Friday 3 December 2021

Stoker, Bram "Dracula"


Stoker, Bram "Dracula" - 1897

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."

11 comments:

  1. 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.

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    1. Those 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.

      And 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?

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    2. I haven't read any of his other books. I suspect they have a similar feel to them, though maybe not as well done.

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    3. Thanks, Lark. I just wondered if you could recommend one of them and whether they all have the same theme.

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  2. I 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.

    I 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

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    1. 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.

      Thanks for leaving your link.

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    1. To 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.

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  4. I have not read it in ages. Buffy fights Dracula in season five of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's an amusing episode.

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    1. I can imagine that they can use that topic in Buffy. I have never seen a single episode.

      I also think this is a book you don't really forget, especially since you know so much about it already.

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    2. 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.

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