When was bram stokers dracula book written

Van Helsing, being a foreigner has his mistakes in grammar, and therefore has the most unique voice. Throughout the book, we don't see the vampire Dracula triumph much. Except maybe when he turns Lucy into an undead. But even then, through the guiding hands and the knowledge of van Helsing, she is freed from her shackles. But Jonathan escapes from his imprisonment. And the vampire cannot settle in London. He was found out by our 'A-team' and had to flee for his life. He expresses baffled malignity.

It is the testament to Bram Stoker's neatness that I could follow most of the story. And I'm in awe of his mind, which chronicles the entire story via journal entries or phonograph recordings in the case of John Steward , all of which are dated. I don't mean outdated, but dated, day after day. And I mourned the death of Quincy Morris, gallant to the end, dying with a smile on his lips.

The entire book defies what happens in movies and series of which latter I've watched only True Blood. Most people don't read books regularly. So their idea of the vampire comes from horror movies. And Boris Karloff and especially Bela Lugosi as vampires are etched in the minds of most people.

I don't think cinephiles will get any influence from the movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola. That was a mess. The book still stands proud. As it should. Thus ends my review on 02 Sep View all 27 comments. Or so they say Isn't it a wonder that, once, there "There is reason that all things are as they are, and did you see with my eyes and know with my knowledge, you would perhaps better understand.

Isn't it a wonder that, once, there was this great and noble race, full of humanity and yet they become a blight upon the land, transforming into the deadly scourge that blots out all hope and becoming the very figure that we dread and detest?

Is it enough that we create our own monsters or that we are monsters ourselves? For if humans were to be given these: immortality, power, youth, and ever-lasting beauty, the world would eventually plunge into never-ending darkness. Acquire the lot of them and what you will find is a soul devoid of humanity, only to be filled eventually with malice and greed.

Stare at the mirror and one would hardly see any reflection at all. Monsters exist and they do come in many seductive forms, one of them is but the nosferatu. Soon you'll be mesmerised by its gaze that you'll eventually drop everything your pants or knickers included and submit yourself as a tasty little morsel that robs you of your very essence.

Yet again, some fancy the modern version of the vampir like the shining, ever so shimmering Edward Cullen. Hoomans are curiouser and curiouser indeed! View all 74 comments. Dracula seems to be one of those love-it or hate-it type books, but for me it is all love! The opening chapters alone provide some of the most gripping, suspense-inducing, edge-of-seat anxieties I've ever read, all leading up to a delightfully queer twist with a male character stepping in for the traditional Gothic heroine.

Jonathan Harker fulfills the damsel in distress role quite suitably, being locked away in a remote castle and forced to navigate the domineering personality of his captor. Dra Dracula seems to be one of those love-it or hate-it type books, but for me it is all love! There's just something about a vampire's possessiveness, affixation with tender neck flesh, the nocturnal visits and dangling appeal of immortality that make them hot, hot, hot!

Anyway, it is possible to have two feelings at once. Lucy dazedly roams the midnight hour in her nightgown, meeting the "king vampire" for a moonlit rendezvous. Though she claims to be induced to such behavior by a trance, one wonders how much arm-twisting or brain fog was necessary. After all, Dracula is a convenient outlet for taboos to be explored, experienced, and excused from public shame.

Something like that might have been especially appealing to a sexually repressed audience. Despite being the most famous and enduring vampire novel of all time, Dracula remains a must-read classic. You won't be surprised by some details because Stoker's vampire "rules" are public knowledge by now, but that doesn't make the novel any less thrilling, enticing, and occasionally shocking.

There's some really gruesome moments that totally caught me off guard. Also, the epistolary storytelling device works well. So happy to finally check this read off my bucket list!! Every beat of this classic appears somewhere in King's book, with Dracula and Pennywise sharing many traits and the power of working together being a major theme. The way the monster controls side characters is also familiar. Renfield and Henry Bowers share a lot in common, for instance, as do Mina and Bill's wife.

View all 3 comments. What started out as a simple real estate deal by an English solicitor and a foreign nobleman, becomes a blood sucking nightmare.

