Dracula

[Graham]

Bram Stoker's Dracula is surely the finest Gothic novel EVER written. It would be so great to travel back in time and meet Bram Stoker to tell him about the 20th Century ICON he created. I believe that he would be absolutely amazed at the way Dracula has captured the imagination of everyone who has ever read it, and at how it is loved by so many people. It is such a tragedy that he never lived to see the success of the book and the pleasure he has given to so many. As an aside, although it has been adapted many times on film there is, in my opinion, only one version that captures the true spirit of the book and that is the BBCTV version produced in 1977 (called 'Count Dracula'). It is faithful to the book in a way that puts ALL the other film versions to shame and has a truly first class cast. I believe that this is the dramatisation which Bram himself would have approved of. Anyone who loves the book should see it. It is wonderful that Bram Stoker is now given the respect for his work which it would appear he never received in his lifetime - one of his decendents recently said in an interview that it is believed that Bram thought at the end of his life that he had been a failure - millions would disagree......

[randolphmiles]

Bram Stoker's Dracula is surely the finest Gothic novel EVER written. It would be so great to travel back in time and meet Bram Stoker to tell him about the 20th Century ICON he created. I believe that he would be absolutely amazed at the way Dracula has captured the imagination of everyone who has ever read it, and at how it is loved by so many people. It is such a tragedy that he never lived to see the success of the book and the pleasure he has given to so many. As an aside, although it has been adapted many times on film there is, in my opinion, only one version that captures the true spirit of the book and that is the BBCTV version produced in 1977 (called 'Count Dracula'). It is faithful to the book in a way that puts ALL the other film versions to shame and has a truly first class cast. I believe that this is the dramatisation which Bram himself would have approved of. Anyone who loves the book should see it. It is wonderful that Bram Stoker is now given the respect for his work which it would appear he never received in his lifetime - one of his decendents recently said in an interview that it is believed that Bram thought at the end of his life that he had been a failure - millions would disagree......
the book is based on a story

[el01ks]

I wouldn't describe Dracula as the finest gothic novel ever written. Out of interest, how many other gothic novels have you read?
I agree that it created an iconic figure, however, the idea of vampires was around a heck of a long time before Stoker, and he just gave it a name.
Personally, if Stoker had any strong feelings about the character etc he created, I think he would be turning in his grave about some of the modern, sex-obsessed portrayals of vampires. He probably wouldn't have approved of 'Bram Stoker's Dracula', the film with Keanu Reeves, or very many of the adaptations.

[kren]

Dracula is probably not the finest gothic novel ever written, but it set the stages for all the rest of the vampire books I think Stoker story popularized the mythical vampire creature, and without this story, the vampire figure would've died out.

[el01ks]

Dracula is probably not the finest gothic novel ever written, but it set the stages for all the rest of the vampire books I think Stoker story popularized the mythical vampire creature, and without this story, the vampire figure would've died out.

I don't agree. The idea of vampirism had already survived for centuries and I think it was too settled into the social consciousness to be so easily removed. There were also earlier vampire stories that lead to Dracula being written, such as Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla, Polidori's vampire story, and some of the rumours about Byron. These all helped form the vampire in literature before Dracula was published. I think the figure of Dracula became more iconic and popular because he was male, unlike Carmilla, and had a sympathetic background, unlike Polidori's monster. There were also stronger people fighting him, and his female characters were in roles that a lot of people at the time would appreciate more than Carmilla, as they were generally preferred to be the victim, not the monster. The three vampire women do very little, and Lucy, once changed, also does little. They all eat children, which is seen as the ultimate rejection of victorian womanhood and the mother, and they are all condemned for it. Mina, through no fault of her own, is also almost condemned. She needs the men to rescue her.

[StokerFan1]

Yes Stoker would be amazed and ashamed, look at Movies Like Bram Stoker's Dracula, was a bunch of made up crap not even in the book. I would like to see the BBC version though.