Dracula
The cover of the first edition
Author	Bram Stoker
Country	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Language	English
Genre(s)	Horror novel, Gothic novel
Publisher	Archibald Constable and Company (UK)
Publication date	1897
Media type	Print (Hardback)
ISBN	NA

Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, featuring as its primary antagonist the vampire Count Dracula. Abraham "Bram" Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912 was an Irish writer of novels and short stories who is best known today for his 1897 horror The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Horror fiction is broadly Fiction in any medium intended to scare unsettle or horrify the audience Gothic fiction (sometimes referred to as Gothic horror) is a genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of Literature or Information &ndash the activity of making information available for public view The year 1897 in literature involved some significant new books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a Book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with Cloth The year 1897 in literature involved some significant new books The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate Abraham "Bram" Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912 was an Irish writer of novels and short stories who is best known today for his 1897 horror An antagonist (from Greek ανταγωνιστής - antagonistes, "opponent competitor rival" is a character or Vampires are mythological or folkloric revenants who subsist by feeding on the blood of the living

Dracula has been attributed to many literary genres including vampire literature, horror fiction, the gothic novel and invasion literature. A literary genre is a category of literary composition Genres may be determined by Literary technique, tone, Content, or even (as in the case of fiction Vampire literature covers the spectrum of literary work concerned principally with the subject of Vampires The literary vampire first appeared in eighteenth century poetry Horror fiction is broadly Fiction in any medium intended to scare unsettle or horrify the audience Gothic fiction (sometimes referred to as Gothic horror) is a genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Invasion literature (or the invasion novel) was a historical Literary genre most notable between 1871 and the First World War (1914 Structurally it is an epistolary novel, that is, told as a series of diary entries and letters. An epistolary novel German Briefroman ---> is a Novel written as a series of documents For other uses of the term 'diary' see Diary (disambiguation. Literary critics have examined many themes in the novel, such as the role of women in Victorian culture, conventional and repressed sexuality, immigration, colonialism, postcolonialism and folklore. Literary criticism is the study discussion evaluation and interpretation of Literature. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities See Colony and Colonization for examples of colonialism which do not refer to Western colonialism Postcolonialism ( postcolonial theory, post-colonial theory) is an intellectual discourse that holds together a set of theories found among the texts and History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological Although Stoker did not invent the vampire, the novel's influence on the popularity of vampires has been singularly responsible for many theatrical and film interpretations throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one

Plot summary

The novel is mainly composed of journal entries and letters written by several narrators who are also the novel's main protagonists; Stoker supplemented the story with occasional newspaper clippings to relate events not directly witnessed by the story's characters. The tale begins with Jonathan Harker, a newly qualified English solicitor, journeying by train and carriage from England to Count Dracula's crumbling, remote castle (situated in the Carpathian Mountains on the border of Transylvania and Moldavia). Jonathan Harker is a fictional character and the Protagonist in the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker (though other productions show A "solicitor" is a term used in many Common law jurisdictions for a lawyer who offers legal services outside of the courts A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people usually horse-drawn A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians (Carpaţi Czech, Polish and Slovak: Karpaty; Ukrainian: Карпати Transylvania (Ardeal or ro ''Transilvania'' Erdély, see also other denominations) is a Central European region located in the eastern half of the Carpathian Moldavia (Moldova is a geographic and historical region and former Principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between Eastern Carpathians The purpose of his mission is to provide legal support to Dracula for a real estate transaction overseen by Harker's employer, Peter Hawkins, of Exeter in England. Real estate is a legal term (in some jurisdictions notably in the USA, United Kingdom Exeter ( (IPA ˈeksɪtər is a city, district and County town of Devon, England. At first seduced by Dracula's gracious manner, Harker soon discovers that he has become a prisoner in the castle. He also begins to see disquieting facets of Dracula's nocturnal life. One night while searching for a way out of the castle, and against Dracula's strict admonition not to venture outside his room at night, Harker falls under the spell of three wanton female vampires, the Brides of Dracula. For the 1960 Hammer film see The Brides of Dracula The Brides of Dracula are three seductive female Vampires who make their first appearance in He is saved at the last second by the Count, however, who ostensibly wants to keep Harker alive just long enough because his legal advice and teachings about England and London (Dracula's planned travel destination was to be among the "teeming millions") are needed by Dracula. Harker barely escapes from the castle with his life.

