Disturbing supernatural horror
 Mar 11th, 2003
Advantages:
Truly frightening
Disadvantages:
long - winded, may tax your patience
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
Would you read it again?
Story
Characters
Readability
How does it compare to similar books?
How does it compare to other works by the same author?
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Read Comment
Bram Stoker’s Dracula came as a nice surprise. I expected a dull, dreary period piece with a small amount of horror thrown in; instead I was treated to a fine tale of monstrous terror lit by a backdrop of Victorian gaslights. As you know, Dracula is a vampire. A vampire’s lot in life (or unlife) is to exist with a wanton need for human blood, living forever while feeding upon the souls of its victims. Vampires are immortal; or can be as long as they consume human blood, which is their primary form of sustenance. They can turn themselves into a foggy mist. They can change their shape to resemble bats or wolves, among other things. They have the power to hypnotize their prey, and even have the power to turn their victims undead as they are, cursing their victims for eternity. For the vampire is not alive as we know it; they live in a state of undeath. Their bodies appear human, yet the uniquely human qualities of the vampire are long dead.
Vampires routinely scheme for power, or failing that they scheme simply out of boredom. Humans are their unwitting pawns. Dracula begins with the journals of Jonathan Harker, who has been hired by the Count Dracula to prepare the Count’s legal affairs for the purpose of an extended trip to London the Count wishes to take. While in Dracula’s castle, Harker is tormented by the Count and various other fiends within the walls of the castle. Harker
is prohibited from exploring the castle during his stay, yet his curiosity gets the better of him and Harker finds himself plunged into a supernatural pit of despair. Dracula intends to bind Harker within the castle until the arrangements for the London trip are finalized, and mostly succeeds; Harker finally leaves, but is mentally scarred and in no position to challenge the Count’s behavior.
Fast forward a bit, and we meet Dr. Seward, a “modern” psychologist working in an asylum, Mina, Harker’s fiancée, playing the womanly role of helpless victim (yet one of the most clever and quick witted characters in the book), pining for his return and worrying about his whereabouts, and Lucy, Mina’s friend and confidant who seems to be having trouble sleeping… Lucy, you see, has been having bouts with sleepwalking and Mina has become concerned. She calls upon Dr. Seward, and he in turn calls his mentor, Dr. Van Helsing, to assist in his examination of Lucy’s mental state. Lucy begins to feel physically ill, complaining of extreme weakness and is perpetually tired. Van Helsing is getting suspicious, and calls for blood transfusions to assist poor Lucy and her weakness.
Van Helsing is the best character in the book. He plays the part of the imminently respected doctor who still has respect for the old ways and traditions. His speeches are loaded with bombastic, Victorian charm, and never is he at a loss for words. Melodramatic might be a nice word for him, but I don’t think it’s strong enough. Imagine a player who can speak for pages at a time, yet for every 500 words of apology, politeness, and trying to “protect” his acquaintances from the unspeakable truth, he might speak 10 words which get to the POINT. I found him charming in the same sense as an actor over-dramaticizing their role to the max; think of William Shatner playing the role in all his over-the-top glory. The story moves along with a bit of a slow pace, but the language Stoker uses and the tension-building skills he possesses shine through. Other characters, such as Lucy’s husband Arthur, are well drawn and each has a clear personality of their own. The personalities shine through in Stoker’s use of journals and diaries by the players throughout Dracula.
We learn that Van Helsing has used his years of background studies to conclude that Lucy’s ailments are the result of numerous “feedings” by a nightmarish creature in their midst – the vampire! The plot snowballs from there, and the band of confidants develop a plan to rid their nights of the vampire menace. That’s enough plot for now; I don’t want to be a spoiler! The supernatural fear that Stoker invokes is quite real. For each incredible ghoulish power Dracula holds, the solutions are equally supernatural in nature. Mostly, the weapons to ward off vampires include Catholic symbols such as the Crucifix and pieces of the Host. For me, the solutions are every bit as frightening as the problem; it seems to me that using faith as a weapon vs. the very real fear of death can be an intimidating prospect. What happens if you are an unbeliever? These characters are believers, but there is no doubt that they too question (not in so many words) placing their lives in the hands of mystical wards against evil. Harrowing stuff, if you read between the lines.
The essence of Victorian life is used as the perfect backdrop to our story. Van Helsing understands too well that the “modern” world no longer wishes to accept such creatures as vampires. Dr. Seward, a man of the times, is forced to admit that Van Helsing is on the right track; even though it was Van Helsing’s teachings that brought Seward to the top of his profession. The teacher didn’t tell him everything, and with good reason. Dracula doesn’t make too many personal appearances within these pages. He is used as a phantom, and fleeting glimpses out of the corner of your eye are all you see of him. Foe me, this accents the horror of this unnatural “man”. Often, Stoker will allude to the terror, and just when you think the writer will refrain from placing the horror before your eyes, he goes for the throat. This was cutting edge material when it was new, and reads very well today. Certainly the readership 100 years ago were shocked out of their skin when reading about the three sisters, or asking themselves what exactly did Dracula do to that poor woman…?
An outstanding novel, and easily convinced me why it’s been so popular over the years. I was actually scared and white-knuckled through many passages here. A must for any fan of horror fiction.
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01.05.2004 18:56
Enjoyed the review. Dracula has inspired so many vampire stories. Maureen
04.02.2004 09:32
Great op about a great book. cu albertas
15.05.2003 13:36
I read this many years ago and throughly enjoyed it. Excellent op.