The shell shocked Jonathan is imprisoned by the creepy Count, a " person" you wouldn't want to see in a dark alley on a moonless midnight walk. Three strange , bizarre , but v "Children of the night what music they play" ; Jonathan Hawker hears those chilling, famous words from the inhuman appearing Count Dracula, in the remote Castle Dracula , Transylvania Romania.

Three strange , bizarre , but very beautiful women, brides of Dracula, the weird sisters, are in his room looking not quite real. When Dracula arrives also, they fade away Next day the Englishman can't decide if what he saw last night was a dream or fact Either way the terrified Mr.

Hawker escapes , as if his life depended on it, not caring about those eerie wolves , surrounding the building and disappears Back in "civilized", safe England his fiance Mina on vacation in Whitby, is visiting her sick, good friend Lucy Westenra, she becomes very pale too, almost like ill Lucy who is losing blood, why? Seward with the help of Dr. Van Helsing an expert in little known diseases, gives her Lucy, four transfusions, still she becomes weaker, and small punctures are spotted on Miss Westenra's neck, what can they be?

A gruesome Bat is seen flying outside the window, lurking about waiting for who knows what Seward, the head of an insane asylum, has a star inmate named Renfield he likes keeping busy, by eating flies and spiders.

Something unnatural is disturbing the disturb man. Renfield even attempts to kill the good doctor. On the continent the dazed Jonathan, is found in a hospital in Budapest, disclosing events, in his journal, read by Mina when they get him back home..

Dracula is seen by Hawker in England, or was this man, the undead fiend , actually the Count? Better speak to Dr. Van Helsing, who they say has read about vampires and is an expert on the subject.

This old Dutchman doesn't mind getting his hands dirty The novel has inspired countless films, books and television shows There is an obvious reason for this phenomenon It still scares people The historical figure was a Romanian Prince, Vlad or Dracula, son 0f Dracul, the Dragon , known as the Impaler, an alias he acquired , and well deserved too View all 8 comments.

Over the years I've somewhat fallen out of reading classics, which is a damn shame as I typically enjoy the process of reading them even if I don't end up liking the book. In an effort to kick-start the process of reading them again on a more regular basis, I've decided to go with one I should have crossed off my list decades ago given my love of horror.

Dracula has been portrayed in so many different ways from all the different forms of media. He's been suave, sexy, violent, heroic, demonic… he' Over the years I've somewhat fallen out of reading classics, which is a damn shame as I typically enjoy the process of reading them even if I don't end up liking the book.

He's been suave, sexy, violent, heroic, demonic… he's even been cute and cuddly. Picture of my actual copy of the book along with one of my daughter's plushies So, it was an interesting experience, going back and seeing Stoker's original intent. So what was he? I think he could best be described as an ever present entity who is only seen for around 30 pages or so. He has such little "screen time" for a title character and yet he's felt in every scene.

He's a predator, something lurking in the shadows the entire time and the reader is just watching as those around him slowly piece together what he's doing. I can only imagine that when this originally came out in that it caused a stir.

While slow paced, it's frequently disturbing even by today's standards, particularly some of the scenes early on in Dracula's castle and some later when our heroes are staking out pun intended a graveyard. I majored in English and have read quite a few, but it's not a style that usually appeals to me. As silly as this may sound, I find I like it most in where it incorporates modern technology, such as chat logs or texts as it creates a multi-media aspect through current means of communication… as such I actually love what Stoker did.

He did s equivalent, as there are diary entries, telegraphs, newspaper articles and even transcriptions of phonograph recordings. In fact, one of the most fascinating aspects of the novel to me was how prominent then current technology was, with descriptions of light-bulbs, recordings, blood transfusions and rapid transit through trains all aiding our heroes.

This is in many ways a book about science conquering the dark and superstitions though as Van Helsing is quick to note, sometimes superstitions have their reasoning and should be taken into account with science.

It's a rather fascinating look at the topic. My biggest surprise while reading other than some of the frightening content , the thing that I will no doubt take away with some awe is that the book contains a cowboy.

