Title: Dracula
Author: Bram Stoker
Published by: Signet
Published on: September 4, 2007 (Originally in 1897)
Pages: 380
Welcome to my house! Enter freely and of your own will!
--Chapter 2
Gots to be honest with y'alls, Count Dracula was the first western monster I was genuinely afraid of. Or rather, vampires. The moment I first heard of a bloodsucking entity that could slip into your window undetected and suck your blood dry, I had nightmares. It was mostly thanks to the Twilight hype that I finally got over it. Glittery vampires immediately diminished this fearsome image of Dracula I'd had in mind for years. I guess... thanks, Edward?
Bram Stoker's Dracula is a classic. It was written in the late 1800s and at some point published as a series in a magazine. It uses a first-person narrative of several main characters, but through letters and diary input. Took some time to get used to it, but once you do you'll flip through so many pages before even realising it.
The first letter we read is from Jonathan Harker, a solicitor who was on his way to his client's house in Transylvania. 'House' might be downplaying a bit -- it was basically a castle. Count Dracula was an esteemed client of his boss' and he wanted to move to London. The previous solicitor was unwell and Jon was simply taking over.
From the moment he arrived, there were loads of premonition as to why he shouldn't continue on his journey. I mean, if some old lady shrieked at me that today 'all the evil things in the world will have full sway' and begged me not to leave; or if a coach full of passengers talked of Satan, hell, witches; or if a creepy carriage came to pick me up in the middle of nowhere, I honestly would have just scrammed and told my boss to go the fuck there himself, job security be damned.
Aanyway, but Jonathan Harker was not me and neither I him, so he finally arrived at the castle of Count Dracula where he was kept captive for a couple of months. He managed to send out three letters, which were closely monitored by the Count, to his fiancée, Mina Murray, in England. Said fiancée was having troubles of her own, as her bestie, Lucy Westenra, suffered from sleepwalking. Enter her three suitors: Arthur Holmwood, Quincey Morris, and Dr. John Seward. All of them proposed to Lucy, albeit only Arthur was accepted, though they all still remained friends. What began as a somewhat harmless illness turns deadly when everyone realised that this ilness had a supernatural cause. Namely, a bloodsucking entity was preying on Lucy and she needed protection. They then contacted Professor Abraham van Helsing, Seward's old teacher, who confirmed that a vampire was after Lucy and wouldn't have stopped until she was turned into one of the undeads.
Would they be able to stop Count Dracula, while also saving Jonathan and Lucy? What exactly is the Count's ploy here?
EGGLYSIS
Let me be put on record that, while I love Bram Stoker's Dracula book with all my heart, I despise the 1992 movie with my entire being and wish I could burn it along with everyone who loves it at the stake.
WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL FUCKERY IS THIS???
While Dracula is a horror book, at its heart I daresay it's an adventure book. Five youths accompanying their kooky grandpa hunting down the personification of evil. Along the way, they looked for clues from an insane person, went on trip(s), even some romance occurred. Such an interesting premise to be translated into screen, no?
But apparently the Great Francis Ford Coppola thought that angst and porn were missing from the story and turned everyone into horny, raging sex addicts.
But anyway, back to the book. The epistolary format took some time to get used to, but like I said in the beginning once you get used to it the pace just picks up. I love the characters to death, especially their relationship with each other. It is so sweet to see all three of Lucy's suitors willingly dedicated their time, even life, to protect this sweet, innocent girl. YES LUCY WESTENRA WAS A SWEET, SWEET GIRL AND I AM WILLING TO FIGHT ANYONE SAYING OTHER WISE. Mina could at times be frustrating, but she was the de facto leader of the group. Even when unwell, she could pick up and decipher important clues. For a book published in the Victorian era, Dracula is surprisingly ahead of its time.
If I had one complain, it's because things get repetitive. From van Helsing taking the blood of the men in order to keep Lucy from dying, to the stalking of Mina, honestly Stoker could have saved maybe 100 pages from this book had he just gone straight to the point. But I guess brevity wasn't exactly 19th century writers' strength, no? :P
Overall, Dracula is...
