Dracula - something to get your teeth into! (Dracula - Bram Stoker)

Member Name: DannoStanno

Product:	Dracula - Bram Stoker
Date:	03/06/09 (41 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Interesting format, great story

Disadvantages: Bit simplistic by today's standards

1897, I believe, this book was written and in the 112 years since it has influenced so much in the way of the world of horror and firmly established itself as a literary classic. Stoker's novel planted the idea of vampires into the Victorian public's mind and firmly set the foundation of vampirical myth for now, and probably forever.

The book is set in the 19th century (when it was written) and though the bulk of the story centres in London, it does flitter between Transylvania - that epic seat of Dracula's own history - and Whitby, now infamously tied in with it's Draculian legend. The way the story is told is cleverly done by using written historical records (fictional, obviously) placed together to create a tense and mysterious thriller. These are mainly diary extracts and dictations from the main characters, though occasionally newspaper reports are intermingled to allow the reader into a further insight. This style allows points of views to come from different characters and adds a further depth to Stoker's story.

The story goes: Jonathan Hawker, an apprentice lawyer who is sent by his firm to service a client in faraway Transylvania. The client, Dracula, is looking to relocate to London from his musty old castle... well without giving too much away here you can be sure that Mr Dracula is no ordinary client! Jonathan's fiance, Mina, remains in England frolicking the summer away with her upper-class society girlfriend Lucy, the centre of a hilarious love triangle from 3 worthy batchelors. One of these men is a Doctor working in an asylum next door to where Dracula is looking to relocate... The stuff of every vampire movie since films began occur and the Stoker-modelled character, Van Helsing, is brought in. Through strange and gripping incidents a full on vampire hunt begins...

As far as horror goes, this is, by todays standards, pretty tame. It was Victorian times and thus there is much modesty especially when referring to body parts and thus though the book is boasting of sexual hunger and prowess, the language used is amusingly coy and bashful. This is the same with the violence. No blood-filled gore shock tactics when Stoker explains of atrocities, but rather a subtle form of description that informs of such horrors without going over the top or scaring a 19th century reader! However, the book does reek of atmosphere and easily involves the reader in a practice of piecing together these accounts whilst fully emerged in the past world of Dickensian London (or Stokerian??? perhaps)

What fascinates me about this book is the influence is has had on popular belief regarding vampires and the entertainment world's spin on it. The image we have of Vlad the Impaler, or Dracula, is that which Stoker created even though he is historically inaccurate. The images of fangs, cloaks and pasty complexion are described here but accenuated by Hollywood and though there have been many books on Vampires before Stoker's, it is his rules and reasons of vampires which has lived on to the modern day; such ideas of stake through the heart, garlic, no reflexion, turning into a bat/dog etc are all in this book.

All in all, a fun, fascinating and well written story which has imposed so much on literature and entertainment today

Summary: Fantastic thriller, full of fun, well written characters and a legend in every way!