Yes, a cowboy. He's not a joke character, he actually serves a purpose… but there's a random cowboy in the vampire hunt. View all 12 comments. And, too, it made me think of the wonderful power of money! Quite contrary to what I'd expected beforehand is that Dracula is not that creepy. The book is almost soap like, in how the friends of Lucy are constantly frustrated in their efforts to protect her and how Renfield escapes from the mental asylum all the time.

Also the structure of diary entries, telegrams and letters diminishes any tension one might feel, since apparently the people writing lived to tell the tale. For anyone curious, the film which is on Netflix is quite close to the book if pages of Victorian fiction is a bit too much.

What I did like and found a bit frightening were the passages of how the boat Demeter loses its crew, being isolated and far away from any help. And sleepwalking is tapping into some unconscious fears as well. But for the rest there is not much to really call this a horror novel. Only halfway the book the speed picks a bit up, with four blood transfusions I hope the patient was bloodtype O and four burials in a few chapters.

But after this point the book just falls into endless deliberations on how to beat Dracula, on bringing facts already known to the reader together and some questionable decisions to keep information from the group by Van Helsing. In general Bram Stoker his writing is quite readable but also overdramatic and not very subtle. The themes and moral are simple: central is how the male forces of science Dr Seward , aristocracy Arthur , no-nonsense Americans Quincy and spiritistic Dutch lyricism Van Helsing are needed to face a threat.

They even compare themselves to Crusaders, going to the East to destroy evil. Interesting for a decidedly post-Enlightenment book written around is the oversized role of religion and class society, one of the men being a Lord getting anything required done with ease, including obtaining client records and breaking in somewhere, while meanwhile everyone is bribed for inquiries all the time.

In the end I found that, in the Appendix of the Penguin Clothbound edition I read, Charlotte Stoker his mother writes much more eloquently about the terror of a Cholera epidemic than her son does in the whole book about the supernatural. I've grown to appreciate this more with age - especially as I've put more distance between myself and the time I studied Dracula at school.

But I still think it's overrated. Dracula isn't nearly scary enough, Jonathan Harker is a wet mop of a protagonist, Mina is annoying and the best character [spoiler alert! View all 17 comments.

Shelves: classic-horror , epistolary-narrative , favorites , owned-copy , vampire , hero-to-die-for , heroine-i-adore , started-but-put-down , occult-detective. I highly recommend reading this to any fans of the vampire genre. It is a commitment and investment for the reader, but it is worthwhile. I must say that no movie version I have watched does this justice. Bram Stoker's Dracula might have been a somewhat faithful rendition, but it took unforgivable liberties with the relationship between Mina and Dracula, and downplayed the de I highly recommend reading this to any fans of the vampire genre.

Bram Stoker's Dracula might have been a somewhat faithful rendition, but it took unforgivable liberties with the relationship between Mina and Dracula, and downplayed the deep, abiding love between Mina and Jonathan. In addition, it portrayed Dracula as a seductive, lovelorn and sympathetic character. He is none of these. Dracula is a complete and utter fiend. He is unrelenting evil, and I spent this whole book waiting for him to get what he deserved.

I love the use of letters and correspondence to tell the story. It added an authenticity to this story by revealing the narrative through written details of events. One would think that this would create a distance between the reader and the story, but strangely it does not.

Instead it infuses the story with a human element, as we see things unfold through the eyes of the humans who witnessed everything. In addition, the diary entries from Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray soon to be Harker , Lucy Westenra, and John Seward show the emotional impact of the characters to the horror of Dracula. Dracula is very much a Victorian work. It is clear what the mores were at that time in reading this story. It is also evident how society is changing as time speeds towards the 20th Century this book was published in The attitudes towards women as sweet, beloved creatures who should be loved and adored is very much in evidence.

However, Mr. Stoker took the time to show that Mina has a powerful role and usefulness beyond what was expected of her as a woman of her times.

In fact, she plays a very pivotal role in this story. Because of the connection between Dracula and herself, she cannot be relegated to a second class citizen in this story.

In addition, her view of the situation shows much about how Dracula managed to wreak his reign of terror over poor Lucy and how devastated Jonathan was from his early encounter with Dracula. Mina turns out to be a real heroine in this story. She is very resourceful, and her methods are a great help in the process of understanding what Dracula is, and tracking him down. I felt for her when she was under his thrall, because her love for Jonathan was true, as well as her abhorrence of the evil of Dracula and how it had affected her.

