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chalkletters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Dracula is very much a novel of its time: the attitudes towards women and religion and people from countries other than Britain are entirely 19th-century, as are the long speeches. Some of Bram Stoker’s long passages of description work really well as scene setting for a horror novel, but others are a little tedious if you’re reading purely for enjoyment and with 21st-century eyes.
That said, it’s not completely possible to read Dracula purely as a horror novel; there are too many things that don’t really make any sense. Why are all Dracula’s victims women, when he does away with plenty of men and has Jonathan Harker at his mercy? What, exactly, does Dracula want in coming to London? Not to mention, there are some pretty huge coincidences which stretch credulity if you’re not looking at Dracula as a metaphor for something.
The essays in the Norton Critical Edition did a good job exploring the many, many different fin-de-siècle fears that Dracula could be read to represent. These are somewhat long and dry if you’re not actually studying Dracula, but still worthwhile in the long-run. (That said, the ones relating to the various cinematic and theatrical adaptations of Dracula aren’t particularly necessary as background information on the novel.)
Bram Stoker’s characters fall into two camps: vampires (and Renfield) vs non-vampires. As there’s plenty of conflict between the two groups, it doesn’t really feel as though conflict between the non-vampires is missing, but it is a little unlikely that fully fleshed-out people would agree quite so completely about everything. Nonetheless, the characters are distinct with very little chance of muddling them up with one another, which is definitely an achievement.
Overall, it was fun to read a horror novel which really felt like a horror novel, and the Norton Critical Edition has hopefully prepared me for interesting discussions on my holiday!
Graphic: Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence and Mental illness
Minor: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, and Medical content
miakoda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Grief
stalfos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol
mattiedancer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
- Fans of classic fiction and gothic literature
- Those looking to appreciate a slow read
- Misogyny, sexism, classism, death of a parent, death, illness, toxic relationships, blood, gore, death of a child, murder
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
peggy_racham's review against another edition
3.0
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
parenthesis_enjoyer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Sexism
Minor: Racism, Xenophobia, and Classism
the G-word is used in relation to Romani peoplemadelinequinne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Misogyny, Grief, and Alcohol
michela_ognibeni's review against another edition
2.5
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Murder
cleotheo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Religious bigotry
lqne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Medical content
Minor: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Murder, and War