Not long afterward, a Russian ship, the Demeter, having weighed anchor at Varna, runs aground on the shores of Whitby, England, during a fierce tempest. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Varna (Варна is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv Whitby is a historic town and Civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire on the north-east coast of England. A storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, especially affecting its surface and strongly implying Severe weather. All of the crew are missing and presumed dead, and only one body is found, that of the captain tied to the ship's helm. The captain's log is recovered and tells of strange events that had taken place during the ship's journey. These events led to the gradual disappearance of the entire crew apparently owing to a malevolent presence on board the ill-fated ship. An animal described as a large dog is seen on the ship leaping ashore. The ship's cargo is described as silver sand and boxes of "mould" or earth from Transylvania.

Soon Dracula is menacing Harker's devoted fiancée, Wilhelmina "Mina" Murray, and her vivacious friend, Lucy Westenra. Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker is a Fictional character in Bram Stoker 's horror novel Dracula. Lucy Westenra is a Fictional character in the novel Dracula (1897 by Bram Stoker. Lucy receives three marriage proposals in one day, from an asylum psychiatrist, Dr. John Seward; an American, Quincey Morris; and the Hon. Arthur Holmwood (later Lord Godalming). NOTICE TO WOULD-BE ROMEOS ************** A psychiatric hospital (previously called insane asylum, mental hospital; or derogatorily looney bin, nut house or Funny Farm) is A psychiatrist (also archaically called an alienist) is a Physician who specializes in Psychiatry and is certified in treating Mental disorders Dr John Seward is a Fictional character appearing in Bram Stoker 's 1897 novel Dracula. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Quincey P Morris is a Fictional character in Bram Stoker 's novel Dracula. The Honourable Arthur Holmwood (later Lord Godalming) is a Fictional character in Bram Stoker 's novel Dracula. Lucy accepts Holmwood's proposal while turning down Seward and Morris, but all remain friends. There is a notable encounter between Dracula and Seward's patient Renfield, an insane man who means to consume insects, spiders, birds, and other creatures — in ascending order of size — in order to absorb their "life force". This article is about the character in Bram Stoker's Dracula For the card game please see Renfield (card game. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described Spiders are Predatory Invertebrate Animals that have two body segments, eight legs no chewing mouth parts and no wings Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. Renfield acts as a kind of motion sensor, detecting Dracula's proximity and supplying clues accordingly.

Lucy begins to waste away suspiciously. All her suitors fret, and Seward calls in his old teacher, Professor Abraham Van Helsing from Amsterdam. Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west Van Helsing immediately determines the cause of Lucy's condition but refuses to disclose it, knowing that Seward's faith in him will be shaken if he starts to speak of vampires. Van Helsing tries multiple blood transfusions, but they are clearly losing ground. Blood transfusion is the process of transferring Blood or blood-based products from one person into the Circulatory system of another On a night when Van Helsing must return to Amsterdam (and his message to Seward asking him to watch the Westenra household is accidentally sent to the wrong address), Lucy and her mother are attacked by a wolf. The grey wolf or gray wolf ( Canis lupus) also known as the timber wolf or simply wolf, is a Mammal of the order Carnivora Mrs Westenra, who has a heart condition, dies of fright, and Lucy apparently dies soon after.

Lucy is buried, but soon afterward the newspapers report children being stalked in the night by a "bloofer lady" (as they describe it), i. e. "beautiful lady"^[1]. Van Helsing, knowing that this means Lucy has become a vampire, confides in Seward, Lord Godalming, and Morris. The suitors and Van Helsing track her down, and after a disturbing confrontation between her vampiric self and Arthur, they stake her heart, behead her, and fill the mouth with garlic. Decapitation (from Latin, caput, capitis, meaning head or beheading, is the cutting off of the head of a person or animal Allium sativum L, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the Onion family Alliaceae.

