To this day, Dracula remains a fascinating study of popular attitudes toward sex, religion, and science at the end of the nineteenth century. Ace your assignments with our guide to Dracula! SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Why does Jonathan Harker first travel to Transylvania? Where do Jonathan Harker and Mina get married? Who gives Lucy blood transfusions? Why does Holmwood stab Lucy with the stake?
Who is killed in the final confrontation with Dracula? My advice is don't worry about all the psychological baggage that has been tacked on over the years It doesn't remotely resemble the I believe this may be the edition I read "first". It doesn't remotely resemble the book and the title has galled me since that movie came out. The book is far, far better.
I believe it's worth noting that a lot of the psychological baggage that has been attached to this volume probably tells you more about the ones attaching it than the book.
This book creates a horror atmosphere that has been copied constantly over the years but never quite captured again. You'll be experiencing with Harker the castle and what he faces there. Battling the Count in England Again let me urge you no matter how well any movie has been done, if the movie Dracula is the only one you know, you haven't met the proto-vampire who resides in this book.
This isn't Twilight, nor is it Buffy the vampire Slayer, there aren't any friendly, helpful, romantic vampires here. None sparkle either There is quite probably a reason or maybe more than one why we wish so badly to laugh at this book.
It does what it does very, very well This book is a classic that has been around for over a hundred years.. View all 41 comments. Come freely. Go safely. And leave something of the happiness you bring! Within a few days of his arrival, Harker will find himself talking of the Count' 'Welcome to my house.
Within a few days of his arrival, Harker will find himself talking of the Count's 'wickedly blazing eyes' and 'new schemes of villainy' and have some hair-raising encounters with the man who is now the world's most famous vampire: 'The last I saw of Count Dracula was his kissing his hand to me, with a red light of triumph in his eyes, and with a smile that Judas in hell might be proud of.
The above quotations should make it abundantly clear what kind of book Dracula is. It's sensation fiction, written nearly half a century after the heyday of that genre. It's a cross between an epistolary novel, a detective novel and a save-my-wife story, and it's full of scares, horror and disgust, all described in a lurid tone that befits the subject: the living dead. Or the Un-Dead, as the book's other hero, my countryman Van Helsing, calls them. Sadly, Van Helsing is one of my main problems with the book.
While I love his heroism, his 'Let's-do-it' attitude and his unceasing struggle for Mina's soul, I find him entirely unconvincing as a Dutchman.
I wish to God with a crucifix and everything! I'm aware this is not a problem that will bother many readers, but I for one dearly wish Stoker had listened to some actual Dutchmen before making the hero of his story one. Then perhaps he also would have refrained from making the poor man mutter German whenever he is supposed to speak his mother tongue.
I mean, really. Linguistic inaccuracies aside there are many in the book , Dracula has a few more problems. For one thing, the bad guy doesn't make enough appearances.
Whenever Stoker focuses on Dracula, the story comes alive -- menace drips off the pages, and the reader finds himself alternately shivering with excitement and recoiling in horror.
However, when Dracula is not around which is most of the second half of the book , the story loses power, to the point where the second half of the book is actually quite dull. In addition, the story seems a little random and unfocused. Remember the film, in which Dracula obsesses about Mina Harker Jonathan's wife because she is his long-lost wife reincarnated? That conceit had grandeur, romance, passion, tragedy.
And what was more, it made sense. It explained why Dracula comes all the way from Transylvania to England to find Mina, and why he wants to make her his bride despite the fact that she is being protected by people who clearly want him dead.
In the book, however, Mina is merely Jonathan's wife no reincarnation involved , a random lady Dracula has sunk his teeth into, and while this entitles her to some sympathy, it lacks the grand romantic quality the film had. I guess it's unfair to blame an author for not thinking of an improvement film-makers later made to his story, but I think Stoker rather missed an opportunity there.
And then there's the fact that Stoker seems to be an early proponent of the Robert Jordan School of Writing, meaning he takes an awful lot of time setting the scene, only to end the book on a whimper. The ending to Dracula is so anticlimactic it's rather baffling. Did Stoker run out of paper and ink? Did he want to finish the story before Dracula's brides came and got him? I guess we'll never know.
Still, despite its many flaws Dracula is an exciting read well, the first half is, anyway , and Stoker undeniably left a legacy that will last for centuries to come. In that respect, Dracula deserves all the praise that has been heaped on it. I still think it could have been better, though. Much better. View all 25 comments. Oct 25, Matt rated it it was amazing Shelves: audiobook. This is a classic monster tale I have enjoyed before, but could not wait to revisit as the season is rife with haunted ghouls and bloodthirsty readers!
