“Welcome to my abode! Enter of your own free will, enter without fear and leave here a part of the happiness you bring with you.”

Few welcome messages are as great as this one in literature. I consider that, together with the reception that the Cheshire Cat gives to Alice in Wonderland (“We're all mad here. And if you're here, it's because you're mad too”), they transform into something unforgettable the memory one has of these so classic, brilliant and beloved books by readers all over the world.

After reading “Dracula”, I must recognize the immense relevance that this book by Bram Stoker has. And I'm not referring to that relevance that it managed to achieve thanks to the countless movies that appeared after its publication in 1897, from Murnau's “Nosferatu” in 1922, Bela Lugosi in 1931, who died believing that he was really Dracula, the countless characterizations of Christopher Lee in the '70s, to the one that portrays the book most faithfully, I'm referring to Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film, among others. Particularly in my case, and after having read the book a bit late in my opinion, and by this I mean that it was almost impossible for me to get the image of Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing, Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker or Winona Ryder out of my mind when imagining the face of Mina Murray. But it's not the movies, it's this great book that concerns me in this review.

It took Bram Stoker seven years to write “Dracula” and although we can think that he based part of his inspiration on other novels and stories about vampirism, he managed to forge the image of Dracula as he had it in mind when the original title of the book was “The Un-dead”.

The origins of vampirism as a theme in literature must first take us back to the story “The Vampyre” by John Polidori, which emerged after that friendly suggestion of a literary competition that the poet Lord Byron (Polidori was his doctor) proposed to this author and to two emblems of romanticism such as the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and his future wife, Mary Goodwin, who with her husband's surname, would give birth to another famous monster: Frankenstein.

All of this is part of the book “Fantasmagoriana”, a short book that includes those stories and that I recommend reading.

Another推动者 of the genre was one of the initiators of Romanticism in Germany, I'm referring to E.T.A. Hoffmann with his story “Vampirism” and finally to a great gothic author of stories and novels of ghosts whom I admire a lot: Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. His famous novel “Carmilla” also deals with vampirism, with the added attraction that it is a woman who takes the place of the count in that story, which touches on certain dangerous lesbian edges, especially for the year in which it was published: 1872.

It should be noted that although Stoker may have been inspired by these stories, in the end he will end up clearly differentiating himself from all of them (although personally I think that he doesn't stray too far from “Carmilla” in terms of the sexual attractions that Dracula implies), endowing the count with all the attractive sensual attributes at his disposal to attract women under his power as well as the demonic ones that he uses to cause damage to all those he wants to dominate and defeat.

Because Dracula embodies all the evil that there is in man and at the same time strips bare all those fears that have accompanied us since the beginning of time, especially the fear of the unknown, something that Mina transforms into an attraction when in part of her diary she says: “Omne ignotum pro magnifico (Everything unknown seems wonderful).”

Dracula himself was able to be a man who was morally corrupting himself until he became the abomination that he became. Because it's inevitable to accept that one fears the unknown until one verifies that it is tangible and affects us directly in a good or bad way. As in every novel with a well-defined villain, we have several characters dancing around him and whose importance is as great as that of the first.

The book has the necessary characters for everything to work correctly, since in addition to the three main ones, we find others who are key when it comes to closing the circle of the plot and I'm referring to Doctor John Seward, Lucy Westenra (who will be a fundamental axis of the story to understand why so many things happen), Arthur, her fiancé, the American Quincey Jones and finally Reinfeld, the madman locked up in Seward's asylum, due to his relationship with the count, who has him under his control.

An interesting characteristic that takes the novel out of the traditional forms of writing since it is narrated in the form of a personal diary, of letters, from newspaper articles and even telegrams and memorandums. It is attractive to find ourselves with this form in which Stoker wrote the book, since it helps us to “string together” what happens to understand the story. It's not the only example of books written in this way, in fact, two others come to my mind, such as “Poor Folk” by Fyodor Dostoevsky and “The Sorrows of Young Werther” by Johann von Goethe, although these are told specifically in an epistolary form.

