Well, I believe that today is the day we chose to discuss our most recent book club read: Dracula, by Bram Stoker.
I hope everybody had time to read it. It’s not short but I found it to be a real page turner. SO suspenseful and I love the narrative device that Stoker used – the series of letter and journal entries. I found that it made the story more fascinating, told, as it was, from multiple perspectives.
It was so scary! As I was reading it I thought about how coarsened we must be today, to violent stories and bloody scenes, given that we have grown up with violent movies and television, so I was surprised that this was so gruesome in parts. I would have thought that the constitution of the Victorian-era reader wouldn’t be able to handle the blood-sucking undead women who feed upon stolen babies and children. I found this book to be much more gruesome than Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. And I was astounded by all the eroticism, written in an era of such modesty and piety.
While reading it, I recalled our visit to Versaille, and how I embarrassed my family by bursting into tears during a tour. Our tour guide told me afterward that when young European men of the Victorian age would visit royal palaces and especially holy places on tours of Europe, they would often cry and sometimes faint, so overwhelmed were they by the magnitude of the murals, and the beauty of the images that surrounded them. He asked me to imagine what these sights would be like for people who had grown up without color photographs or videos or movies. So, as I read Dracula, I wondered if the people who initially read it might have been completely overwhelmed by the violence and bloodiness of it. A once beautiful maiden sucking blood from little babies! And the scene in which Harker first sees Dracula crawling, head down, quick and bat-like, down the castle wall? So creepy.
Bram Stoker
I have to admit that parts of the opening chapters made me chuckle. I loved Harker’s proper manners and his cluelessness on his journey to the castle. The way all the locals crossed themselves when he mentioned the count, and then beseeched him not to go to the castle. I kept thinking of the movie Young Frankenstein. And then his description of the count and his cloying manner and disgusting breath. I loved how polite Harker was, being a true Englishman, even during his dawning realization that things weren’t quite right at the castle. Truly every houseguest’s worst nightmare. A host that: serves you food, but won’t eat it himself; pretends that there are other people in the house when it’s actually the two of your there alone; turns into a bat at night; has fangs, and, in my mind, most horrific – has pointy teeth and really gross breath.
And you can’t get away!
Well, I’m dying to hear what you all thought. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Don’t make me start calling on people.
I’m not quite done with the book yet, but I must say I was intrigued by Lucy’s three beaus and her comment after they all proposed that it’d be easier if she could just marry all of them. Then later all three gave her blood transfusions. She knew of Arthur’s help, but not the other two, and felt such a connection to Arthur afterwards and he to her; both musing it felt like they were actually married. It’s sort of like she got her wish.
Mary, I like this part of the novel too. I like the way Lucy (and a lot of the other characters) live paradoxically. When Lucy makes this comment about marrying all three men, she also says, “But this is hearsay, and I must not say it.” She just said it! She’s chronicling the hearsay at the same time she’s denouncing it, a kind of indulgence and restraint. Later when she writes to Mina about Arthur, she’s afraid her letter isn’t a proper expression of her feelings, yet she expresses those feelings.
Like you said, it’s like she gets her wish: she wants her cake and eats it too.
Thanks Mary, and for those who haven’t finished, let’s not talk about last third of book without a “spoiler alert.”
I’m running out but wasn’t there something in the book about how Dracula wanted her to receive the transfusions so that he could draw not only on the blood of Lucy but of all three men?
I missed that about the Count and the blood transfusions.
I think it was a speculation made by Dr…..Whatsisface. I have to get the book.
I’m hiding behind the tall kid in front of me, Mrs. Leary, as I (gulp!) haven’t read the book…However, I DO look foraward to reading the discussion…I almost always enjoy what people have to say via this blog.
OK, I’m officially creeped out….I have tried twice to post my thoughts on the book and when I go to submit the comment it keeps saying the server is down. It’s been raining all day and it’s dark and grey and there’s a heavy fog outside. And a dog is barking somewhere. And it’s getting to be sunset. Send Dr. Van Helsing, quick.
Whoa! You’re freaking us out Amanda! I don’t think the server was down. SUCH STRANGE GOINGS ON!
let’s try this again….