Young solicitor Johnathan Harker finds himself travelling through the Hungarian countryside and into Romania, on his way to a castle in the heart of Transylvania. There, one Count Dracula awaits Harker and proves to be an odd, yet amenable, host. Seeking to finalise a land deal in England, Harker and Dracula talk long into the night, though the fo This is a classic monster tale I have enjoyed before, but could not wait to revisit as the season is rife with haunted ghouls and bloodthirsty readers!
Seeking to finalise a land deal in England, Harker and Dracula talk long into the night, though the former feels that there is something odd about his host. It is only when numerous unsettling things occur that Harker realises that Count Dracula is nothing like any man he has met before and eventually escapes the confines of the castle.
Lucy Westenra suffers through significant bouts of sleepwalking. The two women travel to the seaside to clear their heads, but Lucy encounters someone the reader knows to be Dracula during one of her nocturnal jaunts and is eventually discovered with two minuscule puncture holes on her neck. Unsure of what to do, Westenra is sent to see Dr. Johnathan Seward, one of her suitors and director of the local mental hospital. When Dr.
Seward cannot deduce all of these symptoms, he calls upon the renowned Dr. Abraham Van Helsing in Amsterdam to consult. The Dutchman arrives and begins some of his early queries. He is highly interested, though cannot be completely sure that he has a diagnosis of yet.
Slowly, Lucy begins to fade from this mysterious neck injury and eventually died of her injuries, though her body transforms into a vampire of sorts, paralleling some of the actions Count Dracula is known to have been committing. Van Helsing works with Seward to locate the body and it is at this time that the Dutch doctor deduces that there is something eerie at work.
Done with that issue, but still needing to resolve the larger concern at hand, Van Helsing gathers a group to hunt down the Count, who seems to have taken up residence in England, and drive him back to Transylvania.
Lurking in the dark and gloomy areas of Eastern Europe, Van Helsing prepares for the fight of his life, armed with only the most basic medicaments, in hopes of slaying this monster once and for all. Stoker lays the groundwork for a truly bone-chilling tale that has stood the test of time. I would highly recommend this to anyone who has the wherewithal to delve deep into the heart of a sensational 19th century story of horror and mayhem.
I am still kicking myself that I waited so long to read this sensational piece of fiction. With a cast of powerful characters, Stoker weaves his tale in such a way that the story never loses its momentum. Harker, Seward, and Van Helsing are all well-crafted and provides powerful contrasts throughout the narrative, while Count Dracula is not only eerie in his presentation, but also one of the scariest villains in 19th century literature.
There need not be outward descriptions of gore and slaying to get to the root of the suspense in this novel, which seems to differ from much of the writing in the genre today, where gushing blood and guts pepper the pages of every book imaginable. The narrative is also ever-evolving, helped significantly by the journal-based writing that Stoker has undertaken. The reader is transported through the story using these varied perspectives and some press clippings , rather than a straight delivery of the story from a single point of view.
This surely enhances the larger package and does much to provide the reader with even more fright, at certain times. There are surely many stories taking place here, some of which deal directly with the issue at hand read: Dracula , while others seem to solve themselves throughout the numerous journal entries.
I wish to add for those who wish to take the audiobook approach, as I have done, the Audible version, with a full cast including Alan Cumming, Tim Curry, and John Lee , adds yet another dimension to this story and should not be discounted. Kudos, Mr. Stoker, for such a riveting piece. I can only hope to find the time to read some of your other work, as well as that of your descendants, who seem to want to carry the torch and provide more Dracula for the modern reader.
View all 50 comments. Mar 22, Julia Ash rated it it was amazing Shelves: horror , favorites , plagues-vampires-zombies-werewolves , classic. A classic literary masterpiece!!! Here's an example of Stoker's writing, from Jonathan Harker's journal shortly after he was taken prisoner by Count Dracula in his castle: "I looked out over the beautiful expanse, bathed in soft yellow moonlight till it was almost as light as day. In the soft light the distant hills became melted, and the shadows in the valleys and gorges of velvety blackness.
What writing. I gave this five stars, I mean, who wouldn't? It is also in my favorites bookshelf. A must read for classic horror. Sep 02, Luffy rated it it was amazing Shelves: 5-star.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Dracula, the book, struck a chord with me. In it was a fight between good and evil.