In these current times, I'm referring to this 21st century and after so many horror movies (and I'm referring again to cinema as a method of exemplifying what generates visual fear, through the screen), it's difficult for one to be absolutely scared by any of these books that once caused discomfort and with this I can name authors who made a cult of the genre such as Poe or Lovecraft, but I must confirm that although I didn't feel “fear”, I was able to fully immerse myself in the story from what Jonathan Harker tells during his stay in Dracula's castle, at the beginning of the novel. When he relates the moment he sees the count crawling head down the walls of the castle, I recognize that the way Stoker has written it is excellent, since together with the description of the attack on Lucy Westenra, already converted, they seem to me magnificently narrated moments.

The choice of certain characteristics of Romanticism, added to gothic settings, unforgettable characters and fatal women and terrifying extraordinary events against which ordinary men battle, renew the shine of such a unique and unforgettable classic.

“We learn from our failures, not from our success”, says Stoker through the character of Van Helsing. Perhaps in his case it was so, since like so many other writers (Melville, Kafka, Poe), success eluded him and it can be said that he was only recognized for this book. But in the end, he triumphed. The very count Dracula, from liters of blood spilled over the years, took care of placing Bram Stoker in the place he deserves within literature: among the greats.

This is a great classic, but there is an excessive amount of repetition. Additionally, there are not as many parts specifically about Dracula as one might expect. There are numerous points of view, and the narrator, especially when it comes to the accents of the Romanian characters (as I listened to some on audiobook), sometimes caused me to lose focus. However, overall, it is a beautiful read and a great introduction to Dracula. Now that I have finished this, I can move on to reading "A Dowry of Blood".

It's interesting how the different povs add depth to the story, but at the same time, the repetition can be a bit tiresome. The accents of the Romanian characters, while perhaps adding an element of authenticity, did pose a challenge for me in fully understanding the narrative at times. Nevertheless, I still appreciate the beauty and significance of this classic, and I'm excited to explore "A Dowry of Blood" next.

I think it's important to note that despite its flaws, this book has managed to capture my interest and has piqued my curiosity about the world of Dracula. I'm looking forward to seeing how "A Dowry of Blood" builds upon or perhaps offers a different perspective on this well-known vampire legend.

Oh, the dreadful struggle that I have endured against sleep so frequently of late! The agony of sleeplessness, or the torment of the fear of sleep, with such unknown horror as it holds for me! How truly blessed are those individuals whose lives are devoid of fears and dreads; for them, sleep is a nightly blessing that brings nothing but sweet dreams.

I finally managed to get around to reading Dracula, and I am overjoyed that I did! It is a story and a character that have become deeply ingrained in our collective consciousness in such a profound manner that reading the original material is a captivating game of spotting the differences.

I relished the epistolary structure of the novel and the numerous characters we had the opportunity to encounter. However, by far the best was Van Helsing. He was a man so melodramatic, amorous, and talkative that I instantly fell in love with him, while at the same time wishing he would learn to be a bit more concise in his communication.

By modern standards, this novel is precariously balanced on the verge of being too repetitive and wordy to be regarded as "tightly plotted" or "well-paced." Nevertheless, none of us choose to read a book written over a century ago because we are seeking something that adheres to modern writing conventions.

If you are a lover of classics, the supernatural, and theatrically romantic characters, I highly recommend that you give this one a read!

Trigger/Content Warnings: blood, death, animal death, medical content

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I made a journey to Whitby with the intention of reading Dracula for the very first time. Whitby is a place that holds a special charm and significance when it comes to this classic novel. As I arrived in Whitby, I was immediately captivated by its beautiful coastal scenery and the historical atmosphere that seemed to linger in the air.

I found a quiet spot, perhaps by the old abbey ruins or along the shore, and settled down to begin reading Dracula. The words on the page seemed to come alive in this setting, as if the story was unfolding right before my eyes.

I was completely immersed in the tale, feeling the chills and thrills that Bram Stoker had intended. It was an experience like no other, and I couldn't wait to share it with others.

