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adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a decently fun read! Since it was an edition with larger text, lots of pictures, and a simplified level of writing it was easy to get through and the writing style wasn't too awkward. I did feel like the story felt pretty rushed with this edition which made it hard to get into, so I had to keep reminding myself to read it. But overall I enjoyed it! I'll definitely have to read a full edition.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs, Violence, Blood, Medical content
Minor: Animal death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Death & Murder (various people are killed by Dracula and his wives) | Medical Content (Seward and Helsing are both doctors; depictions of medical assessments and blood transfusions) | Racial Slurs (consistent use of the word "gypsy" throughout the book) | Violence (Dracula and his wives attack a number of people; the men and Mina confront the group of Romani people transporting Dracula's coffin and fight them) | Animal Death (Renfield collects various bugs and small animals to feed them to slightly larger ones) | Death of Parent (Lucy's mother passes away from shock; Andrew tends to his dying father throughout the story) | Grief (various mentions of funerals; Lucy grieves the loss of her mother a bit before passing away herself) | Gun Violence (the men use guns in the fight to get to Dracula's coffin) | Injury/Injury Detail (some minor discussion of the bite marks; one character receives a stab wound in a fight) | Mental Illness (Seward is a doctor at an asylum; Renfield goes back and forth through various depictions of mental illness) | Suicidal Thoughts (Jonathan decides that if they don't succeed at saving Mina from vampirism then he'll become a vampire with her to stay together as un-dead)
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
When I read one of "the classics," I pause and remind myself that I'm about to step into a different time with different people who held different and sometimes/often offensive beliefs. A "classic" may not be a good story with good characters, but instead may be a good window into the time and place it was written and set in. And "classics" are also saddled with the moniker of being "over-hyped." With this in mind, I can firmly say that I thoroughly enjoyed Dracula! I didn't feel like I was stepping into a totally unfamiliar world because Stoker is descriptive without making the reader feel bogged down with details or flowery descriptions. I think the characters, while quite overwrought, were fully fleshed out *rim shot* people, and I'm pleased to say that this includes the women! Dracula is very much worth the hype. I can see why it's maintained cultural relevance and why its tropes and themes remain popular after 127 years. I was waiting for the mythical "right" time to read this book, and I'm glad I got to enjoy it during spooky season!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Stalking
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Antisemitism
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a lot different than I'd expected it to be, but I still had fun reading it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Confinement, Gore, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
An underrated classic that modern audiences unfortunately will likely not give the time of day because of its pacing, Dracula is the pinnacle of tension building. While there are many slow and repetitive parts of the novel, they exist to build towards the key sequences of the novel and the pay off never ceases to exceed expectations. There are few novels in the English language that reward a reader's patience quite like Dracula and if you are willing to give it its due, you will come away with a great appreciation for the work.
The cast of characters is somewhat underdeveloped compared to modern standards but the novel is in service to its plot primarily and this criticism extends most to the handful of major characters who unfortunately do not get the chance to write from the first person. The method of storytelling that Stoker employs, the use of journal entries, letters and newspaper clippings, to drive the narrative, favors several characters over others, giving the reader more familiarity with Jonathan Harker, Doctor John Seward, Mina Harker and Professor Abraham Van Helsing than any of the rest of the cast. But I feel the criticism is overstated as it's clear that each of these characters have well-defined goals and values. Lucy Westerna, despite being a narrator at several points, is unfortunately left underdeveloped but her role is more plot device than character and her particular traits likely appealed more to the audience of Stoker’s day than to modern audiences.
But the setting and mood shore up the weak characters. Every scene is truly vivid and detailed and while characters may often be lost in melodramatic prayer for paragraphs at a time, it does bring with it the sense of dread that Stoker sought to evoke, although again, it's a writing tactic that likely appealed more in its time than to modern secular audiences removed from such constant conversation with the holy.
Unfortunately, there is the elephant of the room of eugenics, racism and xenophobia which will absolutely turn off many modern audiences. While not the crux of the novel, phrenology and it's relationship to criminology and psychology is mentioned numerous times throughout the novel and clearly was influential in the development of the story. Likewise, the novel portrays the Romani as cult-like devoted followers of the Count at several points and the appearance of the Count himself is orientalist in design, meant to evoke a fear of men of the near east. This is absolutely much to the novel worth reading anyway but these are ideas dropped from many adaptations even in the early 20th century for very clear reasons as they quickly dated themselves. Modern readers unaccustomed to the sheer racism of Victorian literature would do well to steel themselves against the portrayals to find the good qualities within if they remain curious about the novel.
And I think it's worth revisiting for the curious and definitely for anyone seeking to study the gothic horror genre, perhaps for their own writing. There is so much to learn and experience in Dracula if you have the patience for it. And I hope you will.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Murder
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
In my opinion, the format of Dracula as being told in letters and journal entries from different perspectives makes the story confusing post Harker’s entries in the beginning. Despite that, the entire exposition— for both Dracula’s and VanHellsing’s introduction— is well written and creates a good atmosphere for the story. From my understanding, the themes of Dracula set love and lust against each other in a debate over which is more dangerous. Idk I’m talking out of my butt; I don’t like the book that much, but I wish I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racial slurs
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Ableism, Antisemitism
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The world-building was incredible, and all but one of the main group were fully fleshed out characters. The only things that let it down were poo Quincey, the language of Van Helsing being a slog to get through, and the repetition of a lot of the bits of lore. Four times we're told that Dracula can't cross running water, three times that killing Dracula will stop the transformation of any vampires that are somewhere between human and vampire, three times we're told that communion wafers act as a talisman against the vampires, plus a few others that I could mention. I wonder how long this book would be without these instances of repetition. I particularly enjoyed reading the letters between Mina and Lucy, and their respective journal entries about the other: Mina is definitely gay for Lucy, and I can see no other explanation for the way she talks of and to Lucy. I would like to have seen some more expression of that love, but I get that wasn't really possible when this was published, sadly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Sexism, Blood, Murder
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, War
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs