Jonathan ’s review of Dracula > Likes and Comments
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Helen wrote: "Heh, I don't mind currently popular twists because to me Dracula is just as much molded to fit its contemporary pop-culture.
I'm curious if you're still interested in this theme, since I recently ..."
True, however the quality of today greatly differs.
Jonathan wrote: "Tuhina wrote: "I completely agree with you. It is so enthralling. The only thing is you need to read it with patience. :)"
True, and most modern readers lack that patience unfortunately..."
Absolutely right.
I love your review! Dracula has been and continues to be one of my all time favorite works of fiction. I just renewed my appreciation of it by listening to the Audible audiobook rendition. I look forward to rereading it in print and looking for an annotated version in future. I love how aptly you pinpoint and describe the very essence and core of this book. Dracula, his very nature is of horror and evil and it tears me up how the modern media has completely skewed that. Like you said about evil being seductive and appealing at first but leading to misery and hollowness. The media sticks to the first side and neglects to portray the whole picture. One of my greatest aspirations is to finally make or see a film interpretation of this book that shows its true classic element of horror and relief from its terror in all its authenticity. Reading your review aided my understanding of my love for this book and the elements that are vital to its atmosphere in making that happen. Thank you! (I sometimes struggle at finding the best words to express myself so I hope that comes across as well as possible, thank you again for sharing what I lack).
Great review. I agree, this book certainly does paint the picture of an evil and malevolent being. It is sad the amount of damage that Twilight has done to the genre. Maybe we need to go back to the old Hammer Horrors to see a truly monsterous Dracula (or even just read this book).
Tuhina wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "Tuhina wrote: "I completely agree with you. It is so enthralling. The only thing is you need to read it with patience. :)"
True, and most modern readers lack that patience unfortu..."
As a fellow reader, teacher and writer I love that you got some extra appreciation of the novel out of my review. It is sad what has happened to the modern 'sanitisation' of Dracula to be honest when the classic is so rich in meaning and emotion.
David wrote: "Great review. I agree, this book certainly does paint the picture of an evil and malevolent being. It is sad the amount of damage that Twilight has done to the genre. Maybe we need to go back to th..."
Exactly - modern pop culture has really sanitised a lot of the horrors that we found so incredibly chilling and rich in the past...
Jonathan wrote: "David wrote: "Great review. I agree, this book certainly does paint the picture of an evil and malevolent being. It is sad the amount of damage that Twilight has done to the genre. Maybe we need to..."
One of my favourite recent television shows has been Stranger Things for this very reason. I dislike horror when it is purely about 'slasher' or 'jump' scare. I like the brooding, malevolent horror which exists within the Gothic genre and teaches the reader a lesson about humanity. For me Dracula does this, as does Stranger Things (while characterising its main heroes very well!)
Cadance wrote: "How do you read a book in this app"
The Goodreads app? I am not quite sure - I think you may need to use an e-reader to better help with that!
Nicole wrote: "Love too"
As in the theme of love or you love the review. If the first then yes, it does explore love in a powerful way. If the latter, then thank you.
As an author, I sorta wish I could be as spectacular as Bram is at writing and teaching evil vs. good but I’m afraid not many in this day and age can top the classic books like this, Frankenstein’s Monster, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, etc. while I am not saying there’s no good authors out there (I’d like to think I’m a good writer) I do not think that the evil vs. good topic can be matched in this day and age to the original classics because just as you said... things have drastically changed and what was good has been evil and what was evil has become good and for that we miss the entirety of the point of good vs. evil in modern writing. Now, I’m a woman and I do like the vampire romance novels (depending on which author it is) only because I like fantasy romance, however, I do acknowledge that The Whole idea of vampire romance novels is pretty much the Mc dating a demon and not many people acknowledge it. The original thought of the vampire was that as you said, the creature was a demonic entity. In history they thought that 1. If you came back to like after death you were no longer you, your soul no longer residing in your body. Which I feel bad for the drunks or people who were in comas and buried alive. Must’ve been hell to try to convince the villagers you weren’t one. 2. Many times they didn’t believe you had to be bit. If you were selfish and greedy or were a genuinely crappy person, they believed that you could become a vampire through that as well, which further supports that the vampires were born from humanity’s greatest sins. 3. The idea of zombies were synonymous with vampires. The idea of a zombie came from one of the many ideas of vampires. Just a powerful form with no soul.
I feel like the classics just remind us of how screwed up our society is and how what we once thought of evil has now become what we love the most. Sickening, but true. Anyways, I love your review!
Arianna wrote: "As an author, I sorta wish I could be as spectacular as Bram is at writing and teaching evil vs. good but I’m afraid not many in this day and age can top the classic books like this, Frankenstein’s..."
Thanks for the appreciation for the review. I still am not quite sure why this review has gained the most love out of all of my reviews, except to say that people are fascinated by the idea of the vampire. They're interested and intrigued to know what is behind the idea. As you noted it's this twisted romance with a demonic entity (and worth adding that people thought suicidal people would become vampires sadly).