Around the same time, Jonathan Harker arrives home from recuperation in Budapest (where Mina joined and married him after his escape from the castle); he and Mina also join the coalition, who turn their attentions to dealing with Dracula.

After Dracula learns of Van Helsing and the others' plot against him, he takes revenge by visiting — and biting — Mina at least three times. Dracula also feeds Mina his blood, creating a spiritual bond between them to control her. The only way to forestall this is to kill Dracula first. Mina slowly succumbs to the blood of the vampire that flows through her veins, switching back and forth from a state of consciousness to a state of semi-trance during which she is telepathically connected with Dracula. It is this connection that they start to use to deduce Dracula's movements. It is only possible to detect Dracula's surroundings when Mina is put under hypnosis by Van Helsing. This ability gradually gets weaker as the group makes their way to Dracula's castle.

Dracula flees back to his castle in Transylvania, followed by Van Helsing's group, who manage to track him down just before sundown and destroy^[2] him by shearing "through the throat" and stabbing him in the heart with a Bowie knife. Bowie knife specifically refers to a style of knife popularized by Colonel James "Jim" Bowie and first made by James Black, although its common use refers Dracula crumbles to dust, his spell is lifted and Mina is freed from the marks. Quincey Morris is killed in the final battle, stabbed by Gypsies who had been charged with returning Dracula to his castle; the survivors return to England.

The book closes with a note about Mina's and Jonathan's married life and the birth of their first-born son, whom they name Quincey in remembrance of their American friend.

Background

Between 1879 and 1889 Stoker was business manager for the world-famous Lyceum Theatre in London, where he supplemented his income by writing a large number of sensational novels, his most famous being the vampire tale Dracula published on May 18, 1897. Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Parts of it are set around the town of Whitby, where he was living at the time. Whitby is a historic town and Civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire on the north-east coast of England.

Shakespearean actor and friend of Stoker's, Sir Henry Irving was a real-life inspiration for the character of Dracula, tailor-made to his dramatic presence, gentlemanly mannerisms and affinity for playing villain roles. Sir Henry Irving ( February 6 1838 &ndash October 13 1905) born John Henry Brodribb was an English stage actor in the Victorian era Irving, however, never agreed to play the part on stage.

Before writing Dracula, Stoker spent seven years researching European folklore and stories of vampires, being most influenced by Emily Gerard's 1885 essay "Transylvania Superstitions", and an evening spent talking about Balkan superstitions with Arminius Vambery. (Jane Emily Gerard ( 7 May 1849, Scotland – 11 January 1905) was a nineteenth century author best known for the influence her collections Ármin Vámbéry, Arminius Vámbéry born Hermann Bamberger, or Bamberger Ármin ( 19 March 1832, Dunaszerdahely &ndash

The Dead Un-Dead was one of Stoker's original titles for Dracula, and up until a few weeks before publication, the manuscript was titled simply The Un-Dead. The name of Stoker's count was originally going to be Count Vampyre, but while doing research, Stoker became intrigued by the word dracul. Dracul is derived from the word draco in the Megleno-Romanian language, meaning devil (originally dragon). Megleno-Romanian (known as Vlăheşte by speakers and Moglenitic, Meglenitic or Megleno-Romanian by linguists is a Romance language The Devil is the The dragon is a Legendary creature of which some interpretation or depiction appears in almost every culture worldwide There was also a historic figure known as Vlad III Dracula, but whether Stoker based his character on him remains debated and is now considered unlikely.

