BACKGROUND: Bram Stoker’s Dracula was published in 1897. This classic, Victorian gothic horror novel sired the vampire subgenre that permeates mainstream media in a multitude of fashions. Unlike most adaptation, this book is embodies a slow pacing and reveals its story slowly through diary and journal entries, letters, and newspaper providing a seemingly “real time” feel to the unfolding horror. Like many gothic horror novels, the book begins a young protagonist, on his way to a foreboding gothic castle. The role of our first protagonist is played by Jonathon Harker, a young solicitor acting as a real estate agent for the esteemed Count Dracula. As he approaches the castle, many Romanian peasants attempt to give him crosses and copious amounts of garlic. Like any fine Englishman, Jonathon willfully ignores all of this until he reaches Dracula’s castle and notices some of his host’s mysterious habits.
PACING: There is no denying that this is a slow book, but what this book lacks in speed, it makes up for in suspense. There are two main story arcs in this book. The first is Jonathon Harker’s stay at Dracula’s Castle. The book begins relatively cheery, but happiness starts to die, as Jonathon gets closer to Dracula’s castle. After meeting his seemingly normal host, Harker begins to notice some strange quirks that ultimately lead to a terrifying discovering (that all of us as 21st century readers can easily predict). The book then abruptly switches to the letters of two English women in the small town of Whitby. Everything seems pleasant for a time until a mysterious ship washes in to the harbor and one of the women becomes deathly pale and sick. Little by little, foreboding elements are added to the plot like a small snowball tumbling down hill. Eventually it gathers enough suspense and intrigue to become an enthralling story that is impossible to put down.
REVIEW: Dracula is a fantastic read. While written to be a horror novel, the book’s plot and antagonist are not at all scary. As mentioned before, the plot is a slow one that builds the slowly reveals the terrifying monster that is Dracula. Unfortunately, this slow reveal is ruined by the book’s own popularity. Everyone has read, watched, or listened to some kind of story about vampires. As a result, everyone knows that Dracula is a blood-sucking vampire, so the slow build has no effect on the readers. Instead, we read the emotions through the eyes of the main characters. Through their “in the moment”, Victorian perspective, they have no clue what is going on, but we as readers get satisfaction out of watching the characters put all the puzzle pieces together into a terrifying story.
Speaking of the characters, many of them are as bland as oatmeal. All of the men are considered good and all of them have similar characteristics. The only differences come in the two foreign characters. One is a slightly goofy Dutch doctor and the other is a walking stereotype of Texas who has probably never actually been to America. The accents of both characters is irritating and (depending on the person) can come off as downright insulting. Most of the female characters are sickly, fainting machines that collapse like their characterization. The only outlier is a lovely character named Mina Harker, the smartest person in the entire book. Although often sidelined for having two X chromosomes, she is the one character who could guide the hopelessly lost male cast.
Another off-putting aspect is the sexualization of vampires. Most readers, ready to read a Victorian classic about vampires are expecting some terrifying ghoul or demonic zombie. Oddly, all the female vampires and sexy seductresses that want to drain men of more than just blood. Considering that women in the 19th century weren’t allowed to have sex drives, the repulsion for these vampires might be felt by its intended audience. Unfortunately, all modern readers will find this a confusing mix of horrifying and alluring (and with the overuse the world “voluptuous”, I suspect the author was leaning towards erotic).
VERDICT: Despite being somewhat dated, this book is still enjoyable read and an intriguing origin story for all of today’s vampires. The combination of a slow, enduring plot and haunting imagery the book stands as a great representation of gothic horror. This book earns 4 stars.