Leafing Through Pages – Dracula

Stars: 3 / 5

Recommendation: All in all it was a slow read even though the book set stage for countless number of movies and books on vampires. It didn’t read as creepy as the movies portrayed, perhaps because of me watching the various movies already. You can skip a few bits in between and still get the gist of the entire plot.

Dracula is a stand-alone horror fantasy novel by Bram Stoker originally published on May 26, 1897. The story is given to the readers in the form of a series of journal entries or letters or newspaper articles, mainly between the key characters – a solicitor’s clerk Jonathan Harker, Transylvanian nobleman Count Dracula, Harker’s fiancée Mina Murray and administrator of an insane asylum Dr. Seward.

Jonathan Harker comes to Transylvania to meet Count Dracula and settle some business. However he ends up causing anger to Dracula as he unearths his secrets. Dracula takes revenge by taking his fiancee. Now Jonathan joins Abraham Van Helsing on a “vampire hunt” and rescue his beloved Mina.

The book I have read is not the original printing . This was a 1992 Barnes & Noble republication of the original classic. Nonetheless, it sets a tone for all the future stories that involved either Dracula or any kind of vampires. Although Dracula himself is inspired by historical figures such as Romanian prince Vlad the Impaler and alleged serial killer Countess Elizabeth Bathory, a Hungarian noble woman. However Stroker had written most of his book based on Transylvanian folklore and history.

The novel has been adapted into film more than 30 times, and several literary characters have been inspired by Count Dracula for vampire roles and Abraham Van Helsing for vampire hunter roles. After watching the 1931 American pre-Code supernatural horror film Dracula, I feel that Bela Lugosi’s portrayal of Dracula influenced all the future film, theater and novel portrayals.

I have read some vampire based novels – Christine Feehan’s the Dark Series giving us a glimpse into good and bad vampires; Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter Series; and Nora Robert’s Circle Trilogy. And now I see how close they have come to depict their vampires based on Bram Stroker’s Dracula, even though they have their own versions of vampires created.

The format of reading a tale thru various journal entries and letters, and in some cases phonographic entries and newspaper articles took a little while before I got used to it. However, once I caught on to the format it became a quick read. The language however is old English, and the grammar and punctuation dates back to when the book was originally written.

Through the tale of this gothic horror, the reader gets to live the life and styles of the 1890s England and Transylvania. Reference to “New Woman” writers is shown, although the word “New Woman” was the term coined by Irish writer Sarah Grand in 1894 to refer to an independent woman seeking radical change. Also we see the usage of the terms such as “speak in camera” meaning to talk in private. Interesting usage of words.

The 1931 movie Dracula which was closely based on the book had several plot items changed. Movie has Mina as John Seward’s daughter; and Renfield as the solicitor who goes to meet the Count Dracula in the first place. In the book John Harker is the solicitor who visits the Count Dracula while Renfield had already been bitten by him and is in the asylum. And Mina is Harker’s fiancée and has no relation to Seward. As for Lucy, her role has been cut to but a few scenes in the film, while she has a major role for most of the book.

Interesting to note that Dracula has but very limited appearance in the book even though he is the main antagonist. However, the others in the book have much more depth in their characterization. It was terribly slow to read but nonetheless and interesting one. Some may not like it because of the drag in the plot lines. There is more religious points embedded in the story that what I would have imagined from the movie.

One thing stuck me though. How did they make blood transfusions without checking the blood type and compatibility? Did they leave that to fate and God and hoped it would work. Interesting that Stoker doesn’t show much details around it, although through the journals he does convey that Dr. Van Helsing had other options to do transfusion too.

Again reading every single aspect of what a character does makes it a drag read. However, I did feel that Stoker shows a lot about them by going through their daily machinations. Women are certainly portrayed as mild-mannered and sweet without any wantonness or sexiness in them until they become vampires. I wonder if Stoker made them thus to differentiate between a real woman vs a vampire.

And now we have new film releasing shortly based on one chapter from this book – Chapter 7 that describes the voyage of the ship named Demeter. The film is titled aptly The Last Voyage of the Demeter and will release on Aug 11 2023. Timely read for me indeed!

All in all it was a slow read even though the book set stage for countless number of movies and books on vampires. It didn’t read as creepy as the movies portrayed, perhaps because of me watching the various movies already. You can skip a few bits in between and still get the gist of the entire plot.

Spoiler Alerts:

Book Trivia and Plot Reveals:

1. Key characters: Jonathan Harker, solicitor; Mr. Peter Hawkins of Exeter, Jonathan’s boss; Wilhelmina “Mina” Murray Jonathan’s fiancée; Lucy Westerna, Mina’s friend; Mr. Arthur Holmwood aka Lord Godalming, Lucy’s love interest; Dr. John Seward, head of the lunatic asylum and prospect for Lucy; Quincey P. Morris, American and another prospect for Lucy; Mr. Swales, an old fellow; Renfield, a mental asylum patient; Sister Agatha, Hospital at St. Joseph and Ste. Mary; Professor Abraham Van Helsing, expert on vampires and knows about obscure diseases; Thomas Bilder, Keeper at the Zoological Gardens; Patrick Hennessy, assistant to Dr. John Seward; Mr. Marquand, Mrs. Westerna’s solicitor; Sir John Paxton, President of the Incorporated Law Society; Mary, Mina’s maid.
2. The estate that Count Dracula buys is called Quatre Face. Although as time went by the locals have been calling as Carfax. I am sure 126+ years ago, Stoker would have never imagined that there would be a website for cars named CARFAX now. 😛
3. Mina Murray gets married to Jonathan Harker mid-way through the plot. Seven years after the incidents in this book, they have a son whom they name Quincey for their lost comrade Quincey P. Morris against the fight with Dracula.

Grammatical / Character / Location / Geographical / Historical / Mythological Errors:

1. Dr. John Seward’s first name gets alternated between Jack and John all through the book.
2. Beginning of Chapter 16, Dr. Seward and the remaining folks are already in the churchyard at midnight of 29th September. However, a few pages later, even after a day has passed, they are again in the churchyard at midnight on 29th September. Shouldn’t it be 30th September? Again in Chapter 17, when Mina arrives at Seward’s residence, chronologically it is the early hours after the night they all had gone to the churchyard. So it should be October 1st. However, it is still mentioned as 29th September. And the following chapters never caught up on the mistake of the dates.
3. On Pg. 257, Stoker mentions that Quincey had seen the Count at the window of Miss Lucy. I went back and re-read the pages, but couldn’t find that scene in the book.
4. On Pg. 260, Line 10 from bottom, shouldn’t it be “Dr. Van Helsing resumed the discussion”? For Mr. Morris wasn’t the one speaking prior to this but Dr. Van Helsing.
5. On Pg. 266, Stoker has Jonathan Harker mention about the scene with Mr. Renfield in his journal. However, Harker was not present when the incident happened, and no where it was mentioned in between that the four men exchanged that information with Harker in the meanwhile.