Dracula

=__DRACULA__ = = By Bram Stoker =  Sophia Bainbridge

  //"I was afraid to raise my eyelids, but looked out and saw perfectly under the lashes. The fair girl went on her knees, and bent over me, fairly gloating. There was a deliberate voluptuousness which was both thrilling and repulsive, and as she arched her neck she actually licked her lips like an animal, till I could see in the moonlight the moisture shining on the scarlet lips and on the red tongue as it lapped the white sharp teeth. Lower and lower went her head as the lips went below the range of my mouth and chin and seemed to fasten on my throat. I could feel the soft, shivering touch of the lips on the supersensitive skin of my throat, and the hard dents of two sharp teeth, just touching and pausing there. I closed my eyes in a languorous ecstacy and waited - waited with beating heart" (Stoker 42). //

**Bram Stoker (1847-1912)**
Abraham "Bram" Stoker was born on 8 November 1847 in Clontarf, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. Stoker was the third of seven children. He was a sickly child,

[[image:young_stoker__web.jpg width="124" height="178" align="right" caption="Bram Stoker 1884 http://www.stoker-dracula.org/index-1.html    "]]
 spending great amounts of time bed-ridden, and barely able to walk. Although during his later years of college, he was very athletic and won many awards. Stoker loved the arts and became a theater critic. He wrote a review on a very famous play, Hamlet by William Shakespeare. He eventually became a manager of a theater where it inspired him to publish //Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving// (2 volumes, 1906) and //Snowbound: The Record of a// //Theatrical Touring Party// (1908). Stoker married actress Florence Balcombe with whom he had a son, Irving Noel Thornley. Stoker settled down in London and went for a vacation on the Northeast coast fishing village of Whitby in Yorkshire, where it is said he gleaned much inspiration for his novel __Dracula__. Stoker originally wrote Dracula's Guest as the first chapter to the book __Dracula__, although this was never published. Stoker was given credit for introducing the horror fiction to the literature. Bram Stoker died in London, England on 20 April 1912.

**Plot Synopsis**
Stoker begins __Dracula__ by introducing young Jonathon Harker who heads to the Transylvania Mountains to meet with Count Dracula for business matters of real estate. As he travels, he is hesitant to continue on his journey because of the reactions of the local townspeople. The towns' people kept giving him strange gifts such as cloves are garlic and crucifixes. During his stay with Dracula, he realizes that he is kept prisoner! "But I am not in heart to describe the beauty, for when I had seen the view I explored further; doors, doors, doors, everywhere, and all locked and bolted. In no place save from window in the castle walls is there an available exit. The castle is a veritable prison, and I am a prisoner!" ( Stoker 29). Harker realizes that in such a beautiful place like Dracula's Castle he cannot leave, visit the countryside, and even visit certain rooms in the castle. He has nowhere to go and is trapped in Dracula's castle.

Meanwhile back in London Harker's fiancé, Mina, is staying with her good friend Lucy. Lucy has not been acting herself and has become suddenly  sick. "Lucy is ill; that is, she has no special disease, but she looks awful, and is getting worse every day" (Stoker 118). No one can figure out what has happened to Lucy. So with the help of Dr. Van Helsing, a very experienced and knowledgeable doctor, takes the case along with of Dr. Seward. Together they discover that Lucy is suffering from severe amounts of blood loss. "Young miss is bad, very bad. She wants blood, and blood she must have or die" (Stoker, 131). Dr. Van Helsing and Dr. Seward had already given Lucy blood transfusions at least twice. If they were to continue to give more blood, it would harm their own bodies, and exhaust them.