Modern vampires have great seduction powers. I never liked that. I also didn't like vampires in many Urban Fantasy books. The Hollows series spring to mind. The greatest change in the villainous vampires arises in Anne Rice's books. It was a perfect case study of an idea done to the death. In Dracula, several people record their impressions. I 'pretend' to know that the women in the books, Lucy and Mina, have the Dracula, the book, struck a chord with me. I 'pretend' to know that the women in the books, Lucy and Mina, have the same voice.
Maybe the men are slightly different. They possess greater vocabulary, such as Lord Godalming's, and Jonathan Harker's recollections. Van Helsing, being a foreigner has his mistakes in grammar, and therefore has the most unique voice. Throughout the book, we don't see the vampire Dracula triumph much.
Except maybe when he turns Lucy into an undead. But even then, through the guiding hands and the knowledge of van Helsing, she is freed from her shackles. But Jonathan escapes from his imprisonment. And the vampire cannot settle in London. He was found out by our 'A-team' and had to flee for his life. He expresses baffled malignity. It is the testament to Bram Stoker's neatness that I could follow most of the story. And I'm in awe of his mind, which chronicles the entire story via journal entries or phonograph recordings in the case of John Steward , all of which are dated.
I don't mean outdated, but dated, day after day. And I mourned the death of Quincy Morris, gallant to the end, dying with a smile on his lips. The entire book defies what happens in movies and series of which latter I've watched only True Blood. Most people don't read books regularly.
So their idea of the vampire comes from horror movies. And Boris Karloff and especially Bela Lugosi as vampires are etched in the minds of most people. I don't think cinephiles will get any influence from the movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola. That was a mess. The book still stands proud. As it should.
Thus ends my review on 02 Sep View all 27 comments. Or so they say Isn't it a wonder that, once, there "There is reason that all things are as they are, and did you see with my eyes and know with my knowledge, you would perhaps better understand.
Isn't it a wonder that, once, there was this great and noble race, full of humanity and yet they become a blight upon the land, transforming into the deadly scourge that blots out all hope and becoming the very figure that we dread and detest? Is it enough that we create our own monsters or that we are monsters ourselves?
For if humans were to be given these: immortality, power, youth, and ever-lasting beauty, the world would eventually plunge into never-ending darkness. Acquire the lot of them and what you will find is a soul devoid of humanity, only to be filled eventually with malice and greed.
Stare at the mirror and one would hardly see any reflection at all. Monsters exist and they do come in many seductive forms, one of them is but the nosferatu. Soon you'll be mesmerised by its gaze that you'll eventually drop everything your pants or knickers included and submit yourself as a tasty little morsel that robs you of your very essence. Yet again, some fancy the modern version of the vampir like the shining, ever so shimmering Edward Cullen. Hoomans are curiouser and curiouser indeed!
View all 74 comments. Dracula seems to be one of those love-it or hate-it type books, but for me it is all love! The opening chapters alone provide some of the most gripping, suspense-inducing, edge-of-seat anxieties I've ever read, all leading up to a delightfully queer twist with a male character stepping in for the traditional Gothic heroine.
Jonathan Harker fulfills the damsel in distress role quite suitably, being locked away in a remote castle and forced to navigate the domineering personality of his captor. Dra Dracula seems to be one of those love-it or hate-it type books, but for me it is all love! There's just something about a vampire's possessiveness, affixation with tender neck flesh, the nocturnal visits and dangling appeal of immortality that make them hot, hot, hot!
Anyway, it is possible to have two feelings at once. Lucy dazedly roams the midnight hour in her nightgown, meeting the "king vampire" for a moonlit rendezvous. Though she claims to be induced to such behavior by a trance, one wonders how much arm-twisting or brain fog was necessary.
After all, Dracula is a convenient outlet for taboos to be explored, experienced, and excused from public shame. Something like that might have been especially appealing to a sexually repressed audience. Despite being the most famous and enduring vampire novel of all time, Dracula remains a must-read classic.
You won't be surprised by some details because Stoker's vampire "rules" are public knowledge by now, but that doesn't make the novel any less thrilling, enticing, and occasionally shocking. There's some really gruesome moments that totally caught me off guard. Also, the epistolary storytelling device works well. So happy to finally check this read off my bucket list!!
Every beat of this classic appears somewhere in King's book, with Dracula and Pennywise sharing many traits and the power of working together being a major theme. The way the monster controls side characters is also familiar. Renfield and Henry Bowers share a lot in common, for instance, as do Mina and Bill's wife. View all 3 comments. What started out as a simple real estate deal by an English solicitor and a foreign nobleman, becomes a blood sucking nightmare.
