Dracula by Bram Stoker
When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula with the purchase of a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries about his client and his castle. Soon afterwards, a number of disturbing incidents unfold in England: an unmanned ship is wrecked at Whitby; strange puncture marks appear on a young woman's neck; and the inmate of a lunatic asylum raves about the imminent arrival of his 'Master'. In the ensuing battle of wits between the sinister Count Dracula and a determined group of adversaries, Bram Stoker created a masterpiece of the horror genre.
Dracula has been attributed to many literary genres including vampire literature, horror fiction, the gothic novel and invasion literature. Structurally it is an epistolary novel, that is, told as a series of diary entries and letters. Literary critics have examined many themes in the novel, such as the role of women in Victorian culture, conventional and conservative sexuality, immigration, colonialism, postcolonialism and folklore. Although Stoker did not invent the vampire, the novel's influence on the popularity of vampires has been singularly responsible for many theatrical and film interpretations throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.
This Dracula book review was written by Floresiensis
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Dracula reader reviews
Ishmael from USA
This was one of the first books I remember reading that used the epistolary type of writing. Bram Stoker managed to convey the story so eloquently and with tension using the ships logs, letters and diaries and newspaper articles. It has,of course become a classic and although others have written about vampires there is good reason why this is the book the popularized it.
Gunish from India
The perfect blend of horror and adventure is seen in this fantastic book. Kept it simple which you will not find in the classics and I'm sure Bram Stoker was happy about it. The readers felt it more comfortable than other classics as it comes straight to the point and doesn't beat around the bush. Even though Mary Shelly enjoyed 69 years of success after writing Frankenstein it should have been difficult for him to write a book of the same genre. Still he achieved it and prooved that if there is determination,,nothing is impossible. One of my all time favorites.
Racso from United States
This is a classic novel that I always wanted to read and after putting it off, I finally finished it. Please, allow me to provide a little background about my reading experience. I am a 90's guy and my first exposure to Bram Stoker's Dracula (For better or for worse) was a movie released in 1992. I cannot help but to have imagines of the movie re-play in my mind as I read the novel. I am afraid that I contaminated my imagination with pre-imposed images, characters and situations. As a result, I find myself comparing the novel to the movie at all times. In my humble opinion, the movie does justice to the novel. I couldn't find any disturbing discrepancies between the two. I enjoyed this novel although, at times I felt too much time was dedicated to Lucy's illness and also on Renfield’s mental condition. However, that didn't spoil the novel for me. The characters are a delight, the plot is interesting, the flow is smooth and the Victorian lifestyle described is just the icing on the cake. I strongly recommend this novel.
Ryan from Newcastle, Australia
Finally crossed this book off the list. The style is fantastic, I think its great how the majority of the story is told through journal entries and newspaper clippings, feels almost like you are ready a study guide at university. The story is original, and it is easy to see why a lot of recent books are derivative of Dracula. The characters are a bit different but that may just be because this story was written in the 1890's, but they are well developed and you do get to see a different side of them through their journal entries. Great book, one that everyone should take the time to read.
8.7/10 from 5 reviews
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