Book of the Week

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Recommended by Giovanni Bertolli
 
Dracula is a Gothic fiction, hailed as a classic of literature. Moreover, it is an action-packed horror story. 

The novel begins with Jonathan Harker, who has been sent to Transylvania, to the castle of Count Dracula. On the way, local peasants warn him about his destination, giving him crucifixes and other strange charms against evil and uttering unfamiliar words which Harker is able to translate as ‘vampire’. Nonetheless, he continues on his journey to meet with Count Dracula, a client of his legal firm, in order to finalise a property transaction. However, after a few days at the castle, he realises that he is effectively a prisoner!

 

In the meantime, a number of mysterious incidents unfold in England: the wreck of an unknown ship is found at Whitby with fifty boxes of earth on board. The captain, the only man left aboard, is found tied to the helm. A wolf escapes from the Zoological Gardens and Mina Murray (Jonathan Harker’s fiancée) finds Lucy Westenra sleepwalking in a cemetery. Two small wounds are found on Lucy’s neck that appear like two shawl pins. Dr Seward (the administrator of an asylum) sends for Professor Van Helsing who attempts to save Lucy. Despite his efforts, she dies. Van Helsing then tries to persuade the group of friends that Lucy has become the victim of a 'vampire', and when they discover that her body is no longer in his coffin, they begin to understand that he is right: Dracula has arrived in England, and Lucy has become his first disciple. Van Helsing, Dr Seward, Mina and Jonathan must unite in an urgent mission to track down Dracula, and stop him from establishing a kingdom of the 'undead' in England. 

 

In Dracula, Bram Stoker's style is epistolary, which means that he decided to recount the story through journal entries, letters, and newspaper clippings. This is a masterful narrative choice that contributes to the novel's tension, intimacy, and character development. Through these forms of communication, Stoker achieves an immediacy that propels readers into the heart of the story, while also maintaining suspense by withholding knowledge of the characters' fates. 

 

The differentiation of character voices, such as the contrast between two characters like Van Helsing and Mina, enhances the authenticity of their accounts, drawing readers closer to their struggles. Additionally, Stoker's adherence to the principle of showing rather than telling allows emotions to unfold organically through the characters' writing. A prime example of this can be found at the end of chapter two when Harker prays to God to look after him.

 

While there are potential drawbacks to this approach such as the danger of retrospection, which when looking back on the events can remove suspense if the reader knows that the narrator has definitely survived, Stoker successfully employs it to enhance tension and create a more immersive reading experience. This is because in Dracula, the characters are reflecting on their experiences every day, even multiple times a day. This means everything is very up to date, creating tension because at the point of writing the narrators do not know what is going to happen to them next. In addition to this, some of the character’s thoughts and observations are also in the present tense, which assists Stoker in adding to the immediacy of the novel. Overall, Stoker's unique storytelling technique continues to captivate readers and remains a prime example of how narrative style can elevate a classic horror story. was definitely a very enjoyable read. I loved both the tension and suspense that kept me tied to the book throughout the whole journey. 

However, as Dracula was written in the Victorian era it also contains all the beliefs and prejudices of that time, especially in regard to the social role of women: women were put down while men were lifted up. In the book, this is evident when the men set off to chase Dracula, while Mina is left at home to play her role of a devoted and submissive wife. Moreover, some sections of the novel quite repetitive. An example of this is when in the attempt to save her life, Lucy undertakes three consecutive transfusions of blood from three different characters. Straight after each one, she starts to feel better but then repetitively returns to her previous vampire state. This makes the novel feel quite drawn out at times.

 
Nevertheless, it is fascinating how more than 100 years after the book was written, we are still horrified by the images we see in it, as nowadays we view ourselves as much more intelligent beings. The rather basic theme of good versus evil is also enjoyable. This is symbolised by Dracula who is the epitome of evil, as he is not only a monster himself, but he also turns other people into ones. Another theme is the clash between old beliefs and modern science, as characters struggle to use science to deal with the supernatural, which is represented in the novel by Count Dracula. 

Overall, I definitely believe that Dracula is worth a read. It is a classic, thrilling horror story full of both suspense and tension, as well as memorable characters. The novel has lots of historical and social context, from the Victorian times and Dracula has also had a profound effect on culture as it has inspired many adaptations, maintaining its status as a classic. However, I would not recommend the novel to younger children because the imagery can be rather disturbing: there is an abundance of blood and horror, as well as gory images including dead humans transformed into vampires, who then go and prey upon other humans.