The shell shocked Jonathan is imprisoned by the creepy Count, a " person" you wouldn't want to see in a dark alley on a moonless midnight walk. Three strange , bizarre , but v "Children of the night what music they play" ; Jonathan Hawker hears those chilling, famous words from the inhuman appearing Count Dracula, in the remote Castle Dracula , Transylvania Romania.
Three strange , bizarre , but very beautiful women, brides of Dracula, the weird sisters, are in his room looking not quite real. When Dracula arrives also, they fade away Next day the Englishman can't decide if what he saw last night was a dream or fact Either way the terrified Mr. Hawker escapes , as if his life depended on it, not caring about those eerie wolves , surrounding the building and disappears Back in "civilized", safe England his fiance Mina on vacation in Whitby, is visiting her sick, good friend Lucy Westenra, she becomes very pale too, almost like ill Lucy who is losing blood, why?
Seward with the help of Dr. Van Helsing an expert in little known diseases, gives her Lucy, four transfusions, still she becomes weaker, and small punctures are spotted on Miss Westenra's neck, what can they be? A gruesome Bat is seen flying outside the window, lurking about waiting for who knows what Seward, the head of an insane asylum, has a star inmate named Renfield he likes keeping busy, by eating flies and spiders.
Something unnatural is disturbing the disturb man. Renfield even attempts to kill the good doctor. On the continent the dazed Jonathan, is found in a hospital in Budapest, disclosing events, in his journal, read by Mina when they get him back home.. Dracula is seen by Hawker in England, or was this man, the undead fiend , actually the Count? Better speak to Dr. Van Helsing, who they say has read about vampires and is an expert on the subject.
This old Dutchman doesn't mind getting his hands dirty The novel has inspired countless films, books and television shows There is an obvious reason for this phenomenon It still scares people The historical figure was a Romanian Prince, Vlad or Dracula, son 0f Dracul, the Dragon , known as the Impaler, an alias he acquired , and well deserved too View all 8 comments.
Over the years I've somewhat fallen out of reading classics, which is a damn shame as I typically enjoy the process of reading them even if I don't end up liking the book.
In an effort to kick-start the process of reading them again on a more regular basis, I've decided to go with one I should have crossed off my list decades ago given my love of horror. Dracula has been portrayed in so many different ways from all the different forms of media.
He's been suave, sexy, violent, heroic, demonic… he' Over the years I've somewhat fallen out of reading classics, which is a damn shame as I typically enjoy the process of reading them even if I don't end up liking the book. He's been suave, sexy, violent, heroic, demonic… he's even been cute and cuddly. Picture of my actual copy of the book along with one of my daughter's plushies So, it was an interesting experience, going back and seeing Stoker's original intent.
So what was he? I think he could best be described as an ever present entity who is only seen for around 30 pages or so. He has such little "screen time" for a title character and yet he's felt in every scene. He's a predator, something lurking in the shadows the entire time and the reader is just watching as those around him slowly piece together what he's doing.
I can only imagine that when this originally came out in that it caused a stir. While slow paced, it's frequently disturbing even by today's standards, particularly some of the scenes early on in Dracula's castle and some later when our heroes are staking out pun intended a graveyard.
I majored in English and have read quite a few, but it's not a style that usually appeals to me. As silly as this may sound, I find I like it most in where it incorporates modern technology, such as chat logs or texts as it creates a multi-media aspect through current means of communication… as such I actually love what Stoker did.
He did s equivalent, as there are diary entries, telegraphs, newspaper articles and even transcriptions of phonograph recordings. In fact, one of the most fascinating aspects of the novel to me was how prominent then current technology was, with descriptions of light-bulbs, recordings, blood transfusions and rapid transit through trains all aiding our heroes.
This is in many ways a book about science conquering the dark and superstitions though as Van Helsing is quick to note, sometimes superstitions have their reasoning and should be taken into account with science.
It's a rather fascinating look at the topic. My biggest surprise while reading other than some of the frightening content , the thing that I will no doubt take away with some awe is that the book contains a cowboy. Yes, a cowboy. He's not a joke character, he actually serves a purpose… but there's a random cowboy in the vampire hunt.
View all 12 comments. And, too, it made me think of the wonderful power of money! Quite contrary to what I'd expected beforehand is that Dracula is not that creepy. The book is almost soap like, in how the friends of Lucy are constantly frustrated in their efforts to protect her and how Renfield escapes from the mental asylum all the time.
