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Dracula by Bram Stoker


Lukeozade100

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Guest Eliza1

I have to agree with Nollaig I'm afraid, It really did Bram Stokers genius no justice at all. To be honest It's probably worth a read bookjumper just to experience the torture for yourself! I suppose you have to experience the bad to recognize the good :D

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Oh yeah I'm glad I read it just to experience it for myself, there are even passages that are well written and times at which I thought it was going to turn out to be good. But yeah..... no. Haha.

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I was discussing Dacre's book with my brother yesterday. He read it recently and told me the basic plot. It all seemed a bit ridiculous to me. I certainly won't bother reading it.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I was discussing Dacre's book with my brother yesterday. He read it recently and told me the basic plot. It all seemed a bit ridiculous to me. I certainly won't bother reading it.

I really enjoyed Dracula, would you say not to bother with the recent sequel?

I actually quite liked it. It has a definite dip in the middle and there are one or two things I wanted to see more/less of (in direct opposite of what there was - LOL!) but overall it was a decent read. Nowhere near as good as Bram Stoker's original, but still not bad and certainly a pleasant enough way to fill a few hours if you like vampire novels.

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  • 10 months later...

I enjoyed Dracula and have since reading it been lucky enough to do a lecture on political geography of modernity structured around elements of it. Its a clever novel for the time and I particularly enjoy the 'slapped together' feel of the book in that its a collection of peoples diaries and journal entries rather than a singular narrative.

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I enjoyed Dracula and have since reading it been lucky enough to do a lecture on political geography of modernity structured around elements of it. Its a clever novel for the time and I particularly enjoy the 'slapped together' feel of the book in that its a collection of peoples diaries and journal entries rather than a singular narrative.

 

 

I got through a bit more than halfway of Dracula and put it aside for a bit...picked it up again, read about 20 pages, aside again...another 10 pages or so.....put aside...and so on....no idea what I can't seem to finish this book :/

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Its not what you'd expect if you've seen a film about it. Well unless the film is Bram Stokers Dracula, in which case it at least hints of the separate diaries as being that which drives the plot forwards. Its not a typical novel in terms of structure and each section has a differing level of formality to it, reflecting those writing that portion of the story. I think compared to more recent vampire titles it lacks the action and continual sense of overwhelming peril.

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Its not what you'd expect if you've seen a film about it. Well unless the film is Bram Stokers Dracula, in which case it at least hints of the separate diaries as being that which drives the plot forwards. Its not a typical novel in terms of structure and each section has a differing level of formality to it, reflecting those writing that portion of the story. I think compared to more recent vampire titles it lacks the action and continual sense of overwhelming peril.

 

 

um.... :yeahthat::huh::giggle:

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I have to disagree UCLGeogPhD, I think it does have a sense of overwhelming peril, particularly as it builds up Jonathan Harker's sense of entrapment in the castle. I think maybe to us as modern readers it lacks 'action' because we're less easily shocked than a Victorian audience would have been but, for its time, I think it would have been pretty action packed! :)

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I found Dracula to be deliciously creepy. It was not at all what I was expecting given the various movies and popular knowledge that has sprung up around Dracula. Brilliant stuff. :)

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I have to disagree UCLGeogPhD, I think it does have a sense of overwhelming peril, particularly as it builds up Jonathan Harker's sense of entrapment in the castle. I think maybe to us as modern readers it lacks 'action' because we're less easily shocked than a Victorian audience would have been but, for its time, I think it would have been pretty action packed! :)

 

For me the style works to kill a lot of the tension. If Stoker had written it in what we, more commonly, understand as a novel then you build suspense as you can't be sure of what will happen to a character. Using diaries for me works to try to make it scary by making it seem real rather than as a suspense piece; we already know Harker will ultimately be ok, he wrote the diary entry, so any instance of peril he must have already overcome. I think the shock for the victorian audience is this style rather than action. The diary and journal approach works to ground the novel in the real and that to me is what attempts to make it scary.

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I know what you mean, and I could be wrong because it's been a while since I read this book, but doesn't Jonathan write the journal while he's actually at the castle? Meaning we don't actually know if he escapes or if the diary is simply found? I know after a point it becomes obvious but I don't think he's the only person we feel suspense for either, what about Lucy and Mina? Or what about the 'race' at the end?

Or maybe I'm just easily held in suspense :blush:

 

I completely agree that the use of diary entries make it seem more realistic and therefore scarier though :)

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  • 9 months later...

Dracula is a good book. I don't rate it that high because I just thought most of the characters were incredibly boring and it wasn't doing the book any favours. Dracula was pretty kick-ass though. I don't regret reading it though, the diary approach was a nice touch.

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  • 2 months later...

I've read this twice (kinda had to as I was studying it for A-level). On the first read through, I didn't really enjoy it too much just found it 'meh' not great but not awful. On the second read, however, I noticed so many things about it that made me enjoy it properly. Maybe it's one you have to read a couple of times to get the hang of it. Funnily enough I found it scarier when I read it the second time round, there are so many subtle things that made it creepy and sinister for me. It really is a great work of classic gothic fiction but I can totally understand why people don't like it/gave up on it :P

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  • 4 weeks later...

Truthfully, I wasn't a fan. I feel perhaps due to all the social hype about vampires and that almost everyone grows up with a knowledge, albeit limited, of Dracula, I had high expectations and was left feeling disappointed. Dracula barely features, he hardly does anything and is certainly not this 'terrifying ethereal being' that one is led to believe. I liked the unusual writing style, yes, but the plot was dull and I felt nothing towards the characters. Perhaps had I lived in a bubble unaware of the hype, Dracula may have amounted to something more, but as it stands, I won't be reading it again.

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I'm currently reading Dracula on my kindle. I did have reservations about starting, but i am enjoying it so much. I'm just over halfway through and i think the fact that The Count could be anywere at anytime, and the fact that i never know where the book is going makes it a great read. I'm also liking how it takes the forms of letters and diary entries.

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  • 10 months later...

Read Dracula at hte beginning of the year. I loved Dr Seward's narrative, but some of the others were a little superfluous. It's poorly paced too - the entire climax happens on the last page and seems a little rushed after such a long (and sometimes dull) buildup. I still enjoyed it as a whole, I think, though as I said earlier, Seward, his patient and van Helsing interested me most.

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