#14 "Dracula" by Abraham Stoker better known as Bram Stoker

"A skillful reader asks themselves questions before, during and after reading" according to TeacherVision.com. Writing a blog about books has required me to respond with a little more than "Good Book" or a general summary which I can find on the back of the book or just by typing in a Google search. I have to do some homework, take notes and hone my reading skills especially for the classics such as "Dracula", "The Picture of Dorian Grey", "Crime and Punishment" and "War and Peace" which are written for more than just to entertain.

For many avid readers they are already proficient at these aforementioned skills. I, on the other hand, never enjoyed English growing up. The thought of writing brought nightmares to me. Lines through sentences, red marks everywhere, brackets covering whole paragraphs with comments, "Don't know what you mean here". When I began college it was recommend that I take a spelling class, reading class and developmental writing. The latter I didn't even get a grade but a "P" for pass. This helped my ego out immensely- receiving a grade that's given to second graders. I would quit, not withdraw, from a class when they announced a writing assignment that would be 30% of my grade. My wife was surprised to see my transcripts. I believe my GPA was a 1.5. On PROBATION. Amy you didn't know you married an idiot, did you?

At this point you are asking yourself a few questions. Well, you're learning. Asking questions while reading. I am so proud of you!! Why is this guy writing if he hates it so much? Why am I reading a blog about a guy who is clearly as smart as my 7 year old trying to read grown-up books? Believe me I ask both questions every day but I just remind myself that I enjoy reading more now, this is a fun blog for me to jot down my thoughts and feelings that these books have invoked of me and I like to share all this and a little of myself with you all.




"DRACULA" the novel is a collection of personal journals and letters written describing the details about a vampire who desired to relocate to England where he was less well known to the populace and could live his life with less hassle than in Transylvania where his exploits were more well known. By feeding off of Lucy Westernra, whom was dear to a few friends, Dracula inadvertently revealed himself via Lucy's mysterious behavior and other odd events which elicited the help of Romanian Dr. Van Helsing. Van Helsing was familiar with the stories of "Dracula" and could make sense of these unusual happenings. With the help of these friends and Van Helsing they sought to kill this monster to rid others of the burdens received by the hand, or teeth of Dracula.

Question: What was the intent of the author while writing Dracula?
I recall a time when I was unexpectedly chosen to lead a bible study, freaking out because I didn't know what to talk about. The advice given was, "talk about what you know." The author Bram Stoker did just that. Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland a very superstitious country, I can only imagine the amount of folklore he had to listen to which probably included vampires. The talk of vampires existed before his time but Bram created an icon of which the obsession continues today. What we know about vampires is all documented in a chilling story told in the novel "Dracula".

Vampires need for blood to sustain their undead state, sleeping in coffins, white fang canine teeth, the avoidance of exposure to sun, only out between dusk and dawn, fear of garlic and crosses, pallid skin with a great deal of hair on the back of the hand and temples, red eyes, ability to create mist, transfiguring to a bat, wolf, and a rat, death by severing of the head and the stake through the heart, the need to be asked to enter a place before entering, the bite to the neck to feed, YGTP (you get the point) is all due to the writing of "Dracula". Amazing right?? Without Bram we wouldn't have "Twilight", "Interview with a Vampire", "True Blood", "Fright Night", "Underworld", YGTP. A great deal of the novel is to describe these facts in a storybook fashion.


LOVE and DEVOTION
The other theme which encompasses just as much of the story as the characteristics of a vampire is the relationships between John Harker, Van Helsing, Mina Harker, Arthur Holmwood, Quincy Morris, Dr. Seward, and Lucy Westernra. What initially brought everyone together was the love and friendship of Lucy Westernra. Arthur, Quincy and Dr. Seward were all vying for her romantic love, and John Harker's wife Mina was her dear friend. (Spoiler) Lucy's death united them all in one cause. To kill whatever it was that did this to her. Assembling all the letters and journals written by each individual and the prior knowledge of Van Helsing they were able to come up with plans on how to accomplish their mission. Love and devotion to each other was what carried them through the arduous journey especially after Mina Harker herself got infected by Dracula.

STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER
I liked the change of pace from the dominance of strong male characters. Here Lucy's femininity created the connection but Mina's strong will and hard work unified the Van Helsing team. Min and John pouring over the documentation gave them the information they all needed to capture and kill Dracula. Also her slow transformation to becoming a vampire after being infected was a constant reminder of how important their job was and the limited amount of time they had to accomplish their task. In the end they all had their stakes of claim to the demise of Dracula. Pardon the pun.

To answer my question earlier question: Bram Stoker wanted to write a story about a group of people's love and friendship towards one another while telling a fascinating story about something he
was familiar with- vampires. Perhaps vampires are a symbol of the demons we encounter in life and the only way we can face them is through the love and support of close relationships. As we walk along the path of our life we run into tough terrain and there are times we make it to tops of mountains and stay there to bask in splendid view of which we came and from where we must go.

Other times we are tired and disheartened. The thought of climbing another mountain seems daunting and staying in the valley sounds so appealing. This is when we need loved ones to sling our arms over their shoulders and help carry us through those mountains. We don't need someone to tell us that they believe we can do it or to LIKE US. Sometimes when we ask for advice on how to battle the difficult roads we will take it gladly. Other times we just need someone alongside us pushing, holding, loving, cracking jokes all the way up the mountain. Does this make sense?


I know this is a classic written in a way foreign to the style we are used to but its worth reading just because this is when the obsession of vampires took root. It's history! If you find history boring think when you get older whatever you say will be historical. Talking about the old times. Anything leading up to present time is history. So if we flip the table on you anything you say about the past will be considered boring.