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Bram Stoker: Dracula

Sybarite you certainly started an interesting and lively discussion with your original post. Were you quoting a literary analysis or thesis, et. al.? Dracula, like Frankenstein lends itself to many facets of literary discussion and personal reactions. IMHO books like these can never be read too many times or discussed too often.

[An aside: THE ANNOTATED DRACULA and IN SEARCH OF DRACULA are monumental sources for line by line analysis, definitions, meaning of allusions and historical placement for anyone seriously studying one of the most popular books ever written in the English language.]

Two contemporary books re: Dracula are THE DRACULA DOSSIER and THE HISTORIAN each very different.


Hi Gerbam, thanks for your comments.

No quoting. I've studied sexual history (including attitudes) over the years (plus being familiar with erotica, partly as a writer of that genre myself) and, when reading the book, such an analysis just leapt off the page. After I'd finished reading – and reached my own conclusions – I did a little more digging and discovered that my analysis is pretty much a classic one. The only thing that I looked up before writing my review was what other vampire novels had been published before (third paragraph).
 
Dracula is awesome

Wow what a long and crazy discussion this has all been.....

I personally love Draculaand completely reccomend it myself.

When I read the book (a way while back) the sexualness of it does leap out at you, and even within that there is so much psychoanalysis that you can do on this great book it is stunning.

I myself though hate to focus on the purely sexualness of this book, I mean come on, how many more people are gonna keep talking about that. And it is out there so much now about this book that even if you read it yourself trying to get a pure hold on your thoughts on the book its hard to, seeing as how in the back of your mind your hearing the comments on the books secret sexuality within its context.

I, myself like to focus more on the horror of it and the descriptiveness and beauty of its characters. But that is just because that is more interesting to me I suppose. On the other hand I don't deny the sexuality in the book however....Oops there goes that whole back of the mind thing I was talking about...
 
Thanks for your comments and explanations/thoughts.
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Re: Syabrite

Huh hooo!! Nice haha I didn't think about that one. That is a good point my friend.
 
I just don't like the last half of Dracula. The first half was very intriguing and his descriptions of Dracula's home are poetic. Towards the middle it sort of drops off and gets boring.
 
Re: Step

Steph! You thought Dracula got boring? Really? I mean the pace did slow down a bit but ya know, authors do that. To confuse us more than likely but also to keep us in suspense and what not. It was neccessary to slow it down in order for the new information to be fed to us at a pace and dialect we could get ya know? After the middle though it really picked up with lightening what with the whole chasing Lucy around and finding her in the morgue and then with chasing after Dracula and the threats made on Mina and then traveling across Transylvania and the fight with the gypsies and then the final death scene and I mean yeah....

Sry went off on a tangent but you get my point I think...
 
Last time I read it I was young and had little experience reading classic literature, so I may change my opinion of it after I've read it again. I actually think I remember those exciting parts you mentioned, MDB ;).
 
Sweet!! Yeah def take a gander at ye old book again my friend haha it might surprise you...did you ever see the movie version with Keanu Reeves? It wasn't too bad at all they added some scenes and sort of added a backplot but that happens in movies...for the most part they stay pretty true though so check that out, I saw it in a Film Appreciation class at college.
 
I've seen the movie. I like it. I thought Keanu Reeves wasn't bad (and that's really saying something). I still can't believe Gary Oldman played Dracula... for some odd reason that just cracks me up!
 
I loved this book - actually I had a dream a dracula bit me after reading it I loved it that much...hmm...
the book is primarily about sexuality and the madonna-whore complex really - all that penetration got the victorians in a tiddle! There is something quite...timeless about it because women's sexuality will always be contested, argued about and claimed and controlled - I do agree with Sybarite here.
 
Ug...it took me forever to finish this book. Seriously...months. Perhaps I'll attempt to read it again sometime...or I'll give Interview with the Vampire another go in the near future...maybe.
 
Official Dracula sequel due in September:

Dracula: The Un-Dead : Dacre Stoker - HarperCollins

The story begins in 1912, twenty-five years after the events described in the original novel. Dr. Jack Seward, now a disgraced morphine addict, hunts vampires across Europe with the help of a mysterious benefactor. Meanwhile, Quincey Harker, the grown son of Jonathan and Mina, leaves law school to pursue a career in stage at London's famous Lyceum Theatre. The production of Dracula at the Lyceum, directed and produced by Bram Stoker, has recently lost its star. Luckily, Quincey knows how to contact the famed Hungarian actor Basarab, who agrees to take the lead role. Quincey soon discovers that the play features his parents and their former friends as characters, and seems to reveal much about the terrible secrets he's always suspected them of harbouring. But, before he can confront them, Jonathan Harker is found murdered. The writers were able to access Bram Stoker's hand-written notes and have included in their story characters and plot threads that had been excised by the publisher from the original printing over a century ago. Dracula is one of the most recognized fictional characters in the world, having spawned dozens of multi-media spin-offs. The Un-Dead is the first Dracula story to enjoy the full support of the Stoker estate since the original 1931 movie starring Bela Lugosi.
Because as we all know, nothing ensures the quality of a sequel like the words "the debut novel from Bram Stoker's great grand-nephew."
 
I read a Dracula sequel called Mina: The Dracula Story Continues. The beginning was fun, then the author decided to write a boring romance featuring Stoker's characters. That wasn't so fun. As for The Un-Dead, not sure how I feel about it. I think I'll play it safe and try to find a copy at the library.
 
It would never have occurred to me to read this book, but reading these reviews have convinced me that it needs to be on my TBR list! Great job, guys.
 
I've seen the movie. I like it. I thought Keanu Reeves wasn't bad (and that's really saying something). I still can't believe Gary Oldman played Dracula... for some odd reason that just cracks me up!

Gary Oldman was the best in that, for sure. Did anyone notice Monica Bellucci as one of those harpies in bed with Keanu at the castle? ;)
 
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