Just Finished Reading: Dracula by Bram Stoker (FP: 1897)

Young solicitor Jonathan Harker has been placed in a position of trust by his employer. Travelling to the little known province of Transylvania deep in the Carpathian Mountains he is to meet the aristocrat Count Dracula to exchange papers relating to a series of purchases the count has made in England. On arrival at the Counts dilapidated castle Jonathan begins to feel that something is not quite right and that the count is hiding something from him. Persuaded to stay much longer than anticipated he begins to fear for his sanity as increasingly strange events happen in and around the castle. Meanwhile in England his finance Mina is delighted that her best friend Lucy is to become betrothed in marriage to Lord Arthur Holmwood. Delight turns to worry however as Lucy becomes ill with a strange wasting disease. At a lost to understand her condition a family friend, and would be suitor Dr Seward asks advice from his ex-tutor and friend Abraham Van Helsing. Disturbed at what he discovers, Van Helsing orders a series of strange remedies that seem at first to stop and then reverse her decline. But finally Lucy’s fight for good health ends in tragedy – and Van Helsing finally admits to his disbelieving group of friends that a single creature is responsible for their pain. A creature apparently out of myth is living amongst them – a vampire! They must now dedicate their very lives to hunting down this creature of the night before he infects the world with his terrible curse.

As a fan of vampire literature I’m probably as surprised as you are (no doubt) that I hadn’t read this classic rendering of the myth that started it all. I’ve had several copies of this book on my shelves for years but just hadn’t picked any of them up – until now. I’m glad that I did finally read this deservedly classic work but couldn’t help but be disappointed in it. Firstly, of course, the story is so well known that there is little surprise or suspense to be found. Then of course there is the fact that the language used hasn’t dated very well and can’t but help sound rather odd and stilted to modern ears. This is part of the charm of classic literature but it’s also somewhat hard work. I also, to be honest found the whole thing rather dull. The book was slow and only had a few dramatic moments interspersed with long conversations as the heroes debated exactly what was happening and what they should do about it. I did like the Mina character. She probably comes out best and is actually quite the heroine despite the fact that the men do all they can to protect her from everything. The format of diary entries, letters and newspaper cuttings gives everything an immediacy and realism that I’m guessing Victorian readers needed to get them to suspend disbelief. It works rather well I thought. I was very disappointed with the ending though which I found to be a serious anti-climax after all the build-up. Overall I found it to be a difficult book and it took me a surprising two weeks to read just over 330 pages. Interesting in its way I have to say that I enjoyed Frankenstein much more. Certainly worth a read if you’re a vampire fan and haven’t managed to read the book that brought vampires to public attention.