The novel has been in the public domain in the United States since its original publication because Stoker failed to follow proper copyright procedure. The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone In England and other countries following the Berne Convention on copyrights, however, the novel was under copyright until April 1962, fifty years after Stoker's death. The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, usually known as the Berne Convention, is an international agreement governing Copyright ^[3] When the unauthorized film adaptation was released in 1922, the popularity of the novel increased considerably, owing to the controversy caused when Stoker's widow tried to have the film banned. ^[4]

Reaction

When it was first published, in 1897, Dracula was not an immediate bestseller, although reviewers were unstinting in their praise. The contemporary Daily Mail ranked Stoker's powers above those of Mary Shelley and Edgar Allan Poe as well as Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. ^[5]

According to writers Nina Auerbach and David Skal, the novel is more important for modern readers than contemporary Victorian readers, who, they assert, enjoyed it as a good adventure story; and allege that it reached its iconic legend status only later in the 20th century. ^[6]This assertion is contradicted, however, by the actual statements of Victorian readers and reviewers themselves who described Dracula as "the sensation of the season" and "the most blood-curdling novel of the paralysed century". ^[7] The Daily Mail review of June 1, 1897 proclaimed it a classic of Gothic horror:

"In seeking a parallel to this weird, powerful, and horrorful story our mind reverts to such tales as The Mysteries of Udolpho, Frankenstein, The Fall of the House of Usher . Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Gothic fiction (sometimes referred to as Gothic horror) is a genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe, was published in the summer of 1794 by G Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus, generally known as Frankenstein, is a Novel written by the British author Mary Shelley " The Fall of the House of Usher " is a Short story written by Edgar Allan Poe. . . but Dracula is even more appalling in its gloomy fascination than any one of these. "^[8]

Other reviewers compared it favorably to the novels of Wilkie Collins and similar good reviews appeared when the book was published in the USA in 1899^[9]. William Wilkie Collins ( 8 January 1824 &ndash 23 September 1889) was an English Novelist, Playwright, and

Historical and geographical references

Although Dracula is a work of fiction, it does contain some historical references. The historical connections with the novel and how much Stoker knew about the history are a matter of conjecture and debate.

Following the publication of In Search of Dracula by Radu Florescu and Raymond McNally in 1972, the supposed connections between the historical Transylvanian-born Vlad III Dracula of Wallachia and Bram Stoker's fictional Dracula attracted popular attention. Radu Florescu (born 23 October, 1925) is a Romanian academic who holds the position of Emeritus Professor of History Transylvania (Ardeal or ro ''Transilvania'' Erdély, see also other denominations) is a Central European region located in the eastern half of the Carpathian This article is about the region in what is now Southern Romania During his main reign (1456–1462), "Vlad the Impaler" is said to have killed from 20,000 to 40,000 European civilians (political rivals, criminals, and anyone else he considered "useless to humanity"), mainly by using his favourite method of impaling them on a sharp pole. The main sources dealing with these events are records by Saxon settlers in neighboring Transylvania, who had frequent clashes with Vlad III and may have been biased. The Transylvanian Saxons (Siebenbürger Sachsen Erdélyi szászok Saşi are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania (Siebenbürgen from the 12th Vlad III is revered as a folk hero by Romanians for driving off the invading Turks. The Romanians (dated Rumanians or Roumanians; Romanian: români or historically and today rather seldom and only regional rumâni His impaled victims are said to have included as many as 100,000 Turkish Muslims. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation.

Historically, the name "Dracul" is derived from a secret fraternal order of knights called the Order of the Dragon, founded by Sigismund of Luxembourg (king of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, and Holy Roman Emperor) to uphold Christianity and defend the Empire against the Ottoman Turks. The Order of the Dragon ( lat. Societas Draconistrarum, ger. der Drachenorden, hun. For other nobles of the same name please see Sigismund. Sigismund ( February 14, 1368 – December 9, The Holy Roman Emperor (Römischer Kaiser or Römisch-Deutscher Kaiser Romanorum Imperator was the elected monarch ruling over the many varying numbers of states Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Vlad II Dracul, father of Vlad III, was admitted to the order around 1431 because of his bravery in fighting the Turks. Vlad II (c 1390 – December 1447 known as Vlad Dracul ("Vlad the Dragon" was a Voivode (duke of Wallachia. From 1431 onward, Vlad II wore the emblem of the order and later, as ruler of Wallachia, his coinage bore the dragon symbol. The name Dracula means "Son of Dracul".

