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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Read for Coursera: Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Human Mind, Our Modern World
May not be exact edition
Goodness, I'd forgotten just how long this was and really, it does get very drawn-out towards the end. It is well worth a read to compare to modern vampire mythology, though, as quite a few pieces of lore have changed over the last century.
May not be exact edition
Goodness, I'd forgotten just how long this was and really, it does get very drawn-out towards the end. It is well worth a read to compare to modern vampire mythology, though, as quite a few pieces of lore have changed over the last century.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
As a text, this was interesting. It wasn't just all the elements of the Dracula myth here on show; I could see prototypes of all kinds of horror tropes.
As a book... less so. The first bit was great. It could have been expanded into a whole homoerotic psychosexual abuse thriller and I would have devoured it. Unfortunately, after the first victim was offed, the tension was dropped, we never returned to the haunting atmosphere of Transylvania, and the pacing came to a screeching halt. The book never truly recovered.
Van Helsing was a fun character, I guess, and not at all what I expected. The ladies were, sadly, exactly what I expected. In all, it kind of ended up feeling like Bible fanfiction.
As a book... less so. The first bit was great. It could have been expanded into a whole homoerotic psychosexual abuse thriller and I would have devoured it. Unfortunately, after the first victim was offed, the tension was dropped, we never returned to the haunting atmosphere of Transylvania, and the pacing came to a screeching halt. The book never truly recovered.
Van Helsing was a fun character, I guess, and not at all what I expected. The ladies were, sadly, exactly what I expected. In all, it kind of ended up feeling like Bible fanfiction.
Let’s get one thing straight: Dracula is iconic. Gothic, atmospheric, and absolutely soaked in fog, graveyards, and people dramatically clutching their rosary beads—it’s the blueprint for vampire fiction as we know it. And for that alone, it deserves a respectful nod and perhaps a dramatic bow. That said... let’s talk about the rest of it, shall we?
The story kicks off with poor Jonathan Harker heading off to Transylvania for work (big mistake, mate), only to find himself trapped in Count Dracula’s castle, surrounded by creepy vibes, spooky brides, and no way out. The Count Dracula himself? Terrifying. Charismatic. Mysterious. Has a thing for shadows and long, slow monologues. He’s brilliant. A true gothic villain. Shame he disappears for most of the book.
After Count Dracula sails off to England to start a vampire empire (as one does), the plot shifts gears to a group of Very Emotional Victorian People™ trying to stop him. This is where the sobbing begins. And I mean so much sobbing. The men are constantly throwing themselves on the floor, weeping into their handkerchiefs, praising each other’s pure souls, and calling Wilhelmina (Mina) Harker everything short of a literal angel descending from the heavens. The level of sentimentality could drown a horse.
Speaking of Mina Harker—bless her. She’s clever and composed and manages not to fall into hysterics every ten minutes, unlike her male counterparts. Lucy Westenra, on the other hand, exists mainly to be adorable, sweet, and drained of blood in increasingly poetic ways. The three vampire brides make a brief but utterly fabulous appearance, and frankly, I wish the book had been about them.
The epistolary style (letters, journals, telegrams, you name it) is actually quite clever, though it does make the pacing a bit uneven. One minute it’s all high-stakes (ha!) chase scenes and undead terror, the next it’s five pages of Professor Abraham Van Helsing talking in butchered English about how noble Mina Harker is. Again. Still. Forever.
Overall, Dracula is like a dusty antique mirror: a bit murky, very ornate, occasionally reflective of genius, but also prone to fogging up with melodrama. It’s not exactly fun to read, but it is fascinating. And look, despite the flaws—of which there are many—it’s got charm. And bats. So I suppose that counts for something. Would I recommend it? If you’re in the mood for Victorian theatrics, brooding castles, and a vampire who doesn’t sparkle, absolutely. Just bring patience—and maybe a tissue or ten.
The story kicks off with poor Jonathan Harker heading off to Transylvania for work (big mistake, mate), only to find himself trapped in Count Dracula’s castle, surrounded by creepy vibes, spooky brides, and no way out. The Count Dracula himself? Terrifying. Charismatic. Mysterious. Has a thing for shadows and long, slow monologues. He’s brilliant. A true gothic villain. Shame he disappears for most of the book.
