Dracula

[Procneus]

I'm re-reading Dracula now, finished the first chapter this morning in an attempt to being my day with a chapter of a book for an entire year. I really enjoyed reading it a few years back but its length really slowed me down and I never finished it. I also think media and modern interpretations by Hollywood really hurt my reading of it due to knowing, in some detail, what eventually happens. Having read the first chapter, it really is a fascinating work that seems interesting. I think some of the more literate or historical minds here would have a better idea of what exactly Transylvania is, it seemed to me a micro-melting pot of cultures with potential ties to the book itself. I always wondered why Stoker chose this region of the world to begin this novel, and do you think that this could have possibly been a gate of hell, or a place from which war and evil sprung? Again, I've only read the first chapter so far, and don't well remember the book from years back, so I may answer some of my own questions in the future.

Also, if you know of any further reading on Dracula (journal articles, books, etc) I'd really appreciate it as I want to dissect this book in the future.

Thanks, and look forward to reading and discussing your comments.

[Red Terror]

I read it in 2005 and did not think it was great novel, but there are a few passages that stand out. Stoker should have called the novel Nosferatu because it is more poetic and he should have made the Count a lot more complex and interesting throughout the entire novel, not just the opening chapters. The best passages are at the beginning when Jonathan Harker is visiting Dracula. Stoker should have made the Count more like Milton's Satan or at least try to. For all his learning and credentials, Van Helsing is a bore. Dracula is the most interesting character throughout, but that is only because the other characters are dull.

[Procneus]

I agree on most characters seeming somewhat monotonous and bland, but it seems Harker's willingness to travel to Castle Dracula in the first place, despite all the signs against it, make him somewhat more interesting. I would turn around immediately if I saw some of the things described in chapter 1, so Harker's curiosity alone must at least make him somewhat admirable, and his diligence to a client despite the circumstances.

[Red Terror]

I forgot to mention Renfield. He's more interesting that Wilhelmina, Lucy, and most of the others. Dr. Seward is out of his depths.

[Procneus]

Read the second chapter today. Good stuff, this is the "honeymoon phase" with Dracula. I was interested to see the research Dracula did in the area and mapping out where he would begin to "feast" on London by circling areas. Obviously someone like him needs to be careful with sunlight, rosaries, being invited in, that sort of thing, so a strategy is definitely something needed. What a cool scene with the mirror and Harker cutting himself, though. "Be careful cutting yourself in this part of the country"