“Simply a brilliant novel” The greatest testament to Stoker’s work is that it remains uniquely compelling despite popular conceptions shaped by some appalling cinematic adapdations. Even now, it is possible to understand the enthusiatic response of contemporary readers to his sensational tale of “the Undead” and the hardy souls who take on the eponymous Count. From the chilling opening in the Carpathians, Stoker relates his grimly fascinating tale mainly through diary extracts, also managing the tricky task of creating authentically different narrative voices. Add to the equation some masterful prose, a relentless pace and some genuinely shocking moments and the result is a novel that genuinely deserves the title of “classic”.
Product Description 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. Pocket Books Enriched Classics present the great works of world literature enhanced for the contemporary reader. This edition of Dracula was prepared by Joseph Valente, Professor of English at the University of Illinois and the author of Dracula’s Crypt: Bram Stoker, Irishness, and the Question of Blood, who provides insight into the racial connotations of this enduring masterpiece. |
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The old is better than the new….  Having not read Dracula in years, I decided to read it again and compare it to a contemporary (1992) movie version…Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” starring Gary Oldman. When I initially read the story as a child, I focused more on my stereotyped “Dracula as performed by Bella Lugosi” and not Stoker’s original version. Reading it again I was charmed by the writing style and mores of the times. It holds up well. I then watched Coppola’s movie which was tarted up and sexualized for today’s audience. While Oldman’s performance was great fun to watch, the book is so much better. And if I were Stoker, I would be turning in my grave since the movie version barely follows the book and yet is “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”…. a vampire too industrial Dracula… Spooky Social Commentary Stoker tells the story through his character’s journals and letters. The beginning, told through the voice of imprisoned Jonathan Harker, is by far the most exciting part of the novel. We are later introduced to other characters: the flighty yet virtuous Lucy and her many suitors, Jonathan Harker’s fiance, the emboldened and wise Mina, and of course Van Helsing, the original vampire slayer. Dracula’s pursuit of Lucy is also riveting, but after the characters finally catch on to Dracua’s game, the ending is drawn out and the story becomes wearisome, as do the men’s ferventl protection of their women’s honor. Feminists, you may feel nautious. After the first section, we see very little of the most interesting title character, and are instead subjected to lectures from the verbose Van Helsing. Dracula is truly a Victorian novel told by an author whose ideal virginal woman is threatened by the bloodthirsty vampire. Similar to Frankenstein, a novel that cautions against scientific advances, Dracula cautions against seemingly immoral social changes. Count Dracula is supposed to be a despicable monster, yet recent adaptations of the story have turned him into a sympathetic character. (There is absolutely no mention in the book of Dracula’s love affair with a woman who looks like Mina. There is no mention of Dracula ever having loved anyone.) I have a feeling Stoker would be disappointed, but not surprised. All of these many years later, I found parts of the story disturbing even for the 21st century: especially the sacks Dracula brings his brides… A classic worth reading! |
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NEW DRAMATIC PRESENTATION OF ‘DRACULA’.
Dracula (Enriched Classics Series)
It is SPLENDID. No book since Mary Shelly’s FRANKENSTEIN, or indeed any other has come near the book, in originality, or terror. My dad says,” I think it is the very best story of DIABLERIC which I have read for many years.”
It is indeed wonderful, how with so much exciting interest over so long, there is never an anti-climax in the book. Despite such unbiased positive responses, while DRACULA sold well enough in the United Kingdom, it was at best considered a ‘potboiler’. It came from STOKER’S research into the history and superstitions of Eastern Europe.
Hungarian Professor, Arminius Vanbery, helped Stoker a lot by telling him the history of the Romanian Prince, VLAD TEPES, better known as ‘Dracul’. The idea for the book, came from a nightmare, some reviewers, claim. I feel obliged to tell that throughout much of the Tentieth Century and these early years of the Twenty First, too numerous enactments of Dracula have ranged from the dismal to depraved to diverting.
Fews months ago, there debuted in New York, a motion picture by CANADIAN DIRECTOR, GUY MADDIN: Dracula, pages from a Virgin’s Diary. It’s a filmed Ballet but VERY very good.
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