After Count Dracula sails off to England to start a vampire empire (as one does), the plot shifts gears to a group of Very Emotional Victorian People™ trying to stop him. This is where the sobbing begins. And I mean so much sobbing. The men are constantly throwing themselves on the floor, weeping into their handkerchiefs, praising each other’s pure souls, and calling Wilhelmina (Mina) Harker everything short of a literal angel descending from the heavens. The level of sentimentality could drown a horse.
Speaking of Mina Harker—bless her. She’s clever and composed and manages not to fall into hysterics every ten minutes, unlike her male counterparts. Lucy Westenra, on the other hand, exists mainly to be adorable, sweet, and drained of blood in increasingly poetic ways. The three vampire brides make a brief but utterly fabulous appearance, and frankly, I wish the book had been about them.
The epistolary style (letters, journals, telegrams, you name it) is actually quite clever, though it does make the pacing a bit uneven. One minute it’s all high-stakes (ha!) chase scenes and undead terror, the next it’s five pages of Professor Abraham Van Helsing talking in butchered English about how noble Mina Harker is. Again. Still. Forever.
Overall, Dracula is like a dusty antique mirror: a bit murky, very ornate, occasionally reflective of genius, but also prone to fogging up with melodrama. It’s not exactly fun to read, but it is fascinating. And look, despite the flaws—of which there are many—it’s got charm. And bats. So I suppose that counts for something. Would I recommend it? If you’re in the mood for Victorian theatrics, brooding castles, and a vampire who doesn’t sparkle, absolutely. Just bring patience—and maybe a tissue or ten.
This is long, but worth it- so much of it still holds up
dark
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Narration was EXCELLENT, loved the cast, 10/10 for them.
Fun story, glad I read it. It was more engaging than I expected, and actually the women had a little more agency than I expected, Van Helsing was not what I expected and I was really pleased by his tenderness (and all the male tenderness in this story).
That being said… This isn’t really my genre, and while I’m glad I read it and enjoyed it more than I expected to, no need to go back to it. But highly recommend for anyone wanting to check out Dracula
Fun story, glad I read it. It was more engaging than I expected, and actually the women had a little more agency than I expected, Van Helsing was not what I expected and I was really pleased by his tenderness (and all the male tenderness in this story).
That being said… This isn’t really my genre, and while I’m glad I read it and enjoyed it more than I expected to, no need to go back to it. But highly recommend for anyone wanting to check out Dracula
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Violence, Blood
Minor: Mental illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail
It was okay. There were many things I failed to understand because of the language. I disliked how the characters were written. They were all one-dimensional and disgustingly moral. It was confusing how he kept referring to Lord Godalming with different names. On one page he was Art/Arthur and the next he was a lord. It took me a while to realize it was the same person. I think that we're supposed to think that this is a horror story but really it's a book for men to read and further inflate their ego with. Much more is written about how strong, intelligent, and brave the male species is compared to women than the actual character of Dracula. Also - did I miss it or did he leave out how Jonathon Harker escaped from Castle Dracula? Harker writes in his entries that the front door was locked and he was being kept prisoner by Dracula and he kept seeing the three women in his room. How did he get out? And why are there two characters named John (Harker and Dr. Seward)? He really couldn't think of another name??
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Huh, so that was Dracula. I think the myth surrounding this book, and the pretty fantastic pop culture that has been birthed from it have long overshadowed the actual book. Amazing concepts, good first half, but a pretty tedious second half. Paper thin characters, and not enough Dracula. He barely appears and that is just tragic.
Obviously, this book is known and understood to be a classic and a masterclass of horror, so my opinion is just that, but I do wonder if it works well for most modern readers. I'm disappointed, I expected more than meh.
Obviously, this book is known and understood to be a classic and a masterclass of horror, so my opinion is just that, but I do wonder if it works well for most modern readers. I'm disappointed, I expected more than meh.