Also the structure of diary entries, telegrams and letters diminishes any tension one might feel, since apparently the people writing lived to tell the tale. For anyone curious, the film which is on Netflix is quite close to the book if pages of Victorian fiction is a bit too much. What I did like and found a bit frightening were the passages of how the boat Demeter loses its crew, being isolated and far away from any help.
And sleepwalking is tapping into some unconscious fears as well. But for the rest there is not much to really call this a horror novel. Only halfway the book the speed picks a bit up, with four blood transfusions I hope the patient was bloodtype O and four burials in a few chapters. But after this point the book just falls into endless deliberations on how to beat Dracula, on bringing facts already known to the reader together and some questionable decisions to keep information from the group by Van Helsing.
In general Bram Stoker his writing is quite readable but also overdramatic and not very subtle. The themes and moral are simple: central is how the male forces of science Dr Seward , aristocracy Arthur , no-nonsense Americans Quincy and spiritistic Dutch lyricism Van Helsing are needed to face a threat. They even compare themselves to Crusaders, going to the East to destroy evil. Interesting for a decidedly post-Enlightenment book written around is the oversized role of religion and class society, one of the men being a Lord getting anything required done with ease, including obtaining client records and breaking in somewhere, while meanwhile everyone is bribed for inquiries all the time.
In the end I found that, in the Appendix of the Penguin Clothbound edition I read, Charlotte Stoker his mother writes much more eloquently about the terror of a Cholera epidemic than her son does in the whole book about the supernatural.
I've grown to appreciate this more with age - especially as I've put more distance between myself and the time I studied Dracula at school. But I still think it's overrated.
Dracula isn't nearly scary enough, Jonathan Harker is a wet mop of a protagonist, Mina is annoying and the best character [spoiler alert! View all 17 comments. Shelves: classic-horror , epistolary-narrative , favorites , heroine-i-adore , owned-copy , vampire , hero-to-die-for , started-but-put-down , occult-detective. I highly recommend reading this to any fans of the vampire genre.
It is a commitment and investment for the reader, but it is worthwhile. I must say that no movie version I have watched does this justice. Bram Stoker's Dracula might have been a somewhat faithful rendition, but it took unforgivable liberties with the relationship between Mina and Dracula, and downplayed the de I highly recommend reading this to any fans of the vampire genre. Bram Stoker's Dracula might have been a somewhat faithful rendition, but it took unforgivable liberties with the relationship between Mina and Dracula, and downplayed the deep, abiding love between Mina and Jonathan.
In addition, it portrayed Dracula as a seductive, lovelorn and sympathetic character. He is none of these. Dracula is a complete and utter fiend. He is unrelenting evil, and I spent this whole book waiting for him to get what he deserved. I love the use of letters and correspondence to tell the story. It added an authenticity to this story by revealing the narrative through written details of events.
One would think that this would create a distance between the reader and the story, but strangely it does not. Instead it infuses the story with a human element, as we see things unfold through the eyes of the humans who witnessed everything. In addition, the diary entries from Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray soon to be Harker , Lucy Westenra, and John Seward show the emotional impact of the characters to the horror of Dracula. Dracula is very much a Victorian work.
It is clear what the mores were at that time in reading this story. It is also evident how society is changing as time speeds towards the 20th Century this book was published in The attitudes towards women as sweet, beloved creatures who should be loved and adored is very much in evidence.
However, Mr. Stoker took the time to show that Mina has a powerful role and usefulness beyond what was expected of her as a woman of her times. In fact, she plays a very pivotal role in this story. Because of the connection between Dracula and herself, she cannot be relegated to a second class citizen in this story.
In addition, her view of the situation shows much about how Dracula managed to wreak his reign of terror over poor Lucy and how devastated Jonathan was from his early encounter with Dracula. Mina turns out to be a real heroine in this story.
She is very resourceful, and her methods are a great help in the process of understanding what Dracula is, and tracking him down. I felt for her when she was under his thrall, because her love for Jonathan was true, as well as her abhorrence of the evil of Dracula and how it had affected her.
Those scenes added a psychological component to the horror element in this book. This book is not a thrill a minute book. It might be a horror story, but it's also a crime novel, in that the group composed of Drs. Readers should approach this story with this in mind. There are some moments that are truly unnerving and scary, all the same, but they are used with good effect.