That's why I decided to document my experience of reading Dracula in Whitby and post it on YouTube. You can check it out by clicking on the link: https://youtu.be/SwCXVp-bdkw. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Books rarely make me burst out laughing and never scare me. Maybe a bit of unease, but never fear. So it didn't surprise me that this one didn't either. On the contrary, I was indeed surprised by the touches of humor that appear from time to time (“women looked beautiful if you didn't get close to them”) or the description he makes of the count, which contrasts so much with the cinematographic iconography. The truth is that I can't imagine Dracula with a mustache and wide hands and chubby fingers. It also caught my attention, although it didn't surprise me given the author's gender and the era, the unlimited admiration that the ladies feel for the male gender and, in comparison, the little esteem they show for their own.

Overall, despite the missteps with topics like transfusions, thus demonstrating the great contempt for science that the author felt, or some facts in the plot not well justified, or that ending that seemed as if the author, at night, eager to go to sleep, finished it off in a hurry, it entertained me, nothing more.

It is clear that the novel has the great virtue of having created the myth of Dracula, which is not within everyone's reach. And yet, the character was manifestly improved later.

By the way, Luis Alberto de Cuenca tells us in the prologue of my edition that the idea of creating the king of the vampires occurred to Stoker after dining on an indigestible crab.

I firmly believe that this was my third encounter with this book. However, it was the very first time that I listened to it in audio format.

It was a full cast performance, and let me tell you, it was truly outstanding. The voices of the actors were so well-suited to the characters and the story that it made the experience come alive.

I would highly recommend this audio version to all horror fans who have an aversion to reading in epistolary form. The voicing here is so vivid that it really brings the diary entries and letters to life, making you feel as if you are right there with the characters, experiencing their恐惧 and uncertainty.

If you are a fan of classic horror stories, then this is definitely a must-listen. It will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish and leave you craving more.

I spent two weeks and finally finished reading "Dracula" by Bram Stoker, which was published in 1897. This novel truly pioneered the vampire genre. I had watched the film adaptation twice, but since I heard that the film had made significant changes, I decided to read the novel.

The novel's narrative is quite ingenious. It is pieced together through diaries, letters, and other materials from various characters involved in the story. Surprisingly, the information doesn't overlap, which shows great skill. The film retains the diary's structural role. I remember that the beginning (after the introduction of Dracula's history) starts with Jonathan's diary. However, in the film, the diary only serves a structural purpose – and of course, it can only serve a structural purpose.

In the novel, Count Dracula doesn't appear as a vampire until the latter half, while the film reveals his identity in the prologue. I can't say which treatment creates more suspense because in both forms of experiencing this story, either the reader or the viewer must already know the ending. If you only watch one or the other, both treatments can generate enough suspense. Perhaps the form of "suspense" in film and in novels is fundamentally different.

As a novel, "Dracula" is obviously more convoluted than the 1992 film adaptation "Bram Stoker's Dracula." So much so that I started to get anxious even though I knew the ending. However, while the film simplifies many of the plot points, it strengthens one element – love. I think this weakens the film's horror essence to some extent but can attract a certain audience who likes romance films and can be seen as a strategy to win at the box office. In the film, Mina's past life is Dracula's lover. 400 years ago, Dracula went to war to resist the Turks, and when he returned victorious, he found that his lover had drowned herself after hearing rumors of his death. Therefore, her soul could not enter heaven, and in anger, Dracula pierced the holy image and drank the blood that flowed out, thus becoming a vampire. This is not in the novel, and the novel doesn't even mention how he became a vampire.

400 years later, he sees a photo of Jonathan's fiancée, Mina, and finds that she looks very much like his lover, so he goes to London to find his love again. Clearly, the strengthening of the love element gives the evil image of Dracula in the original work a more sympathetic side. In the novel, Dracula drinks Mina's blood and then forces Mina to drink his, to turn her into one of his kind. This scene is described as a terrifying and sad image. In the film, however, Mina willingly asks for it, and even halfway through, Dracula says, "I love you too much to let you lose your soul and become like me," but Mina says, "Make me what you are..." At this point, I dare say that Dracula is almost a positive image in my eyes. Of course, films are more modern than books, and perhaps in the eyes of modern people, there is no absolute boundary between good and evil.

