jonathan Harker begins his journey by train and carriage from England to Count Dracula's remote castle in the Carpathian Mountains on the border of Transylvania an...more
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Read in February, 2008
I don't think there is much that I could say about this book that isn't common knowledge. Dracula is a classic for a reason - it is well written, well paced, and the story itself is intriguing. I enjoyed the narrative structure - the use of journals and letters provided for complex character development while moving the story along quickly. I sometimes find nineteenth century writing cumbersome but Stoker's style seemed effortless. The only fault I find is the speed of the conclusion - 400 plus...more
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I only give this book a three because it gets rather boring at times. However, the messages within it are, fore sure, not to be ignored. Stoker sets his story in England, Netherlands, and Eastern Europe, places with worldviews ranging from Modernism to extreme traditionalism. As someone reading this can see, I have a penchant for books which deal with changing worldviews. Basically, Dracula examines the worldviews of High Modernism, and Extreme Traditionalism at the fin de siecle, a time of ...more
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Read in January, 2008
I read Elizabeth Kostova's "The Historian" and it got me interested in Vampire Lore, so I went right out and picked up Dracula. I thought it was a great book! Quite slow at points, but that was typical of books written in the late nineteenth century, I think. It fit the pattern of the horror novel that I learned in college, and I enjoyed the "diary" style in which it was written - the characters were the narrators. It made me finally understand so much of the Hollywood allite...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommended to Katy by:
Dr. Rogersrecommends it for: Twilight fans, people who don't mind reading gore
I had to read this book for my British Lit. Victorian class and I expected to hate it. My idea of a good book is warm fuzzies and some romance-- not blood and gore. That said, I really enjoyed reading this book. There were definitely times at the beginning when I thought "What has this got to do with anything?" But the book ties in every little detail. Now, a lot of people make fun of me because I can find the romance in anything-- I watch Law and Order: SVU not for the mystery or exc...more
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
Anyone that actually wants to know the origin of Dracula as we know him now.
Against my own expectations, this book was actually enjoyable. It read slower than a freakin' turtle and I had to read it very quickly, but still. Considering how it was written by a Social Darwinism-inspired, status quo-perpetuating prick, it's needless to say that my expectations weren't particularly high, but besides all that, the writing flowed well enough.
And one thing that I found amusing was just how slow a thinker Jonathan Harker is. Three consecutive nights, he walks in to the bedro...more
And one thing that I found amusing was just how slow a thinker Jonathan Harker is. Three consecutive nights, he walks in to the bedro...more
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Read in April, 2008
I was worried that reading this would be boring because the story is so familiar. I like Victorian literature, so I enjoyed most of the now old-fashioned conventions and themes. For example, Lucy goes on for a while about the American's use of slang, her love for slang, but her hesitancy to ever use it herself. I found this charming, but others may find it tiresome.
The plot is actually rather slow, and the conclusion of the book is much less grand than I had thought it would be before I sta...more
The plot is actually rather slow, and the conclusion of the book is much less grand than I had thought it would be before I sta...more
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