Dracula (Novel)

The influential horror novel Dracula was written by Irish author Abraham "Bram" Stoker in 1897.

Synopsis

Dracula is a horror novel about the ancient count or "Boyar" Dracula from the mountain slopes of Transylvania. The novel is written in first person and some scholars say that it is based on hidden knowledge by Stoker himself; he was a follower of occultism and was part of the Golden Dawn's Rosicrucian secret society.

The novel begins with the diary of Jonathan Harker, an English lawyer who travels to the castle of Dracula in Transylvania regarding the purchase of several houses in England.

During his stay in the castle, his host's nature soon becomes obvious to Jonathan Harker. He realizes that Count Dracula does not reflect on the mirror and he watches Dracula escape his castle through the walls, like a beast. He also feels Dracula's great strength and finds out that Dracula himself was the driver that took him there; Harker notices Dracula has no servants at all.

Harker sets into motion a daring plan to escape Dracula and his undead wives. They plan to "eat" him on a certain date. Harker notices Dracula plans to flee, maybe to England. The vampire will travel inside a coffin and taking earth from his own castle. The last time Harker sees the Count, Dracula is on a coffin, looking very young. Harker tries to kill him but Dracula's head is as strong as metal, so Jonathan abandons his plan.

At last, Harker writes his last notes on the diary, in case he dies. He says goodbye to Mina on them.

At the same time, in England, Jonathan's fiancée Wilhelmina Murray and her friend Lucy Westenra discover strange things happening in their small town. Lucy begins sleepwalking, strange dogs stroll around at night, and one of the patients at the local mental institution, run by one of Lucy's suitors, has his condition deteriorate.

After some time, Van Helsing, the legendary vampire killer makes his appearance to fight the evil forces of Count Dracula. The count is chased back to Transylvania, where Quincey Morris, one of Lucy's former suitors and Harker, armed with knives, slay the count.

Myth

Dracula myth could have its roots in Prince Vlad Basarab III who was later known as Vlad Tepes Dracula from the Crusades. He was a very cruel person who requested people to pray while he killed them and was obsessed with impaling. He liked to impale his enemies and some people say that he even drank their blood. When the church found out about his "blood drinking", the church damned him causing him to go to neither heaven nor hell.

Reception

Dracula was the most famous novel by Bram Stoker. It was one of the first ones on its kind, at least for its length and vivid descriptions. It has inspired many movies and fiction. The last movie, Bram Stoker's Dracula, from Francis Ford Coppola, tried to go back to its origins. Other movies are those starring Bela Lugosi such as Dracula (1931). It is also said he is the king of vampires, which ultimately is true due to his powers and abilities.

Appearances in Other Fiction

Dracula has become an iconic horror figure, and appears in many other forms of media, either as an actual person or in reference to the book. In the series by Jim Butcher, The Dresden Files, Bram Stoker's Dracula was written as a "How To" book on fighting a certain type of vampire and is responsible for the near extinction of that type of vampire.