One of the interesting things is we never find out in Dracula, what made the count into Dracula. We don't know if he made a deal with the devil precisely (although it is suggested) or if he was bitten by another vampire or was a wizard/witch who used blood spells. He just exists, and I think that the book itself as a whole has this kind of existent fascination where it doesn't even need to explain itself or why it exists.
I haven’t read this yet, but I love the old classics and hate how they get modernized. Nowadays in some stories Vampires are too “nice” to drink from humans, so they hunt animals. That is just sad. That does not make an good story. I also hate the “community” of vampires concept. They are much more intriguing when they are a lonely mysterious tortured soul, feeding on humans. There is nothing like the classics.
Great review! Well said and I agree completely!
I have many books over the years some good ,some bad ,some I would prefer to forget I ever read but can not unfortunately and I guess we have all been there with books right? Yes your right with what you have said in comments I read somewhere above about vampires not being hero's or even sexy I guess however I find Bram Stokers Dracula the best book and I have to say the best vampire ever I fell in love with book the very first time I picked it up and it makes no difference how many times you read it , it still has the same power over me and I have only read a few books in my life time I can say that about. Guess which other one makes me feel it's the first time for me every time I read it and reading Dracula feels like it's my first time reading it every time I read it and I love it . One of the best novels ever and right up there on top of my all time favorites ever .
An excellent review! Love the facts that you gave here. Bram Stoker would be proud.
I truly support your opinion that vampires are meant to be evil and represent the obsessive vices of man.
I love this book and have used some mentalities in my own novel stuff like the only way to kill a vampire is to stake him in the heart(with a real stake that goes in the ground, anyone else read Bunnicula, not a meat stake) cut off their head and stuff it with garlic.
Anna wrote: "I love this book and have used some mentalities in my own novel stuff like the only way to kill a vampire is to stake him in the heart(with a real stake that goes in the ground, anyone else read Bu..."
It always sounded like the vampires slayers were trying to prepare the vampire for roasting in my head...
Defineatly Roast Vampire Head stuffed with garlic anyone?
Yes thank you for putting my feelings into words! I thought I didn't like vampire novels, turns out I just don't like modern interpretations of vampires.
What Jonathan Terrington said was when Dracula comes to mind the first thing we think of is the very name instantly brings to mind visions of vampires, stakes, garlic, and crucifixes. Yet, when one bothers to read the novel, it becomes self-evident how twisted modern vampire fiction now is. But the story that bram wrote wasn’t really all about that it was more to show what the gothic literature was like back in those times plus for it to also to show what is was like living in those such vast time in the world went there was no power only light
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Helen wrote: "Heh, I don't mind currently popular twists because to me Dracula is just as much molded to fit its contemporary pop-culture.I'm curious if you're still interested in this theme, since I recently ..."
True, however the quality of today greatly differs.
Jonathan wrote: "Tuhina wrote: "I completely agree with you. It is so enthralling. The only thing is you need to read it with patience. :)"True, and most modern readers lack that patience unfortunately..."
Absolutely right.
I love your review! Dracula has been and continues to be one of my all time favorite works of fiction. I just renewed my appreciation of it by listening to the Audible audiobook rendition. I look forward to rereading it in print and looking for an annotated version in future. I love how aptly you pinpoint and describe the very essence and core of this book. Dracula, his very nature is of horror and evil and it tears me up how the modern media has completely skewed that. Like you said about evil being seductive and appealing at first but leading to misery and hollowness. The media sticks to the first side and neglects to portray the whole picture. One of my greatest aspirations is to finally make or see a film interpretation of this book that shows its true classic element of horror and relief from its terror in all its authenticity. Reading your review aided my understanding of my love for this book and the elements that are vital to its atmosphere in making that happen. Thank you! (I sometimes struggle at finding the best words to express myself so I hope that comes across as well as possible, thank you again for sharing what I lack).
Great review. I agree, this book certainly does paint the picture of an evil and malevolent being. It is sad the amount of damage that Twilight has done to the genre. Maybe we need to go back to the old Hammer Horrors to see a truly monsterous Dracula (or even just read this book).
Tuhina wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "Tuhina wrote: "I completely agree with you. It is so enthralling. The only thing is you need to read it with patience. :)"True, and most modern readers lack that patience unfortu..."
As a fellow reader, teacher and writer I love that you got some extra appreciation of the novel out of my review. It is sad what has happened to the modern 'sanitisation' of Dracula to be honest when the classic is so rich in meaning and emotion.
David wrote: "Great review. I agree, this book certainly does paint the picture of an evil and malevolent being. It is sad the amount of damage that Twilight has done to the genre. Maybe we need to go back to th..."Exactly - modern pop culture has really sanitised a lot of the horrors that we found so incredibly chilling and rich in the past...
Jonathan wrote: "David wrote: "Great review. I agree, this book certainly does paint the picture of an evil and malevolent being. It is sad the amount of damage that Twilight has done to the genre. Maybe we need to..."One of my favourite recent television shows has been Stranger Things for this very reason. I dislike horror when it is purely about 'slasher' or 'jump' scare. I like the brooding, malevolent horror which exists within the Gothic genre and teaches the reader a lesson about humanity. For me Dracula does this, as does Stranger Things (while characterising its main heroes very well!)