I loved how Jonathan came to the slow realization that he was being held against his will in the Count’s castle and how he went along with sending the post-dated letters. And you’re right Ann, you’d think he would be a bit more suspicious of all those people crossing themselves and shoving crucifixes at him. I did however like all the male characters, especially Dr. Seward and Dr. Van Helsing and how noble and charming they were and how they all rallied around Lucy and then the stricken Mina. I think one of the most frightening parts of the book was the account of the captain of the Demeter and how his crew went missing one by one. I also agree that the description of the Count’s undead hotties (what were they called anyway?) was very erotic and how they (and Lucy when bitten) had seduced with their beauty and demonic power.
Jonathan’s obtuseness to the warnings on his way to the castle was one of those moments where, if you were watching a movie, you’re screaming at the character for being such a dolt.
As for the male characters, I would agree that I like them. They seem to all be “a man’s man,” which I think is a bit more rare these days with all the metrosexuals running around. lol
That’s interesting, the observations on the masculinity of the male characters. Dracula was rather effeminate, now that I think of it. And now I recall that my daughter’s friend told me that her college professor gave a lecture on how the book is all about homophobia, which I really didn’t quite see.
I loved the way Lucy became like an animal in heat, once she was bitten, how she’d whine and claw at the windows and LOVED the scene when Mina found her outside on the cliff. The way Dracula lovingly called the wolves, “My children of the night.” The themes of nature and sexuality being so dark and crude and the need to combat their forces with science and religion.
I’m reading this on my nook and it has a foreword that gives some insight into the sexual overtones of the book. It’s not just the violence that seems like it’d be a bit much for the period, but the sexuality as well. Quite a titillating topic for its day!
I’m not sure I see the homophobia you mentioned, but there seems to be a closeness among the male characters that you don’t often see nowadays. Of course, you could probably say the same about all modern relationships – we’re so addicted to texting and emailing rather than talking and actually connecting. The beauty of actual letter-writing (a common narrative in the book) has been lost in today’s fast-paced world!
Ann, I know what you mean about the eroticism. The first time I read Dracula was in high school, and all the boys in my class would snicker when the nun who taught English would say this was a “titular novel.”
But now, a few years later, I was struck at how erotic this novel really is. What also struck me were the ways in which the narrative style, as you pointed out, plays a part of this eroticism. The story, told through a series of letters, newspapers, telegraphs, etc., becomes a kind of technology of sexuality. All of these forms of writing facilitate the dissemination of sexual knowledge. Here, I’m thinking about Mina Harker and her “brave men” and the way they produce and distribute an erotic discourse in order to police the deviant sexuality of the vampires.
yes, Ann, it was a great read….I kept thinking about the amazing imagination that Stoker had to come up with all the creepy stuff or was vampire lore common in those days? and Renfield! yikes, he really creeped me out b/c he switched from insane to normal and back again….Lucy and Mina were strong women characters, weren’t they? I also liked the presentation of the story in letters & diaries and newspaper articles…kept things moving right along…If I had been Seward, I would have gotten very impatient with Van Helsing and asked him lots of questions about what was going on…and yes, I think the Count wanted those transfusions for his own benefit. I had trouble staying warm when I was reading this book!
I read it a few months ago, but I remember that early part (when Jonathan is traveling to the Count’s castle and the villagers keep crossing themselves and whispering, and then the description of the meeting place and the mountains at dark and then the wolves running alongside the sled, and, and, and) and knowing why all the horror film makers use a voiceover and repeat these ur-Gothic elements again and again. I really enjoyed the book (though I thought the last bit, with the hugging and the hand-shaking and pledges of undying friendship, got a little repetitive).
Renfield was wonderfully creepy…..but did he get bitten by the Count or did he fall under his spell some other way?
And the vampire ‘rules and restrictions’ are much different than the movies I’ve seen, like not being able to cross moving water, or enter a dwelling only when invited, or the cutting off of the head of the stricken and stuffing it with garlic, the wild rose branches as vampire retardant. Maybe that was too much for modern day movie audiences to keep track of.
I loved it !! I had never read it and wouldn’t have if it hadn’t been suggested here. As others have said, I also enjoyed how the story was told; the letters, diaries, etc. I also like how, if you didn’t know the story or hadn’t seen the movie, it took a long time until you were REALLY sure of what was happening. There were certainly lots of clues early on, but nothing was directly said. It kept the suspense.
