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A review by gatsbae
Dracula by Bram Stoker
2.0
“There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights.”
Where do I begin to talk about this novel? Dracula by Bram Stoker was one of the very first novels I read for high school, and based on how popular the story of Dracula is, I was really excited to read this one. I went into this book expecting a thrilling, suspenseful horror novel with dark themes and what I actually got was a snooze-fest. There are parts of this story that are fairly interesting, however, there are also many parts that are long and boring. I kid you not, there is a large chunk of this book devoted solely to middle-aged men searching all throughout London...for boxes of dirt. Fun. Plus, it's totally sexist in its portrayal of women in Victorian London; showing that a good woman is one that puts her husband before herself always and if she doesn't, then she deserves to be punished. Seriously. I had to write an essay all on that alone.
The Characters
Dracula
You would think that the titular character would be the most interesting one, after all, he is Count freaking Dracula. And yes, I did like his character quite a bit...except for the fact that after the first few chapters, he completely disappears and is only mentioned by name. Potential wasted.
Jonathan Harker
Jonathan Harker is the real main character of our story, as bland as he is. Harker is your typical Classic Lit hero as in he's dreadfully boring and doesn't have much of a personality. There isn't even much I can say about him because he isn't memorable as a protagonist at all.
Mina Harker
As sexist as this book is, the characters I found the most interesting and developed are the female ones. Mina Harker is your typical, good-virtued Victorian lady that's always there for her husband. In spite of that, Mina is actually one of the most intelligent characters in the entire novel, however, this is somewhat overlooked by the male characters who see her as the group's maternal figure. She's there for everyone on the hunt for Dracula and is important to them every step of the way. As nice and sweet as Mina is, the real infamous female of Dracula is...
Lucy Westenra
Lucy Westenra plays a pivotal role in the story's main plot. The events involving her are what set the story in motion. Unlike Mina, she's a fiery young woman that defies the Victorian woman's standards. Lucy and all the problems that happen with her are the most interesting parts of the novel as she is an intriguing character.
Van Helsing
Van Helsing acts simply as the mentor of the group. Literally, this group would be nothing without him and he knows it. Enough said.
Lucy's Lovers
Lucy's lovers are what I call the group that consists of Quincey Morris, Arthur Holmwood, and John Seward, who in turn are all in love with Lucy. I can put them all in one group since they don't really have personalities well-defined enough for me to list them individually. Quincey is nothing more than the American, who is so useless that most people don't even bother to include him in the Dracula media adaptations. Arthur is the Rich Guy that funds the group and was relevant for a time when Lucy was involved. John owns an insane asylum with a useful inmate and that's just about it. Actually, out of all three men, it's probably John Seward that's the most developed.
Sometimes exciting but mostly not, Bram Stoker's Dracula gets 2 necklaces of garlic out of 5 from me.
Where do I begin to talk about this novel? Dracula by Bram Stoker was one of the very first novels I read for high school, and based on how popular the story of Dracula is, I was really excited to read this one. I went into this book expecting a thrilling, suspenseful horror novel with dark themes and what I actually got was a snooze-fest. There are parts of this story that are fairly interesting, however, there are also many parts that are long and boring. I kid you not, there is a large chunk of this book devoted solely to middle-aged men searching all throughout London...for boxes of dirt. Fun. Plus, it's totally sexist in its portrayal of women in Victorian London; showing that a good woman is one that puts her husband before herself always and if she doesn't, then she deserves to be punished. Seriously. I had to write an essay all on that alone.
The Characters
Dracula
You would think that the titular character would be the most interesting one, after all, he is Count freaking Dracula. And yes, I did like his character quite a bit...except for the fact that after the first few chapters, he completely disappears and is only mentioned by name. Potential wasted.
Jonathan Harker
Jonathan Harker is the real main character of our story, as bland as he is. Harker is your typical Classic Lit hero as in he's dreadfully boring and doesn't have much of a personality. There isn't even much I can say about him because he isn't memorable as a protagonist at all.
Mina Harker
As sexist as this book is, the characters I found the most interesting and developed are the female ones. Mina Harker is your typical, good-virtued Victorian lady that's always there for her husband. In spite of that, Mina is actually one of the most intelligent characters in the entire novel, however, this is somewhat overlooked by the male characters who see her as the group's maternal figure. She's there for everyone on the hunt for Dracula and is important to them every step of the way. As nice and sweet as Mina is, the real infamous female of Dracula is...
Lucy Westenra
Lucy Westenra plays a pivotal role in the story's main plot. The events involving her are what set the story in motion. Unlike Mina, she's a fiery young woman that defies the Victorian woman's standards. Lucy and all the problems that happen with her are the most interesting parts of the novel as she is an intriguing character.
Spoiler
I kind of wish that she was around for just a while longer or that there could have been more of her vampire side shown, but what can you do?Van Helsing
Van Helsing acts simply as the mentor of the group. Literally, this group would be nothing without him and he knows it. Enough said.
Lucy's Lovers
Lucy's lovers are what I call the group that consists of Quincey Morris, Arthur Holmwood, and John Seward, who in turn are all in love with Lucy. I can put them all in one group since they don't really have personalities well-defined enough for me to list them individually. Quincey is nothing more than the American, who is so useless that most people don't even bother to include him in the Dracula media adaptations. Arthur is the Rich Guy that funds the group and was relevant for a time when Lucy was involved. John owns an insane asylum with a useful inmate and that's just about it. Actually, out of all three men, it's probably John Seward that's the most developed.
Sometimes exciting but mostly not, Bram Stoker's Dracula gets 2 necklaces of garlic out of 5 from me.