Cadance wrote: "How do you read a book in this app"The Goodreads app? I am not quite sure - I think you may need to use an e-reader to better help with that!
Nicole wrote: "Love too"As in the theme of love or you love the review. If the first then yes, it does explore love in a powerful way. If the latter, then thank you.
As an author, I sorta wish I could be as spectacular as Bram is at writing and teaching evil vs. good but I’m afraid not many in this day and age can top the classic books like this, Frankenstein’s Monster, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, etc. while I am not saying there’s no good authors out there (I’d like to think I’m a good writer) I do not think that the evil vs. good topic can be matched in this day and age to the original classics because just as you said... things have drastically changed and what was good has been evil and what was evil has become good and for that we miss the entirety of the point of good vs. evil in modern writing. Now, I’m a woman and I do like the vampire romance novels (depending on which author it is) only because I like fantasy romance, however, I do acknowledge that The Whole idea of vampire romance novels is pretty much the Mc dating a demon and not many people acknowledge it. The original thought of the vampire was that as you said, the creature was a demonic entity. In history they thought that 1. If you came back to like after death you were no longer you, your soul no longer residing in your body. Which I feel bad for the drunks or people who were in comas and buried alive. Must’ve been hell to try to convince the villagers you weren’t one. 2. Many times they didn’t believe you had to be bit. If you were selfish and greedy or were a genuinely crappy person, they believed that you could become a vampire through that as well, which further supports that the vampires were born from humanity’s greatest sins. 3. The idea of zombies were synonymous with vampires. The idea of a zombie came from one of the many ideas of vampires. Just a powerful form with no soul. I feel like the classics just remind us of how screwed up our society is and how what we once thought of evil has now become what we love the most. Sickening, but true. Anyways, I love your review!
Arianna wrote: "As an author, I sorta wish I could be as spectacular as Bram is at writing and teaching evil vs. good but I’m afraid not many in this day and age can top the classic books like this, Frankenstein’s..."Thanks for the appreciation for the review. I still am not quite sure why this review has gained the most love out of all of my reviews, except to say that people are fascinated by the idea of the vampire. They're interested and intrigued to know what is behind the idea. As you noted it's this twisted romance with a demonic entity (and worth adding that people thought suicidal people would become vampires sadly).
One of the interesting things is we never find out in Dracula, what made the count into Dracula. We don't know if he made a deal with the devil precisely (although it is suggested) or if he was bitten by another vampire or was a wizard/witch who used blood spells. He just exists, and I think that the book itself as a whole has this kind of existent fascination where it doesn't even need to explain itself or why it exists.
I haven’t read this yet, but I love the old classics and hate how they get modernized. Nowadays in some stories Vampires are too “nice” to drink from humans, so they hunt animals. That is just sad. That does not make an good story. I also hate the “community” of vampires concept. They are much more intriguing when they are a lonely mysterious tortured soul, feeding on humans. There is nothing like the classics.
Great review! Well said and I agree completely!
I have many books over the years some good ,some bad ,some I would prefer to forget I ever read but can not unfortunately and I guess we have all been there with books right? Yes your right with what you have said in comments I read somewhere above about vampires not being hero's or even sexy I guess however I find Bram Stokers Dracula the best book and I have to say the best vampire ever I fell in love with book the very first time I picked it up and it makes no difference how many times you read it , it still has the same power over me and I have only read a few books in my life time I can say that about. Guess which other one makes me feel it's the first time for me every time I read it and reading Dracula feels like it's my first time reading it every time I read it and I love it . One of the best novels ever and right up there on top of my all time favorites ever .
An excellent review! Love the facts that you gave here. Bram Stoker would be proud.I truly support your opinion that vampires are meant to be evil and represent the obsessive vices of man.
I love this book and have used some mentalities in my own novel stuff like the only way to kill a vampire is to stake him in the heart(with a real stake that goes in the ground, anyone else read Bunnicula, not a meat stake) cut off their head and stuff it with garlic.
Anna wrote: "I love this book and have used some mentalities in my own novel stuff like the only way to kill a vampire is to stake him in the heart(with a real stake that goes in the ground, anyone else read Bu..."It always sounded like the vampires slayers were trying to prepare the vampire for roasting in my head...
Defineatly Roast Vampire Head stuffed with garlic anyone?
Yes thank you for putting my feelings into words! I thought I didn't like vampire novels, turns out I just don't like modern interpretations of vampires.
What Jonathan Terrington said was when Dracula comes to mind the first thing we think of is the very name instantly brings to mind visions of vampires, stakes, garlic, and crucifixes. Yet, when one bothers to read the novel, it becomes self-evident how twisted modern vampire fiction now is. But the story that bram wrote wasn’t really all about that it was more to show what the gothic literature was like back in those times plus for it to also to show what is was like living in those such vast time in the world went there was no power only light
I'm curious if you're still interested in this theme, since I recently discovered that a short story faithful to traditional vampire mythos has finally gotten translation into English, with insightful foreword/afterword.