Conceived primarily as bloodcurdling tales of horror, gothic novels tend to feature strong supernatural elements juxtaposed with familiar backdrops. Dracula is an epistolary novel by bram stoker that follows a group of english friends and their encounters with count dracula, a vampire jonathan harker travels to. See a complete list of the characters in dracula and indepth analyses of count dracula, van helsing, mina murray, and lucy westenra. Every book on your english syllabus summed up in a quote from the office. The others catch up with the count just as he is about to reach his castle, and jonathan and quincey use knives to destroy him. A summary of chapters xvxviii in bram stokers dracula. Bram stokers dracula is a 1992 american gothic horror film directed and produced by francis ford coppola, based on the novel dracula by bram stoker. It stars gary oldman as count dracula, winona ryder as mina harker, anthony hopkins as professor abraham van helsing, and keanu reeves as jonathan harker dracula was theatrically released in the united states on. Dracula is an epistolary gothic horror novel written in 1897 by bram stoker, an irish author who became famous after writing about the vampire named count dracula, who later on had many interpretations theater, movie and television. Over the years, there has been a great deal of debate over the exact date of publication of this book. Budapesth seems a wonderful place, from the glimpse which i.
Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. Early in the novel, as harker becomes uncomfortable with his lodgings and his host at castle dracula. Other countries, like germany and the us, were starting to gain power both economically and politically. Heres where youll find analysis about the book as a whole. A new edition of one of the greatest horror stories in english literature, the novel that spawned a myth and a proliferation of vampire franchises in film, television, graphic novels. Eventually, the count will insinuate himself into harkers life in england, turning harkers associates wife, lucy, into one of the undead, and eventually trying to win. Universally recognized as the archetype of the vampire, he is one of the most famous. This short story written by the author of the novel dracula was published in 1914, two years after stokers death.
Dracula, novel by bram stoker, derived from vampire legends and published in 1897, that became the basis for an entire genre of literature and film. In bram stoker s dracula, jonathan harker is sent to transylvania, where he meets the vampire who has been undead for several hundred years and keeps his vitality by sucking blood from live victims. Over the past few decades there have been numerous books that analyze, discuss and annotate dracula, but none come this close to giving you true insight into bram stoker s thought process as he developed the novel. It introduced count dracula, and established many conventions of subsequent vampire fantasy. Westenra, who tells them that she has also helped lucys cause by emptying her bedroom of all the smelly garlic van helsing had placed in it the night before. Created by harvard students for students everywhere, sparknotes is a new breed of study guide. Eventually victimized by dracula herself, mina is also the best friend of the counts first victim in the novel, lucy westenra. This novel is not told in a straightforward, chronological, omniscient manner, like many nineteenthcentury novels. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and.
Dracula is an 1897 gothic horror novel by irish author bram stoker. Bram stoker, chapter 1, dracula, lit2go edition, 1897, accessed may 09. Van helsing takes mina with him, and they cleanse castle dracula by killing the three female vampires and sealing the entrances with sacred objects. Dracula, by bram stoker, is a wellthought out, complex novel that leaves the reader pageturning into the late hours of the night. Though stoker wrote dracula well after the heyday of the gothic novelthe period from approximately 1760 to 1820 the novel draws on many conventions of the genre, especially in these opening chapters. Written in epistolary form, dracula chronicles a vampires journey from transylvania to the nighttime streets of london and is a virtual textbook of victorianera fears and anxieties. Seward picks up van helsing at his hotel, and they return to lucys home. Dracula book by bram stoker official publisher page. The authors use of imagery and detail make the novel complete and help to further the readers understanding. Stoker concordance this is a concordance that allows you to search etexts of the works of bram stoker. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Count dracula his first name is never disclosed is the titular main antagonist of the 1897 legendary horror novel dracula by the late author bram stoker. By becoming involved with dracula, jonathan harker learns of the true horror of the counts power, but little does he know just how far the monsters power will reach.
This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of dracula. First published in 1897, the novel was influenced by a history of vampire myths and stories, but stoker shaped all those fragmented tales to create a literary legend that was just the start of what we know and understand about vampires in current literature. Stoker also wrote several other horror novels, including the. A summary of chapters vvii in bram stokers dracula. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of dracula and what it means. Classic vampire tale is sexier and darker than you remember. It was first published in the uk by archibald constable and company, westminster. Bram stokers iconic novel dracula begins with a young man, jonathan harker, arriving in transylvania where he has an appointment to keep with a certain count dracula.