By the end of the film, I even involuntarily forgot that vampires are evil and instead admired him for his escape in that chase. But when I read the book, it was the complete opposite. In fact, by the end of the book, I was no longer reading word for word but directly associating what I read with the images from the film. I remember a parallel montage of a sunset, a carriage, and Mina in front of the castle, creating a sense of tension. But when watching the film, I was nervous for Dracula, while when reading the book, I was nervous for the hunters.

These two different expectations also led to two different endings. In the novel, the hunters catch up to the carriage before sunset and destroy Dracula, a satisfying ending (although one of the heroes is sacrificed, it doesn't affect the novel's happy ending). In the film, although Dracula is seriously injured before reaching the castle and it is almost sunset, Mina rescues him back to the castle, and he also realizes his sins and returns to God, so Mina pierces his heart, allowing him to rest in peace. Perhaps some would still consider this a tragic ending, but to a certain extent, it is also a comforting ending, and perhaps it also implies some of the director's religious beliefs? I don’t know.

I think this interpretation in the film does not deviate from the original thought (except for the part in the film where Van Helsing mocks Lucy for having intercourse with a vampire, which is not consistent with the original work), but instead clarifies the implicit thoughts in the original work and makes the characters more full. It can be said to be a relatively successful adaptation - at least, it allows me to patiently read the original after watching the film.

4.5 / 5 stars

**What a Leech!**

London, 1890s. Jonathan Harker returns from Transylvania, and soon after, a series of bizarre incidents begin to occur all around Whitby. Worst of all, a strange malady seems to be slowly draining the life out of the helpless Lucy. Mina, her most trusted friend, is unable to assist her. After some investigations, it is concluded that the deed is the sole work of a mysterious figure of the night, none other than Count Dracula himself. Jonathan Harker, Mina's fiancé, and Professor Van Helsing are the only ones who may be able to stop him, once and for all.

This is the original work, the mother of all bloodsuckers, the holy grail of vampirism, and the genius masterpiece of Bram Stoker. It has given birth to an infinity of books, movies, series, and any vampire-like machination. The story features the intrepid Jonathan Harker, the delicate Mina, the gentlemanly Arthur, the angelic Lucy, the charismatic Doctor Seward, and the wise and audacious Van Helsing. And of course, we cannot forget the all-father of anything undead, the quintessential vampire, the immortal, Machiavellian, and all-powerful Count Dracula. May he rest in peace.

This is an all-time classic that hardly requires any introduction. It is a must-read for any bookworm. Although it is not my favorite classic, as the pacing is not great and it is not exactly easy to read, it is still a better story than Twilight. It is recommendable for the classical nerd.

It is in the public domain, and you can find it [HERE](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/345).

*** Dracula (1992) is an acceptable adaptation that is reasonably faithful to the original work, but with many deviations, none of which are too bothersome. The cast includes stars like Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Gary Oldman, and Cary Elwes, but unfortunately, their performances did not amount to much. It is not their best work, and I especially disliked Sadie Frost as Lucy. There are some unscripted scenes, an awkward atmosphere, and pacing issues. Honestly, on the whole, it is a little over the top. It is not my favorite film, but it is still decent enough to watch, if only to complement the reading. The book definitely won this round.

This classic novel, Dracula, has always had a unique charm that both amuses and mystifies me. I have a great appreciation for Stoker's atmospheric writing and the epistolary nature of the story. The first half of the book is particularly engaging, with its high creep factor and element of mystery that draw me in. However, I find that the second half doesn't quite maintain the same level of entertainment.

I had a more enjoyable experience reading the annotated edition by Leslie S. Klinger. It pointed out many glaring inconsistencies in the book that I had overlooked on my first read.

While the annotated edition was enlightening, I wish it had delved deeper into the symbolic sexual implications of the text. This is one of the most intriguing aspects of the novel, especially considering its publication date in 1897.

