I am neither a fan of fantasy nor of horror. But the subject for our Xanadu reading challenge in November was "Classics: any adult or children’s classic in any genre that you have never read before". There aren't really any genres I never read, I have tried everything, some I like a lot more than others, so I chose one that I rarely read. My son still had "Dracula" at home, so I thought this is the best time to finally read it.
Of course, there is no way I didn't know the Dracula story even though I never even watched a snippet of one of the many films they made out of this classic. So, the story wasn't a surprise. I also wasn't shocked or frightened, that is not the reason I don't read horror stories, they usually just bore me.
I am glad I read the novel because it is always talked about so much. But I don't believe in vampires and I wouldn't say I was excited about the story. Still, as it is one of the classics, it was an alright read even for such a truth lover like me.
From the back cover:
"A true masterwork of storytelling, Dracula has transcended generation, language, and culture to become one of the most popular novels ever written. It is a quintessential tale of suspense and horror, boasting one of the most terrifying characters ever born in literature: Count Dracula, a tragic, night-dwelling specter who feeds upon the blood of the living, and whose diabolical passions prey upon the innocent, the helpless, and the beautiful. But Dracula also stands as a bleak allegorical saga of an eternally cursed being whose nocturnal atrocities reflect the dark underside of the supremely moralistic age in which it was originally written - and the corrupt desires that continue to plague the modern human condition."
What I found interesting the first time I read this book was seeing where all the other vampire movies, books, etc. came from, and I was curious how people responded to this book when it was published, because they'd never really run into a vampire story like this one before. For us it's old hat, but to them it was new. Plus, I really like the way it's told.
ReplyDeleteThose are nice observations, Lark. I'm not much into this genre, haven't read any of the Twilight or similar series or watched those movies but you are right, a lot of the contents were more than familiar to me, even without ever having touched the subject much.
DeleteAnd you are right, the writing style is very good. Maybe I should try one of his other novels if they are less gothic. Have you read any of them?
I haven't read any of his other books. I suspect they have a similar feel to them, though maybe not as well done.
DeleteThanks, Lark. I just wondered if you could recommend one of them and whether they all have the same theme.
DeleteI read Dracula in 2017 because of its iconic status as a classic and because it was one of my husband's favorite books as a youngster.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't a huge fan of Dracula though. Although, there were some interesting aspects of Dracula. Here's my review of Dracula: https://captivatedreader.blogspot.com/2017/10/dracula-audible-edition-by-bram-stoker.html#comment-form
That is exactly the reason why I read it, Lisa. And no, I probably wouldn't have read it otherwise. In my case it was one of my sons who had the book.
DeleteThanks for leaving your link.
I have never read it either! Should I?
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, Emma, you read so many books and so many novels, if you haven't read it by now, there is certainly a reason. As it was for me. I knew it wouldn't be something I would really, really enjoy but it fitted the given challenge. I'm glad I finally read it but will probably stay away from that genre for quite a while now.
DeleteI have not read it in ages. Buffy fights Dracula in season five of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's an amusing episode.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine that they can use that topic in Buffy. I have never seen a single episode.
DeleteI also think this is a book you don't really forget, especially since you know so much about it already.
You commented on my TTT which I had posted prematurely. I have saved your comment but need an "input" from you, just an asterix or something, then I recopy it.
Delete