The literary gothic this website has a lot of good links about bram stoker, dracula, and film adaptations of the novel. What is not entirely clear here, or elsewhere in the novel, is whether renfield develops this philosophy first, and finds out that dracula, too, shares it, or if renfield learns somehow of. Dracula cliffsnotes study guides book summaries, test. Using various methods, including the hypnosis of mina, they follow dracula all the way to the borgo pass in transylvania, where they find the last remaining box being transported to castle dracula by a group of gypsies. It takes a lot of water, and running strong, to sweep the outside edge of a river clear. He was a sickly boy but he fully recovered when he was seven. Dracula sparknotes literature guide by sparknotes, bram. Dracula sparknotes literature guide by bram stoker making the reading experience fun. Bram stoker wrote the novel dracula in 1897 although vampire legends existed before he wrote this book, stoker created what has become the most wellknown version of a vampire a version that still persists through literature and film today, based on the historical figure vlad the impaler.
The novel is usually considered flawed, or even a spoiled masterpiece. Bram stoker edited by roger luckhurst oxford worlds classics. The novel begins on may 3 rd with jonathan harkers journal. It follows the vampire count dracula from his castle in transylvania to england, where he is hunted while turning others into vampires. Learning all they can of draculas affairs, van helsing and his band track down the boxes of earth that the count uses as a sanctuary during the night from draculas castle. Dracula based on the novel by bram stoker thoughtco.
A true masterwork of storytelling, dracula has transcended generation, language, and culture to become one of the most popular novels ever written. It is a quintessential tale of suspense and horror, boasting one of the most terrifying characters ever born in literature. For here was a great bedroom well lighted and warmed with another log fire, also added to but lately, for the top logs were fresh, which sent a hollow roar up the wide chimney. The novel tells the story of draculas attempt to move from transylvania to england so that he may find new blood and spread the undead curse, and of the battle between dracula and a. The novel tells the story of dracula s attempt to move from transylvania to england so that he may find new blood and spread the undead curse, and of the battle between dracula and a small group of people led by. During this lesson, we will explore bram stokers novel, dracula. The play dracula dramatized by hamilton dean and john l. Bram stoker books list of books by author bram stoker. At the time bram stoker was writing dracula 1897, great britains worldwide empire was starting to crumble. The dracula study guide contains a biography of bram stoker, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major. Their efforts seem to be going well, but then one of dr. Stoker visited the seaside town of whitby in england in 1890 and found inspiration for his excellent novel dracula. The first character in the novel to fall under draculas spell, lucy becomes a vampire, which.
He had no other major health problems and even became an athlete at trinity college, dublin when he studied there from 18641870. Others want to carry documents around with them on their mobile phones and read while they are on the move. Sewards mental patients, renfield, lets dracula into the asylum where the others are staying, allowing the. Count dracula, a tragic, nightdwelling specter who feeds upon the blood of the living, and whose diabolical. Home english literature classic books dracula navigate here chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 3 chapter 4 chapter 5 chapter 6 chapter 7 chapter 8 chapter 9 chapter 10 chapter 11 chapter 12 chapter chapter 14 chapter 15 chapter 16 chapter 17 chapter 18 chapter 19 chapter 20 chapter 21 chapter 22 chapter 23 chapter 24 chapter 25 chapter 26. A facsimile edition is one of these essential books. Dracula by bram stoker meet your next favorite book.
The author, bram stoker, a young victorian theater professional, was probably inspired by the strange epidemic of vampirism that occurred in remote parts of eastern europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. William goldings lord of the flies summary duration. Instead, it is composed of a collage of letters, journal entries and diary jottings, in addition to a portion of a ships log, various newspaper clippings, and even a phonograph diary. A summary of chapters iiiv in bram stokers dracula. Draculas guest gives readers a spooky taste of bram stokers classic novel. When the novel begins, he is in budapest, on his way to count draculas estate, located somewhere in the. After a summary of the events in the book, we will analyze the novel by looking at a few of its themes and motifs in closer detail. Dracula is a novel by bram stoker that was first published in 1897. Many people prefer to read offline or to print out text and read from the real printed page. It introduced the character of count dracula and established many conventions of subsequent vampire fantasy. Explanations are feeble or lacking for why dracula wants to come to england, why hes so wealthy, how he is existing successfully, etc.
Dracula by bram stoker full text free book file size. See more ideas about bram stokers dracula, bram stoker and dracula. Harker is a london lawyer traveling by train across europe. The introduction of the concept of life and life force in the novel. The collected supernatural and weird fiction of bram stoker. Famous for introducing the character of the vampire count dracula, the novel tells the story of draculas attempt to move from transylvania to england so he may find new blood and spread the undead curse, and the battle between dracula and a small group of men and women led by professor abraham van. Bram stoker 18471912 dracula tells the tale of a sinister transylvanian aristocrat who seeks to retain his youth and strength by feeding off human blood. Dracula is, of course, one of the most renowned horror stories, and the most wellknown vampire novel. The count is looking for a london home and jonathan, who has the details of a large house that might suit dracula, is keen to make the counts acquaintance and visit him in his. This novel is a gothic horror story about a vampire attempting to move to england.
1554 1090 1472 941 378 1121 333 962 940 679 449 239 186 449 1154 165 1378 218 867 1159 271 349 867 28 1126 734 418 968 1268 794 799 387 590 319