Although Dracula isn't my favorite classic, I'm still glad to have read it. It makes for a fun read during the spooky season.

Click here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend.

If you love Dracula, be sure to check out The Beetle by Richard Marsh.

  

In the peaceful and enchanting Whitby, Lucy and Mina try to calm their anxiety about their missing fiancé in Romania.

A psychiatrist suffers from Lucy's rejection of her fiancé and occupies himself with following a special type of patient... He loves chasing mosquitoes and spiders... Fascinated by life.

A dark ship sails in Whitby during a coming storm and a dark and chilly atmosphere... Without any crew on its surface except a priest... A priest bound to his coffin, dead.

An invasion of the houses in England... A journey by the Orient Express... And another by river... Wolves and vampires and a world fascinated by myths and legends... And more.

What did you think? Did you think you would stay locked in a castle in Transylvania writing your diaries only?

Forget those cheap movies that distorted the original story and imprisoned it in clichés.

And forget the love story between the girl with the determined features and the boy who shines in the sunlight.

Dracula is a better love story than Twilight :)

And above all the previous... A crazy writer states that all the important events in the novel are based on real events, and even the characters, including the English one, are real.

Bram Stoker actually built a world of bloodsuckers in an academic way and with a diverse framework of adventures, characters and places at the same time. He really did a job that makes you feel the exhaustion of the five years in which he collected the real information from different countries about myths and cultures.

Real historical information about Vlad the Impaler, about the rulers of Romania and their cruelty, information about bloodsucking vampires, and a mixture between some local myths and folkloric events that may be based on real origins with the fictional framework of the novel and adventure.

I really liked those tourist scenes in Whitby, especially those that Bram Stoker described in detail and made you feel as if you were visiting the place yourself and living the dark atmosphere that prevailed at that time.

Some information about the myths in different countries of the world that Fan Helsing actually aroused my curiosity to search for... As well as the introduction of the author himself, which convinced me that the events contain a lot of truth... And some of the characters are real too. This made me imagine the author as Fan Helsing himself.

It is urban fantasy in the first place, and it is my favorite type of fantasy.

Urban Fantasy

There have been two previous novels about vampires before Dracula... But Dracula remains the original and the cornerstone of all that came after about vampire legends.

Perhaps after that, more novels came that glorified the vampire legend and gave it more charm and depth, usually those that were based on the cornerstone that Bram Stoker laid. But sometimes others come just as a copycat and imprison the legend in the corner of a Romanian castle. But in the original novel in 1819 or here in Stoker's masterpiece in 1897, you will really know the origins of that legend.

*********************

The Arabic version

-------------

I didn't intend to read the novel in the first place... Because of my sensitivity to classics for years.

But the translated Arabic version was tempting... It was already a translation by Amina, including the original additions by the author Bram Stoker from a whole chapter in the introduction to a simple edit at the end that was not published.

The appendix about Vlad the Impaler himself.

But to be honest, the dialogue didn't appeal to me in many cases. I sometimes felt its length and difficulty in understanding it. It is clear but it requires more concentration than usual.

And soon I discovered that the problem was not with the translation, but that the dialogue in the English version is actually a bit difficult, especially in the dialogue of Fan Helsing, who is not originally English. And I confirmed to myself the difficulty of the dialogue by purchasing another English version that I started reading.

In general, the language of the novel at the end of the nineteenth century really makes you amazed by the "flowery feelings of men and women, which you will feel in many cases that the dialogue is exaggerated too much.

You will find men fainting at the delicacy of the ladies and they are amazed and impressed by the signs of intelligence that appear on the small creatures.

And they may be overcome by them at some times because of excessive love... It is a time - whatever it was - that is characterized by a certain etiquette, and although it is exaggerated in the way of presenting it, it is the classics.

You may find the events peaceful in many cases, not a climax scene full of action as you expect - as I expected myself - but as I said, it is a classic novel... It was a novelty in its era and remained an icon of vampire novels for future generations.

Mohammed Al-Arabi

From May 13, 2014

To May 20, 2014