I would be reading right along, and then something really scary would happen all of a sudden. When my heart rate went back to normal and I fell back into the procedural-type narrative, another creepy moment would occur. Thus, my investment of diligent reading paid off, for those scary moments were quite suspenseful. Readers should also be aware that the characters tend to be along sentimental lines. They are good, decent people.
They cry and feel sorrow. The men might be brave, but they are not afraid to break down and sob out their anguish. Each of them invest their heart and life into tracking and destroying the beast.
This might strike a modern reader as being too good to be true. But in the historical context, I didn't have trouble with it. I might expect different characterizations for a modern vampire novel. I found that issues that I had with the recent movie adaptations of Dracula did not exist in this novel. Mina is not played as the good, innocent foil for the sexually adventurous and slightly wanton Lucy. Lucy is a sweet girl who was preyed on and destroyed by Dracula.
Mina is not a fickle woman who would abandon her true love for the seductive wiles of the vampire Dracula. That always bothered me about the movies. I didn't see why poor Lucy was deserving of what happened to her. Even if she had been a wanton, I couldn't say she deserved her demise at Dracula's hands. Reading about her decline, death and resurgence as a vampire was extremely difficult, not to mention the effect it had on the loved ones she left behind. Additionally, I dislike how throwaway the love that Mina had for Jonathan is portrayed in the movies.
I'm glad it was not this way in the book. Renfield is a character who has been played for laughs in many of the Dracula adaptations and knockoffs. In the original novel, he is a character to be pitied. He was seduced by Dracula, subsequently losing his reason. There are glimpses of his formerly formidable intellect and sanity, as well as a sense of right and wrong that shone through, causing me to feel sorry for him.
Particularly when he warns Seward not to keep him in the Asylum. If only Seward had listened. Seward and Van Helsing are physicians and men of science with profound respect for each other, but who tend to look at situations differently. Seward is very much a rationalist.
He tries to approach Lucy's strange illness from a completely scientific perspective, yet Dr. Van Helsing is a learned man who is trained in modern medical science as well as a pioneer in medicine , but gives credence toward the ancient beliefs, and whose knowledge is shored up by his faith in God.
The struggle that Seward faces in having to accept that Lucy's demise is due to a powerful supernatural entity is evident as we read his journal entries. Van Helsing is seen through the descriptions of the diary entries of Mina, Jonathan, and Seward.
I found Van Helsing quite the character. Without a doubt, he's my favorite in this book, although I found some of his lines hard to read because of the fact that it is written as though English was his second language which it was.
He is a man of compassion, although with a tendency towards bluntness. I like that he's able to think his way out of difficult situations, but also relies on faith against his demonic enemy. The movies tend to emasculate Jonathan, but he is a very strong character to have survived his imprisionment in Dracula's castle, with his body and his sanity intact. His conviction to protect Mina at all costs, despite knowing the depths of the power of his enemy speaks to me.
He might not be a he-man, but he is definitely a worthy man mate for Mina. Arthur Holmwood is a noble, yet he is not protrayed as a prig.
He is very down to earth, and willing to do his part to destroy Dracula and to see justice done for his beloved Lucy. He definitely rose to the occasion, despite the seemingly insane ravings of Van Helsing about Un-dead creatures, and the need to drive a stake through the heart and cut off the head of his beloved. Quincy Morris embodies the Texan spirit in the very best of ways.
His devotion to Lucy and later Mina causes him to risk his life in the struggle against Dracula. Don't look for a sexy creature of the night in this book. Dracula is a horrid, evil beast. Mr Spedding says Stoker's son gifted his father's copy of Gerard's book to the library in It was on a list of books cited as sources for Stoker's work. According to Mr Spedding, the "hairs on the back of my neck" stood up when he found the very books Stoker had used in the library, complete with the exact markings he had made in his notes.
Back in Airdrie, do local people know anything about Emily Gerard's role in inspiring the Dracula legend as created by Bram Stoker? The ground it lies on belonged to Emily's father, Archibald Gerard, a wealthy landowner in the Rochsoles area who rented it as a burial ground for St Margaret's Church.
Mr McKay says Emily's brothers were accomplished and interesting men but he was astonished to find her Dracula connection.
He says: "When I speak to people and tell them about my research and I tell them about Emily Gerard coining this phrase they can't believe it was someone from Airdrie.
And while Emily Gerard left Scotland for a life in Central Europe and was buried in Vienna, we can still perhaps add St Joseph's cemetery in Airdrie alongside it on that spooky list. The village that brought Dracula to life. Emily Gerard's brothers are buried in St Joseph's cemetery in Airdrie.
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