OCTOBER BOOK CLUB: BRAM STOKER’S ‘DRACULA’

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Image source: Penguin Books Australia

Our October Book Club pick is Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

For the portion of time I read this, there were points where I thought ‘am I going to be able to sleep tonight?’

Vampires have always fascinated me. As a child, I was terrified of them. When the film adaptation of Twilight was released, like the rest of the world I became fascinated by them. During my studies, I delved into the world of the vampire, particularly their portrayal in celluloid. But I have to say, I’ve never read a Vampire story, until now. I can also see how there have been so many interpretations or adaptations made from this text.

I absolutely loved how descriptive Stoker became. There was a natural flow to it; almost reflective of the situations present. Like for instance, the description of the surroundings - be it the forest or the castle. There’s an underlying sense of fear and terror, such as when we were travelling along in the carriage between the unknown and the secrecy of the villages, mixed with the movement of all the elements within the scene - conjuring quite an experience. It was very lush writing, so it’s no wonder film adaptations capture the sentiment of the text well. I can now recognise specific scenes in modern films that link back to this text. This novel is quite long, so of course there won’t be a movie that covers it all, and that’s the joy of reading. We get a greater sense of the world the author is exploring. There were scenes in the text, such as the wolf escaping from the zoo that I haven’t seen in a film, yet. Whilst I understand why directors have chosen to emit specific parts, it feels special reading and knowing there are extra elements that support the text. The underlying sense of horror was felt. There were moments in my house where something would clang and I’d jump. Usually I stick more to the romantic classics but I do love a good gothic horror. And the nuances of the time were reflected in the repressed social standards of the era. There were also parts where I was just baffled by the thinking. There were four attending our female main character Mina, I don’t understand how a system wasn’t formulated to keep her safe. Essentially they could have had two working on the investigation and two taking shifts to watch over her. There were so many options. I understand for the progress of the story that this had to happen, it was just frustrating for me as a reader. I questioned the logic behind certain parts.

I do enjoy the format, things like diary entries, letters and articles. The structure of the novel keeps us as the reader interested, and personally had me anticipating what came next. We get a sense of all the players and how they interact with each other through first person accounts. I also loved the fact we knew details, things that have happened with other characters and how it’s all linked - but it’s only something we as the reader, are privy to.

You can find many a theme to focus on in this text: gender, power, wealth, good vs evil, power and, ultimately for me, the exploration of science. The idea that seeing is believing but then you get Dr. Van Helsing who asks the other characters to suspend that belief - or at least be open to possibilities. Perhaps more poignantly, the fear of the unknown. I did enjoy the way the doctor took us through the story. Especially his relationship with everyone else, it was endearing and brought the idea that love in the face of evil is a somewhat great power.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and it’s opened my ideas to the exploration of the monsters genre, particularly when it comes to the classics so many know and love. The fact so much has come after this text - be it more writing, and of course film - speaks volumes.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is available through Penguin Books Australia, Pan Macmillan Australia, Hachette Australia and Simon & Schuster Australia.