Those scenes added a psychological component to the horror element in this book. This book is not a thrill a minute book. It might be a horror story, but it's also a crime novel, in that the group composed of Drs. Readers should approach this story with this in mind. There are some moments that are truly unnerving and scary, all the same, but they are used with good effect.

I would be reading right along, and then something really scary would happen all of a sudden. When my heart rate went back to normal and I fell back into the procedural-type narrative, another creepy moment would occur. Thus, my investment of diligent reading paid off, for those scary moments were quite suspenseful. Readers should also be aware that the characters tend to be along sentimental lines.

They are good, decent people. They cry and feel sorrow. The men might be brave, but they are not afraid to break down and sob out their anguish. Each of them invest their heart and life into tracking and destroying the beast. This might strike a modern reader as being too good to be true.

But in the historical context, I didn't have trouble with it. I might expect different characterizations for a modern vampire novel. I found that issues that I had with the recent movie adaptations of Dracula did not exist in this novel.

Mina is not played as the good, innocent foil for the sexually adventurous and slightly wanton Lucy. Lucy is a sweet girl who was preyed on and destroyed by Dracula. Mina is not a fickle woman who would abandon her true love for the seductive wiles of the vampire Dracula. That always bothered me about the movies. I didn't see why poor Lucy was deserving of what happened to her. Even if she had been a wanton, I couldn't say she deserved her demise at Dracula's hands.

Reading about her decline, death and resurgence as a vampire was extremely difficult, not to mention the effect it had on the loved ones she left behind. Additionally, I dislike how throwaway the love that Mina had for Jonathan is portrayed in the movies. I'm glad it was not this way in the book. Renfield is a character who has been played for laughs in many of the Dracula adaptations and knockoffs. In the original novel, he is a character to be pitied. He was seduced by Dracula, subsequently losing his reason.

There are glimpses of his formerly formidable intellect and sanity, as well as a sense of right and wrong that shone through, causing me to feel sorry for him. Particularly when he warns Seward not to keep him in the Asylum. If only Seward had listened.

Seward and Van Helsing are physicians and men of science with profound respect for each other, but who tend to look at situations differently. Seward is very much a rationalist. He tries to approach Lucy's strange illness from a completely scientific perspective, yet Dr. Van Helsing is a learned man who is trained in modern medical science as well as a pioneer in medicine , but gives credence toward the ancient beliefs, and whose knowledge is shored up by his faith in God.

The struggle that Seward faces in having to accept that Lucy's demise is due to a powerful supernatural entity is evident as we read his journal entries. Van Helsing is seen through the descriptions of the diary entries of Mina, Jonathan, and Seward. I found Van Helsing quite the character. Without a doubt, he's my favorite in this book, although I found some of his lines hard to read because of the fact that it is written as though English was his second language which it was.

He is a man of compassion, although with a tendency towards bluntness. I like that he's able to think his way out of difficult situations, but also relies on faith against his demonic enemy. The movies tend to emasculate Jonathan, but he is a very strong character to have survived his imprisionment in Dracula's castle, with his body and his sanity intact. His conviction to protect Mina at all costs, despite knowing the depths of the power of his enemy speaks to me.

He might not be a he-man, but he is definitely a worthy man mate for Mina. Arthur Holmwood is a noble, yet he is not protrayed as a prig. He is very down to earth, and willing to do his part to destroy Dracula and to see justice done for his beloved Lucy. He definitely rose to the occasion, despite the seemingly insane ravings of Van Helsing about Un-dead creatures, and the need to drive a stake through the heart and cut off the head of his beloved.

Quincy Morris embodies the Texan spirit in the very best of ways. His devotion to Lucy and later Mina causes him to risk his life in the struggle against Dracula. Don't look for a sexy creature of the night in this book. Dracula is a horrid, evil beast. When he meets his demise, I didn't feel one iota of sympathy. I was cheering instead. It's refreshing to read about evil vamps without any charisma for once and this from a paranormal romance fanatic.