Stoker came across the name Dracula in his reading on Romanian history, and chose this to replace the name (Count Wampyr) that he had originally intended to use for his villain. See also Timeline of Romanian history, Military history of Romania This article provides only a brief outline of each period of the History of Romania; details However, some Dracula scholars, led by Elizabeth Miller, have questioned the depth of this connection. They argue that Stoker in fact knew little of the historic Vlad III except for his nickname. There are sections in the novel where Dracula refers to his own background, and these speeches show that Stoker had some knowledge of Romanian history. Yet Stoker includes no details about Vlad III's reign and does not mention his use of impalement. Given Stoker's use of historical background to make his novel more horrific, it seems unlikely he would have failed to mention that his villain had impaled thousands of people. It seems that Stoker either did not know much about the historic Vlad III, or did not intend his character Dracula to be the same person as Vlad III.

Vlad III was an ethnic Vlach. Vlachs is a blanket term covering several modern Latin peoples descending from the Latinised population in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe In the novel, Dracula claims to be a Székely: "We Szekelys have a right to be proud. For the village in northeastern Hungary see Székely (village The Székely ( pronounced) or Szekler people (Székely . . "

The Dracula legend as he created it and as it has been portrayed in films and television shows may be a compound of various influences. Many of Stoker's biographers and literary critics have found strong similarities to the earlier Irish writer Sheridan le Fanu's classic of the vampire genre, Carmilla. Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu (28 August 1814 &ndash 7 February 1873 was an Irish writer of Gothic tales and mystery novels " Carmilla " is a Gothic novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. In writing Dracula, Stoker may also have drawn on stories about the sídhe — some of which feature blood-drinking women.

It has been suggested that Stoker was influenced by the history of Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who was born in the Kingdom of Hungary. The Kingdom of Hungary (short form Hungary) was a considerable state in Central Europe that existed from 1001 to 1918 then from 1919 to 1946 Bathory is known to have tortured and killed anywhere between 36 and 700 young women over a period of many years, and it was commonly believed that she committed these crimes in order to bathe in or drink their blood, believing that this preserved her youth. No credible evidence of blood-drinking or other blood crimes in the Bathory case has ever been found, however the stories and influence may explain why Dracula appeared younger after feeding. ^[10]

Some have claimed the castle of Count Dracula was inspired by Slains Castle, at which Bram Stoker was a guest of the 19th Earl of Erroll. Slains redirects here note that the term can also be used to refer to the general area surrounding the castle New Slains Castle is a Ruined Castle The title Earl of Erroll is an ancient one in the Peerage of Scotland. However, since as Stoker visited the castle in 1895—five years after work on Dracula had begun—there is unlikely to be much connection. Many of the scenes in Whitby and London are based on real places that Stoker frequently visited, although in some cases he distorts the geography for the sake of the story.

It has been suggested that Stoker received much historical information from Ármin Vámbéry, a Hungarian professor he met at least twice. Ármin Vámbéry, Arminius Vámbéry born Hermann Bamberger, or Bamberger Ármin ( 19 March 1832, Dunaszerdahely &ndash Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Miller argues that "there is nothing to indicate that the conversation included Vlad, vampires, or even Transylvania" and that, "furthermore, there is no record of any other correspondence between Stoker and Vámbéry, nor is Vámbéry mentioned in Stoker's notes for Dracula. "^[11]

Themes

Dracula is an epistolary novel, written as a collection of diary entries, telegrams, and letters from the characters, as well as fictional clippings from the Whitby and London newspapers and phonograph cylinders. An epistolary novel German Briefroman ---> is a Novel written as a series of documents This literary style, made most famous by one of the most popular novels of the 19th century, The Woman in White (1860), was considered rather old-fashioned by the time of the publication of Dracula, but it adds a sense of realism and provides the reader with the perspective of most of the major characters. The Woman in White is an Epistolary novel written by Wilkie Collins in 1859, serialized in 1859-1860 and first published in book By use of the epistolary structure, Stoker, without employing either an omniscient narrator or any awkward framing device, maximizes suspense by avoiding any implicit promise to the reader that any first-person narrator must survive all the story's perils. The third-person narrative is a Narrative mode applying the third person. The term framing device refers to the usage of the same single action scene event setting or any element of significance at both the beginning and end of an artistic