I also don’t see the homophobia. I thought Renfield must have been under a sort of spell–I might have missed it, but I don’t recall reading any signs about being bitten.
In addition to the eroticism, there was a solid dose of anti-semitism, too, lurking under the surface–the physical descriptions of Dracula (his aquiline nose, ugliness), the coins spilling out of his cloak when he’s grabbed, his sordid love of money among all those noble men–the details smacked of ugly stereotypes of the “other.”
Yes, and I suppose the whole crucifix as a weapon of protection would support that
Maybe the homophobia references are directed to Jonathan’s time at the castle, when the Count’s hands touch him and Jonathan shudders or when the Count places a hand on Jonathan’s shoulder whilst shaving and causes him to cut himself. (and notice the Count has no reflection) During Jonathan’s time at the castle the Count seems to toy with him, not harming him but when the undead maidens go after him, the Count tells them “How dare you touch him! This man belongs to me!’
OOOOhh…..maybe Amanda; I wouldn’t have thought of that.
Oh yes, and the count was so aroused by the sight of Jonathan’s blood. But he was a vampire, after all.
I have this theory that the reason that young people today are so fascinated by Twilight and vampire stories is because they have grown up with the idea that sex can kill them. Because of a blood-borne virus. I haven’t read the books but aren’t the young women in Twilight attracted to the vampire, but they can’t have sex because then he’ll kill her?
There were vampire legends before Dracula and I wonder if the origin of these legends came from deadly plagues? And also there was the fear of mixing blood between races in Dracula. The count was from the eastern Europe, he was rich but vulgar and actually evil, while the English (and Dutch) men were well-mannered and godly. I know there was something in there about the count wanting to mix the blood of the three men through Lucy’s transfusions, thereby absorbing the blood of these great races?
This book pulled me right in. As the walls kept closing in on Harker I kept thinking, what would I do? As I was reading, feeling the tension and fright build, I wanted to give him suggestions on how to get out, but it was so carefully written I realized Harker (and I) were doomed to continue to be boxed in. Truly creepy stuff. (What if I found myself at the Bates Hotel without my cell phone???)
As I look back on the book it amazes me how it was told through those various literary devices (letters, journals, newspaper articles, etc.) I can’t believe how much detail, mood, color, suspense and true horror was conveyed without it being a straightforward first person narrative.
Reading the book also made me a little sad. Today we are all so numb to shocking things. The book shocked me in creep factor, not so much by the gore. We’ve seen it all now. What an experience it would be to read this when it first came out.
Lastly, I found the friendship of the two girls slightly homo-erotic. They were so close. And when Mina goes looking for Lucy in the middle of the night, sees her through the mist, gives her her shoes, etc., it all seemed to be happening in an almost romantic way.
That’s true Catherine. I loved the intimacy between the women.
you all are fast readers – I’m still on DOGTOWN for Chrissakes!
I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone’s thoughts about Dracula. Fascinating!
I don’t know if any suggestions for future chats have yet been made, but I thought I’d toss out a few possibilities:
Water for Elephants (a novel), by Sara Gruen,
or some interesting nonfiction on animal behavior:
The Other End of the Leash, by Patricia McConnell (excellent book on better understanding what goes on in a dog’s head)
The Emotional Lives of Animals, by Marc Bekoff
Animals Make Us Human, by Temple Grandin
Anyway, even if we don’t discuss them, the above are recommended as interesting reads!
Or, how about … some poetry? (I think I can hear the groans from here, lol! On the plus side, poetry is usually a quick read and very interesting fodder for discussion.
A noted authority on vampires and everything paranormal, Rosemary Ellen Guiley, lives in New Milford. She has authored 42 books, and has a site -Visionary Living.A fascinating lady to talk with, she has taken an interest in Steep Rock, who also feels it is a ‘magical ‘place.
Not noted in the above comments is that the novel is based somewhat,and inspired by a true historical person–Vlad the Impaler,of Romania.He had a castle in Transylvania, was a fearsome warlord,and got his cute nickname from the habit of impaling thousands of his enemies. He lived from 1431 to 1476-and is well worth a look-up in regards to this book.