This book is a delicious work to have read. I'm glad I attempted it when I could fully appreciate its genius. I freely admit when I read it in high school, I wasn't ready for it. It took me the better part of the week, but I found myself eager to keep reading, despite the somewhat antiquated language.

I wanted to see how things would unfold. You might think, "Well Dracula is old hat. I've seen many vampire movies. It's all the same. You should read this book if you're a vampire fan. You will find a resonance that is lacking in most of the modern vampire fare, with its classic setting, genuine characters, and the tangible essence of the unearthly evil of the vampire. And to think that Stoker wasn't quite as glutted on the rich milk of the vampire legends as us modern vamp fans are.

Maybe that's why this book felt so authentic to me. Shelves: favorites , fiction , he-says , horror , traditionally-published , classics , irish-author , published No man knows till he experiences it, what it is to feel his own life-blood drawn away into the veins of the woman he loves. I say "seems" because I swear I've read it before. However, that would have been ages ago. Or a byproduct of seeing 10 million different Dracula interpretations before the age of O So it was fresh and relatively new to me.

I was surprised by the twists and turns. I thought I would be able to reasonably pre No man knows till he experiences it, what it is to feel his own life-blood drawn away into the veins of the woman he loves. I thought I would be able to reasonably predict the whole plot - and I couldn't. Let's talk about major issues, because review space is limited and I believe everyone knows the basics of the plot. Evil vampire, blood-sucking fiend, lives in Transylvania, moves to London, and fucks with the wrong people.

Did NOT know who he was fucking with, as Riddick would say. LOL You know the drill. Besides having status updates - with many quotes continued in the comments, I had copious notes and also a running list of vocabulary words that I learned from Dracula. Sometimes I'd only read one or two pages in a day and just let them simmer inside me. I've been thinking about Dracula non-stop for about 11 days now. It's been my constant companion these last 11 days.

I didn't leave home without it! LOL I sometimes think we must be all mad and that we shall wake to sanity in strait-waistcoats. You knew I'd start with that, right? Non-stop explicit sexist bullshit. Yes, I understand that this was Please don't lecture me in the comments about presentism. I was surprised the sexism was so very blatant. There is a lot of talk - by all characters, male and female, about "brave men" and "weak, poor women who are just frail creatures" who "can't stand strain" and should be shielded from the world and from the truth.

Men are praised for being strong and brave and if a man is particularly brave, he's described as all man. Let's talk about Mina Murray-Harker. Harker is better out of it. Things are quite bad enough for us, all men of the world, and who have been in many tight places for our time; but it is not place for a woman, and if she had remained in touch with the affair, it would in time infallibly have wrecked her.

She holds sexist myths and sexist beliefs very close to her heart. She even blames Eve and the "apple" for women's "inherently sinful nature" at one point! I hate that shit. I could not resist the temptation of mystifying him a bit - I suppose it is some of the taste of the original apple that remains still in our mouths - so I handed him the shorthand diary.

Both Mina Murray-Harker and Lucy Westenra are complete angels: good, sweet, pure, kind, "motherly" beings whom men almost literally worship. Lucy gets three marriage proposals in one day, and even the men she rejects swear undying devotion and fealty to her.

Mina fares just the same. Every single male who comes into contact with these women prostrate themselves and declare their undying devotion. And not in a sexual way! There's a need to have a woman to protect and champion and care for. And she provides her services as a stenographer, a shoulder to cry on, and a cheerful and beautiful presence to boost the men's spirits.

Now, you may think that this book is a sexist piece of shit, but I was actually surprised and impressed with Mina. She's smart, capable, and features prominently in the book. Van Helsing praises her as having "a man's brain. Which brings me to another point. A very large subplot here is the interaction of Jonathan Harker and Mina. Once privy to Jonathan's every thought and experience, Mina's position shifts when the other men encourage Jonathan to stop talking to Mina about vampires and the work they're doing to hunt Dracula completely, leaving her in the dark and cutting her out of their once coed meetings.

Jonathan does it, convinced it's the right thing to do, although he feels inside that it's wrong somehow. This is the man who, just before proposing to Mina, states that there should be no secrets or hiding between spouses and gives her his journal so that she knows all. But he does it - and is punished severely for it. After that, Mina once again resumes an active role in the groups activities - as it should be, her fighting by their side. Even though it may have been unintentional on Stoker's part, I was overall pleased with how things turned out, especially for a book written in Is this a feminist text?