Although some critics find the novel somewhat crude and sensational, it nevertheless retains its psychological power, and the sexual longings underlying the vampire attacks are manifest. As one critic wrote:

What has become clearer and clearer, particularly in the fin de siècle years of the twentieth century, is that the novel's power has its source in the sexual implications of the blood exchange between the vampire and his victims. . . Dracula has embedded in it a very disturbing psychosexual allegory whose meaning I am not sure Stoker entirely understood: that there is a demonic force at work in the world whose intent is to eroticize women. In Dracula we see how that force transforms Lucy Westenra, a beautiful nineteen-year-old virgin, into a shameless slut. ^[12]

Dracula may be viewed as a novel about the struggle between tradition and modernity at the fin de siècle. Fin de siècle (fɑ̃ dɛ si'ɛːkl French for ‛end of the century‘ was a cultural movement between 1880 and the beginning of World War I. Throughout, there are various references to changing gender roles; Mina Harker can be seen as a thoroughly modern woman, using such modern technologies as the typewriter. Gender comprises a range of differences between men and women extending from the biological to the social A typewriter is a mechanical or Electromechanical device with a set of "keys" that when pressed cause characters to be printed on a medium She also displays some characteristics of the New Woman through her rejection of deference to male superiority and her economic independence. However, Mina still embodies a traditional gender role, as seen in her feminine and maternal nature and her occupation as as an assistant schoolmistress.

Stoker's novel deals in general with the conflict between the world of the past — full of folklore, legend, and religious piety — and the emerging modern world of technology, positivism, and secularism. History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological A legend ( Latin, legenda, "things to be read" is a Narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to In spiritual terminology piety is a Virtue. While different people may understand its meaning differently it is generally used to refer either to religious devotion Positivism is the Philosophy that the only authentic knowledge is knowledge that is based on actual sense experience Secularism is generally the assertion that governmental practices or institutions should exist separately from Religion or religious beliefs

Van Helsing epitomizes this struggle because he uses, at the time, extremely modern technologies like blood transfusions; but he is not so modern as to eschew the idea that a demonic being could be causing Lucy's illness: he spreads garlic around the sashes and doors of her room and makes her wear a garlic flower necklace. After Lucy's death, he receives an indulgence from a Catholic cleric to use the Eucharist (held by the Church to be trans-substantiated into the body and blood of Jesus) in his fight against Dracula. The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names is a Christian Sacrament by which in a common interpretation those Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) In trying to bridge the rational/superstitious conflict within the story, he cites new sciences, such as hypnotism, that were only recently considered magical. Hypnosis is often thought to be a wakeful state of focused attention and heightened suggestibility with diminished peripheral awareness He also quotes (without attribution) the American psychologist William James, whose writings on the power of belief become the only way to deal with this conflict. Mental health professional A psychologist is a practitioner of Psychology, the systematic investigation of the mind including Behavior, Cognition, For other people named William James see William James (disambiguation William James (January 11 1842 – August 26 1910 was a pioneering

No character in the novel advocates a rejection of science in favour of either religion or superstition. Van Helsing receives the admiration of the other characters and succeeds in defeating Dracula by dint of a combination of encyclopedic knowledge and "open-mindedness. " Late in the novel, as Dr. Seward comes to embrace Van Helsing's open-mindedness, he writes, "In an age when the existence of ptomaines is a mystery we should not wonder at anything!" For the characters, and presumably for the author, science opens the possibility of shockingly unfamiliar phenomena. If the novel sounds a cautionary note, it merely warns against the presumption that established science as yet offers a complete world-view. Within Stoker's fictional universe, (correct) superstitious beliefs have an empirical basis and promise to yield to scientific inquiry.