Dr. Van Helsing puts Lucy through all of these strange examinations that seem to have no point. Such as giving her a necklace of garlic cloves that she had to wear only when she slept, or sleeping with a crucifix by her side. Dr. Van Helsing gets the notion that vampires are the cause to the mysterious behavior of Miss Lucy and the missing children around the town. He did not want to jump to any crazy conclusions of vampires. Therefore, he put Lucy through these experiments and they still could not explain some things, such as two tiny holes in her neck. "Just over the external jugular vein there were two punctures, not large, but not wholesome-looking. There was no sign of disease, but the edges were white and worn-looking, as if by some trituration" (Stoker 133). They are not sure what to think of the holes just yet. They consider the possibility that the two holes might be the cause for the loss of Lucy's blood. The Doctors do not want to jump to conclusions, and deny this possibility. Although the doctors really have no idea how right they really are. Dr. Van Helsing convinces Dr. Seward, Johnathon and Mina Harker to assist him on his "vampire hunt" in an attempt to catch and kill Count Dracula. "Before we do anything, let me tell you this, it is out of the lore and experience of the ancients and of all those who have studied the powers of the Un-Dead. When they become such, there becomes with the change the curse of immortality; they cannot die, but must go on age after age adding new victims and multiplying the evils of the world; for all that die from the preying of the Un-Dead come themselves Un-Dead and preying on their kind" (Stoker 230). The circle of the Un-Dead will continue to grow and grow. Eventually there will not be any way of stopping them, their population will continue to grow.

The hunt is full of mysterious twists and turns as each character learns something new about the horrid and possessed vampire. "There lay the count! He was either dead or asleep, I could not say which- his eyes were open and stony, but without the glassiness of death-and the lips were as red as ever"(Stoker 52)! This was Harker's first time seeing Dracula as a heartless slaughterer. He was horrified. Harker cannot believe how the Count can change from a normal human being to a fearful monster. "But the Count! Never did I imagine such wrath and fury, even to the demons of the pit. His eyes were positively blazing. The red light in them was lurid, as if the flames of hell-fire blazed behind them. His face was deathly pale, and the lines of it were hard like drawn wires; the thick eyebrows that met over the nose now seemed like a heaving bar of white-hot metal (Stoker 42). When Dracula looks upon his prey his has a much more terrifying appearance. Dracula is a merciless killer without a heart. He sleeps during the day and stalks the countryside at night. He strikes whomever he wants anyone will suit him. "I could feel the soft, shivering touch of the lips on the super sensitive skin of my throat, and the hard dents of two sharp teeth, just touching and pausing there" (Stoker 42). It was very horrifying experience for Harker to think, or dream about a vampire sucking his blood. Anyone who just thought about Dracula sent chills down their spine and mad the hair stand up on the back of their neck. __Dracula__ is a nail bitter, it is full of surprises, twists and turns. It will have your heart racing. There is always something unexpected lurking around every corner.

[[image:Dracula's_castle.jpg width="342" height="279" align="left" caption="Dracula's Castle http://www.east-buc.k12.ia.us/00_01/FP/dra/dra.htm"]]
 __Dracula__ has an immense amount of energy. Although there are some parts that are full of shock and disgust. Such as when Dr. Van Helsing wants to cut Lucy's head off and stuff it with garlic, or when her fiancé stabs a stake through her heart to make Lucy pure. The novel is written through newspaper clippings, diary and journal entries etc. This is another characteristic to what makes it unique. At times, the format is interesting because of the point of view from different characters. Although, it might be a bit confusing because the point of view changes a lot and it is hard to remember the characters emotions when the diary entry ends. This format may drag in some parts, because it might be a bit repetitive. If a major event would happen, such as Lucy's death, a good majority of the characters wrote about it in one way or another, and they each might have the same feelings and emotions. The book losses its thrill when you have to keep reading the same emotions. Even though this format might drag in some parts, it can also be neat. The reader experiences what each character is thinking. The reader will find out the small things that happen to the character that gives them personality. Overall, the format was rather interesting because it gives the book some flair. 

