Dracula (Case Study in Contemporary Criticism) [Paperback]

Bram Stoker (Author), John Paul Riquelme (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Case Study in Contemporary Criticism | Publication Date: December 26, 2001

Awareness of Dracula as a masterly gothic thriller has increased ever since its publication in 1897, and the novel is regarded as one of the most seminal horror stories ever written, having inspired countless copycat tales and literary spin-offs. The tale of young Englishman Jonathan Harker's journey to Transylvania, into the very heart of Count Dracula’s evil realm, is compelling, but it is perhaps the journey of the vampire to England—and the dangers he poses to Jonathan’s beloved Mina—that is more horrifying.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Dracula is one of the few horror books to be honored by inclusion in the Norton Critical Edition series. (The others are Frankenstein, The Turn of the Screw, Heart of Darkness, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The Metamorphosis.) This 100th-anniversary edition includes not only the complete authoritative text of the novel with illuminating footnotes, but also four contextual essays, five reviews from the time of publication, five articles on dramatic and film variations, and seven selections from literary and academic criticism. Nina Auerbach of the University of Pennsylvania (author of Our Vampires, Ourselves) and horror scholar David J. Skal (author of Hollywood Gothic, The Monster Show, and Screams of Reason) are the editors of the volume. Especially fascinating are excerpts from materials that Bram Stoker consulted in his research for the book, and his working papers over the several years he was composing it. The selection of criticism includes essays on how Dracula deals with female sexuality, gender inversion, homoerotic elements, and Victorian fears of "reverse colonization" by politically turbulent Transylvania. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up?A naive young Englishman travels to Transylvania to do business with a client, Count Dracula. After showing his true and terrifying colors, Dracula boards a ship for England in search of new, fresh blood. Unexplained disasters begin to occur in the streets of London before the mystery and the evil doer are finally put to rest. Told in a series of news reports from eyewitness observers to writers of personal diaries, this has a ring of believability that counterbalances nicely with Dracula's too-macabre-to-be-true exploits. An array of voices from talented actors makes for interesting variety. The generous use of sound effects, from train whistles to creaking doors, adds further atmosphere. Lovers of mysteries and horror will find rousing entertainment in this version of a classic tale.?Carol Katz, Harrison Public Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 622 pages
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's; 1st edition (December 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312241704
• ISBN-13: 978-0312241704
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Put down the King and Koontz - this is the master, December 15, 2009

By 

M. Molenda (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dracula (Case Study in Contemporary Criticism) (Paperback)

Stoker's Dracula has been the most influential horror novel for a number of reasons - it is incredibly full of creativity, backed with incredible realism, and in very believable 'voices.'

I read it for the second time in my life as an adult over the Halloween season, and I can not recommend this enough. Though it was written at the end of the 1800s, it is very easy to read while providing an atypical sense of surroundings and realism. Few books, let alone horror books, are as well conceived, and modern horrors seems 'crap' compared to this.

The biggest reason to hesitate is that you have already been exposed to so many versions of vampires and even of dracula that you may think you will fail to find new entertainment here. That may be true, but I found that I had forgotten most of the details and surprised with the amount by which I got into each character's perspective.

Put down the King and Koontz! That is, at least until you have read this one from one of the original masters.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved it!!!!, March 14, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Dracula (Case Study in Contemporary Criticism) (Paperback)

This is now one of my favourite books! It was great. I liked how suspenseful it was, even if the story got a bit slow between the important parts. Bram Stoker does a great job at descriptions with lots of nice details. It was pretty creepy. It didn't think it would be, but it was.
Something else I liked was how the women in the book weren't all...flimsy. It's a nice change how Mina actually plays a big part in the story and she's a strong character.
Great book! Love it! I definately reccomend it!

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I longed to give this more stars but, in critical fairness,I could not, February 1, 2010

By 

Fry Boy (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Dracula (Case Study in Contemporary Criticism) (Paperback)

Count Dracula from Transylvania is probably one of the most--if not THE most--popular character to come out of fiction due, in large part, to his continual reinvention by Hollywood over the last century. While Bram Stoker is to be credited for his invention, I have to say that I have mixed feelings regarding its execution.

The first third of the book, which contains the account of Jonathan Harker's visit to and escape from Castle Dracula, is easily the best, with a high creepiness factor. (In one part, Dracula delivers a sack to the three female vampires that reside with him. The sack has a whimpering child inside it. Pretty intense stuff for the fiction of 1895, perhaps even for today.) Harker interacts with Dracula often and, when not doing so, observes the strange behavior of his host or explores the castle he's been locked within. So far, so good.

Once Dracula departs for England, the novel nearly slams on its own brakes. After the wreck of the Demeter (the ship that transports the count [while in his coffin]) and Dracula's subsequent escape, the novel plods along and, after that, plods some more. Sadly, this is due to narration that is far too drawn out plus the near-absence of Dracula himself throughout the rest of the venture. Sure he's around, but there are only one or two scenes of direct interaction between him and the humans of the tale. Most of the time, he's slinking around the countryside or Dr. Seward's sanitarium, leaving evidence of his presence. The second part of the book amounts to Mina Harker's friend Lucy being fed upon until and transfused, then fed upon and transfused, etc., until, well, you know. . . .

The third section involves the hunt for Dracula in England and elsewhere. While it's somewhat more interesting than part II, it fails to live up to part I's narrative style and enjoyability. Plus you'll still be reeling from Part II and its rather two-dimensional characters, all of whom are cookie-cutter representations of fine, upstanding good people who neither fight with each other nor say anything antagonistic to anyone.

While you might wish to read this to find out who Bram Stoker's Dracula really is (as I did), don't set your expectations too high. Frankly, John Badham's version of "Dracula" (circa 1979) starring Frank Langella does a far better job with the story (Dracula).

While I didn't think Stoker's "Dracula" was terribly enjoyable, I would recommend his The Jewel of Seven Stars (Penguin Classics), which I have also reviewed.