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Loading... Dracula (edition 1993)by Bram StokerI was surprised to find this book in the public library nearly 40 yars ago, and even more surprised to see how seldom it had been borrowed because I supposed that most people shared my fascination with vampires and the undead. It was one of the first 'horror' books I ever read and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Since then I have read dozens if not hundreds of vampire stories but there are very few that match the original and even fewer than overtake it. I love the diary format and the sense of creeping dread: everyone has at least heard of Dracula and vampires now but I can imagine the reaction of those first readers back in the 1890s when they were introduced to one of the most terrifying creatures in literature. I wonder what Stoker would have made of today's vampires with their soulfull looks, angst and pretty shimmers, a total travesty of the fiend from the Carpathians. An unforgivable hijacking of his original concept... For me vampires will always be terrifying figures of sheer unadulterd evil, scurrying up walls and skulking around gas-lit streets in opera cloaks. Victorians, women and even some men, swoon with terror at the sight of their ghastly faces, and they are accompanied by flies, bats, wolves and mists where-ever they go. They have no reflection, cringe at the cross, hate garlic, are burned by Holy Water, flee to coffins at dawn and are consumed by the light of the sun. Stoker wrote the rules, he gave us the guidelines, and the best vampire tales stick to his blueprint. No maiden in her right mind would want to kiss a vampire - not least because of the rank stench of his breath - and their only human followers were poor madmen like Renwick. A great classic, this edition has motivated many readers to re-read the book or to read it for the first time. It's a gorgeous book, physically. The pages are thick and red edged. The artwork is gorgeous and often has "blood" splattered across the page or slightly glowing red eyes looking out. Very appealing looking and will entice many to pick it up. Since adding to our library, it has not been in for more than a day or two. |
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Since then I have read dozens if not hundreds of vampire stories but there are very few that match the original and even fewer than overtake it. I love the diary format and the sense of creeping dread: everyone has at least heard of Dracula and vampires now but I can imagine the reaction of those first readers back in the 1890s when they were introduced to one of the most terrifying creatures in literature.
I wonder what Stoker would have made of today's vampires with their soulfull looks, angst and pretty shimmers, a total travesty of the fiend from the Carpathians. An unforgivable hijacking of his original concept... For me vampires will always be terrifying figures of sheer unadulterd evil, scurrying up walls and skulking around gas-lit streets in opera cloaks. Victorians, women and even some men, swoon with terror at the sight of their ghastly faces, and they are accompanied by flies, bats, wolves and mists where-ever they go.
They have no reflection, cringe at the cross, hate garlic, are burned by Holy Water, flee to coffins at dawn and are consumed by the light of the sun. Stoker wrote the rules, he gave us the guidelines, and the best vampire tales stick to his blueprint. No maiden in her right mind would want to kiss a vampire - not least because of the rank stench of his breath - and their only human followers were poor madmen like Renwick. ( )