<span style="color: rgb(128, 128, 128);">
=<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Outstanding Book =

<span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">__Dracula__ is an outstanding book. It is one of the first books to introduce horror to literature. It also sends the sense of thrill, fear, sympathy, horror and many other different and wild emotions through the reader's mind. It will keep the reader on the edge of their seat. There has never before been a character quite like Dracula, which makes __Dracula__ unique. He is a combination between a human and monster, and the living and undead. He is one of the first horror fictional characters. The plot of the story is perfect. The location of Dracula's was a magnificent choice because of the spooking feeling when it is located in the Transylvania Mountains. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Van Helsing brought a unique aspect to __Dracula.__ " __Dracula__ is a cautionary tale against rejecting out of hand the old knowledge and beliefs. Van Helsing is able to understand the Count's machinations because he is a master of the old knowledge as well as the new. He uses folk remedies such as garlic and Christian paraphernalia such as crucifixes to fight the Count - all aspects of belief and tradition which have been dismissed as irrelevant by the modern young men and women of the novel"( "Modern science"). Van Helsing is a major character in this novel. He proposes new ideas and is a major brain stormer out of the group. He has much knowledge about the world during his time and knowledge back during Dracula's ancestry. He is very wise and takes charge of a lot of the action that happens in novel. He knows more about vampires than any other character in the novel. When __Dracula__ was published many readers were not used to horror novels since __Dracula__ was one of the first of its kind, it brought a different style to literature. Readers from all over, young and old have loved the novel because of the suspense and thrill. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__Dracula__ is a one of a kind novel.

=<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Why Read __Dracula__? =

=<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> = <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">I would recommend reading __Dracula__ if you are a fan of horror movies and scary stories. The novel is gruesome in parts and frightening in others. It is the start of its own genre, which makes the story original. There are many hidden meanings and messages that that reveal what they mean as the story continues. Once you have started reading, it will be hard to stop! =<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Literary Information =

=<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> = <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">Bram Stoker was an Irish author who wrote the novel Dracula in first person, through newspaper clippings, journal, and diary entries. The book is a horror novel, one of the first in the genre. Maraboro Books Corp, a division of Barnes & Noble, Inc is a publisher of __Dracula__. Stoker dedicated this book to Hommy-Beg. =<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Reviews = <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);"> ~"Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a book where the level of tension generated by horror becomes unbearable at times. Will Lucy die or survive? The answer is - none of the two! " ("Dracula-Bram")

~"Really the book itself is haunted. I was just 12 of age when I read this novel - Dracula. It contained more than 350 pages and I just read it in two hours"("Dracula-Bram").

~"Bram Stoker’s Dracula has been one of the masterpieces of all times. It subsequently went on to nudge the thoughts of readers, writers, artists, movie directors ubiquitously across the world"("Dracula-Bram"). =<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Other Outstanding Books: =

Grant-Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde

SherlockHolmesWikibyMatt

Alyssa K. - A Death In The Family

Mike- The Return of the King

Mitch-A Separate Peace

=<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Other related classic horror literature includes: =

[|Frankenstein] <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">by [|Mary Shelley] [|The Phantom of the Opera] <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">by [|Gaston Leroux] [|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde] <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">by [|Robert Louis Stevenson]

[|The Turn of the Screw] <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">by [|Henry James]

[|Salem's Lot] <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">by [|Stephen King]

media type="custom" key="3412572"

media type="youtube" key="6ZUlClqrTjA" height="398" width="489"
=<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Works Cited =

<span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">"Dracula" __Amazon Reviews__. 1999. 9 Mar. 2009. <http://www.amazonreviews.com/>.

"Dracula- Bram Stoker Reviews" __Mouth Shut__. 18 Dec. 2008. Pure Sleep, Skype, Baron Bob. 23 Mar. 2009 <http://www.mouthshut.com/product-reviews/Dracula_-_Bram_Stoker-925007733.html>.

Merriman, C.D. “Bram Stoker” __The Literature Network__. 2008. Concordia. 8 March 2009. <http://www.online-literature.com/stoker/>.

"<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Modern science and technology vs superstition " __Theme Analysis__ 2009. Kaplan University, Novel Guide, IMVU 23 Mar. 2009. <http://www.novelguide.com/dracula/themeanalysis.html>.

Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Maraboo Books Corp, 1992.

"Tag info: Classic Horror" __LibraryThing.__ SwapTree.Target. Yahoo. 9 March, 2009. <http://www.librarything.com/tag/classic+horror>.

= = = =

<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">