The Essential Dracula: A Completely Illustrated and Annotated Edition of Bram Stoker's Classic Novel

Dracula remains, today, a cornerstone of gothic-horror literature. Bram Stoker successfully created a novel that invokes as much a physical horror as a psychological one.

The most successful element, in my view, of this novel is the atmosphere. It dark, eerie and fully realised in all locations in which we are taken to. The opening section at Dracula's Castle was sublime, a masterclass in introducing a character and his machinations.

Whilst it does slow in the early-middle section of the Novel, its not enough to detract from what is, otherwise, a masterpiece of world building and storytelling.

Adoro a dracula

One of the books I am extremely fond of and could reread over and over again! This is a classic in the world of horror fiction. Although not the first tale alluding to Vampirism or making of it the center of the plot, it is the one which instilled the genre for over a century now. Ever since Dracula, most -not to say all- vampire stories have one or more of the features of that fearful Transylvanian count in the bearing, appearance, designs, or behavior of their characters.The novel, however, is not merely a horror tale with a somewhat Gothic and monstrous antagonist at its center. It is also a study in the socio-historical conditions of the era. Its plot, by means of illustration, provides a series of contrasts between old traditions and new ideals, scientific rationality versus folklore, and the superstitious old Europe against Modern London. The book supplies numerous references to the latest ideas and inventions of the time in order to reflect the rapid technological changes during the late Victorian period. These references cover phonographs, kodak cameras, portable typewriters, and telegrams in addition to the new medical and psychological theories. Moreover, the entire plot of the novel is presented in the form of letters, diary entries, and newspapers cuttings to convey the scientifically advanced method of observing, analyzing, and recording information. Side by side with this revolutionary rise of science, Stocker appeals to the religious faith in dealing with the supernatural monster in an attempt to revive the religious zeal in an age mostly dominated by secularism. In keeping with the Fin-de-siècle Renaissance of Gothic literature, the book plays on the fears of the late Victorian society especially in connection with the fear of moral degeneration caused by Darwin's theory of evolution. At the same time, the foreign origin of the count can be read as an allegorical representation of the anxiety related to immigration at the time. Immigrants were then closely linked to vice, disease, and corruption. All three can be found in Dracula who's presence in London contaminates everyone with a strain of Vampirism. The two female characters in the novel serve an even more important feat which Stocker had attempted to accomplish. Mina Murray, on the one hand, escapes the preying of the fearful monster by dint of her traditional virtues as "the angel in the house". Lucy Westenra, on the other hand, falls victim to her own unconventional desires and needs as a "new woman". This portrayal suggests to the mind Stocker's possible opposition to the new woman and his preference of conventions. Overall, the book is a classic scare. It is dark, creepy, suspenseful, and interesting, which would allow its enjoyment by many more generations to come.