It is not. I don't want to give you the wrong idea, it is NOT. But how about I file it in the 'not as bad as I thought it was going to be' category on the topic of feminism? You have Jonathan Harker - Solicitor who is the first in the novel to encounter Dracula. I thought he was a complete ninny and think Mina could have done much better in picking a husband, but oh well.

Quincey P. Morris - Texan. Very fond of guns and shooting things. If America can go on breeding men like that, she will be a power in the world indeed. John Seward - Psychologist who runs a mental asylum. Smarter and more badass than either Morris or Harker or Holmwood. Practical and straightforward.

I always thought Mina should have married him instead of that nitwit Jonathan Harker. Arthur Holmwood - Rich.

Engaged to Lucy Westenra. My life is hers, and I would give the last drop of blood in my body for her. An appetite like a cormorant. Welp, that's a new one. Arthur says I am getting fat. Arthur can go fuck himself.

What is this, James Bond? Fuck that shit. Abraham Van Helsing - Badass name for a badass man. This was the only man I was interested in in the book. Intelligent, ruthless, gets shit done - but is still a kind, loving and polite person. This is who I would be making eyes at if I were in London at the time. What is my point of listing all these men? So you can discuss whether they are a. LOL No. I mean, obviously I am always going to discuss that. But, the reason I'm bringing up the men here is because of their close friendship.

Holmwood, Morris and Seward served together in Korea, for crying out loud. Excuse me? Yeah, I know. It makes the book sound more like it's taking place in the s or s than the s, but that makes it all the better. The more things change, the more they stay the same. The name's Plissken. Stoker making these men brothers-in-arms in more ways than one! People who have fought together have a unique bond and trust with each other, and I think that makes these men in particular teaming up again once more - all the more potent.

They unconsciously fall into their old rapport and positions, and, led by Van Helsing, make a stellar team. Mina says that perhaps we are the instruments of ultimate good.

Thank God! Mr McKay says Emily's brothers were accomplished and interesting men but he was astonished to find her Dracula connection. He says: "When I speak to people and tell them about my research and I tell them about Emily Gerard coining this phrase they can't believe it was someone from Airdrie.

And while Emily Gerard left Scotland for a life in Central Europe and was buried in Vienna, we can still perhaps add St Joseph's cemetery in Airdrie alongside it on that spooky list. The village that brought Dracula to life. Emily Gerard's brothers are buried in St Joseph's cemetery in Airdrie.

Image source, ullstein bild Dtl. Max Schreck starring in Nosferatu, the classic silent movie based on the Dracula legend. Bram Stoker owned a copy of Emily Gerard's book. The list led to a recent trawl of the library shelves. The Scottish fishing village that brought Dracula to life. Stoker served as Lyceum's manager for nearly 30 years, until Irving's death in He suffered a stroke shortly afterward, and spent much of his final years battling through poor health and shaky financial footing.

Stoker died in London, England, on April 20, , with various reports citing the cause as complications from a stroke, exhaustion or syphilis. Stoker's legacy has endured through his most famous work, Dracula, which has inspired the creation of numerous theatrical, literary and film adaptations. Among them are the film Dracula , starring actor Bela Lugosi, and F.

Murnau's feature Nosferatu , starring Max Schreck, two early screen successes that propelled the vampire myth to the forefront of popular culture. In , the author's great-grandnephew, Dacre Stoker, made his entry into the field with the publication of Dracula: The Un-Dead, with collaborator Ian Holt.

The two said they had based their book on Bram Stoker's handwritten notes and excised plot threads, even including the character of Stoker in their story as a nod to the original source. We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. Author Oscar Wilde was known for his acclaimed works including 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' and 'The Importance of Being Earnest,' as well as his brilliant wit, flamboyant style and infamous imprisonment for homosexuality.

Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw wrote more than 60 plays during his lifetime and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in James Joyce was an Irish, modernist writer who wrote in a ground-breaking style that was known both for its complexity and explicit content. Jonathan Swift was an Irish author and satirist.