Jonathan Harker's character displays the problems of dwelling in a strictly rational modern world. Visiting Count Dracula in Eastern Europe, Jonathan scoffs at the peasants who tell him to delay his visit until after Saint George's feast day. In Christian hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Anglican Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox As a solicitor, Jonathan is concerned “with facts — bare meagre facts, verified by books and figures, and of which there can be no doubt”. All of Jonathan’s rationality weakens him to what he witnesses at Castle Dracula. For example, the first time Jonathan witnesses Dracula crawling down the face of the castle headfirst, he is in complete disbelief. Not believing what he sees, he attempts to explain what he saw as a trick of the moonlight.

The characters of Dracula use modern technology and rationalism to defeat the Count. For example, during their pursuit of the vampire, they use railroads and steamships, not to mention the telegraph (and a telephone is even used on their behalf at one point), to keep a step ahead of him (in contrast, Dracula escapes in a sailing ship). "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving a Propeller Basic principle A traditional landline telephone system also known as "plain old telephone service" (POTS, commonly handles both signaling and audio information Van Helsing uses hypnotism to pinpoint Dracula's location. Mina even employs criminology to anticipate Dracula's actions and cites both Cesare Lombroso and Max Nordau, who at that time were considered experts in this field. Schools of thought In the mid-18th century criminology arose as social philosophers gave thought to crime and concepts of law Cesare Lombroso, born Ezechia Marco Lombroso ( November 6, 1835 – October 19, 1909) was a Jewish Italian Max Simon Nordau ( July 29, 1849 - January 23, 1923) born Simon Maximilian Südfeld, Südfeld Simon Miksa in Pest

A number of scholars have noted the theme of a 'barbarian' prince attempting to usurp British society as being an example of the invasion literature which was popular at the time. Invasion literature (or the invasion novel) was a historical Literary genre most notable between 1871 and the First World War (1914 Author Kim Newman characterized Dracula as being the story of "a one-man invasion" and drew attention to Van Helsing's claim that Dracula's goal was to become "the father or furthurer of a new order of beings, whose road must lead through Death, not Life". Kim Newman (born July 31, 1959) is an English journalist, film critic, and Fiction Writer. ^[13]

Adaptations

For more details on this topic, see Dracula in popular culture. The character of Count Dracula from the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, has remained popular over the years and many Films have used the Count

Dracula has been the basis for countless films and plays. Three of the most famous are Nosferatu (1922), Dracula (1931), and Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). Nosferatu A Symphony of Horror is a German Expressionist film by F Dracula is a classic 1931 Horror film directed by Tod Browning and starring Béla Lugosi as the title character Bram Stoker's Dracula (aka Dracula) is a 1992 horror - Romance film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola Nosferatu, a film directed by the German director F. W. Murnau, was produced while Stoker's widow was alive, and the filmmakers were forced to change the setting and the characters' names for copyright reasons. The vampire in Nosferatu is called Count Orlok rather than Count Dracula.

The character of Count Dracula has remained popular over the years, and many films have used the character as a villain, while others have named him in their titles, such as Dracula's Daughter, Brides of Dracula, and Zoltan, Hound of Dracula. Dracula's Daughter is a 1936 Horror film, a sequel to the 1931 film Dracula. For the characters from the novel see Brides of Dracula. The Brides of Dracula is a 1960 British Zoltan Hound of Dracula (also released as Dracula's Dog) is a 1978 film in which a 17th century innkeeper (played by Reggie Nalder An estimated 160 films (as of 2004) feature Dracula in a major role, a number second only to Sherlock Holmes. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional detective of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who first appeared in Publication in 1887 The number of films that include a reference to Dracula may reach as high as 649, according to the Internet Movie Database.

Most adaptations do not include all the major characters from the novel. The Count is always present, and Jonathan and Mina Harker, Dr. Seward, Dr. Van Helsing, and Renfield usually appear as well. Jonathan Harker is a fictional character and the Protagonist in the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker (though other productions show Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker is a Fictional character in Bram Stoker 's horror novel Dracula. Dr John Seward is a Fictional character appearing in Bram Stoker 's 1897 novel Dracula. This article is about the character in Bram Stoker's Dracula For the card game please see Renfield (card game. The characters of Mina and Lucy are often combined into a single female role. Jonathan Harker and Renfield are also sometimes reversed or combined. Quincey Morris and Arthur Holmwood are usually omitted entirely. Quincey P Morris is a Fictional character in Bram Stoker 's novel Dracula. The Honourable Arthur Holmwood (later Lord Godalming) is a Fictional character in Bram Stoker 's novel Dracula.

Dracula's Guest

In 1914, two years after Stoker's death, the short story Dracula's Guest was posthumously published. Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories is a collection of short stories by Bram Stoker, first published in 1914 two years after Stoker's death It was, according to most contemporary critics, the deleted first (or second) chapter from the original manuscript^[14] and the one which gave the volume its name,^[15] but which the original publishers deemed unnecessary to the overall story.

Dracula's Guest follows an unnamed Englishman traveller (whom most readers identify as Jonathan Harker, assuming it is the same character from the novel) as he wanders around Munich before leaving for Transylvania. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. It is Walpurgis Night, and in spite of the coachman's warnings, the young Englishman foolishly leaves his hotel and wanders through a dense forest alone. Walpurgis Night is a traditional religious holiday (celebrated by Pagans Roman Catholics and Satanists ref> About the Church of Satan alike celebrated Along the way he feels he is being watched by a tall and thin stranger (possibly Count Dracula).

The short story climaxes in an old graveyard, where in a marble tomb (with a large iron stake driven into it), he encounters the ghost of a female vampire called Countess Dolingen. The spirit of this malevolent and beautiful vampire awakens from her marble bier to conjure a snowstorm before being struck by lightning and returning to her eternal prison. A bier is a stand on which a corpse, or Coffin containing a corpse is placed to Lie in state or to be carried to the Grave. Harker's troubles are not quite over, as a wolf then emerges through the blizzard and attacks him. However, the wolf merely keeps him warm and alive until help arrives.

When Harker is finally taken back to his hotel, a telegram awaits him from his expectant host Dracula, with a warning about "dangers from snow and wolves and night".

See also

• Elizabeth Báthory
• Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
• Vlad III the Impaler
• Tsutomu Miyazaki
• Alucard
• Castlevania
• Blacula
• Universal Monsters
• Draculin

Notes and references

Bibliography

• Dalby, Richard and Hughes, William. Bram Stoker: A Bibliography (Westcliff-on-Sea: Desert Island Books, 2005)
• Frayling, Christopher. Sir Christopher John Frayling (born 25 December 1946) is a British educationalist and writer known Vampyres: Lord Byron to Count Dracula (1992) ISBN 0-571-16792-6
• Hughes, William. Beyond Dracula: Bram Stoker's Fiction and its Cultural Contexts (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 2000)
• McNally, Raymond T. & Florescu, Radu. In Search of Dracula. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. ISBN 0-395-65783-0
• Miller, Elizabeth. Dracula: Sense & Nonsense. 2nd ed. Desert Island Books, 2006. ISBN 1-905328-15-X
• Wolf, Leonard. Leonard Wolf is an author teacher and the father of Naomi Wolf. The Essential Dracula. ibooks, inc. , 2004. ISBN 0-7434-9803-8

External links

Editions

• Dracula, available at Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works , text version of 1897 edition. PDF
• Dracula, New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1897. Scanned first edition from Internet Archive. The Internet Archive ( IA) is a Nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining an on-line Library and archive of Web and

Dracula, edited by William Hughes and Diane Mason (Bath: Artswork Books, 2007) ISBN 978-0-9545648-7-2

• Dracula, human-read audio version by LibriVox
• eBooks@Adelaide — HTML version