In honor of Halloween I decided to fill a gap in my list of classics I’ve somehow never read. So it was time for Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Everyone knows the basic vampire story, but let me say that I’m surprised at how “unscary” the novel is. So much of it is the circle of friends and acquaintances arrayed against Count Dracula just recording their every thought in endless journal entries.
Very little drama actually takes place in a somewhat lengthy “horror” novel. Even the denouement is a massive disappointment. So much build up and then it’s just over.
I can see why the basic story line has captured people’s imaginations for generations. A regal vampire terrorizes communities and recruits others against their wills into the ranks of the Undead. Van Helsing and company try to stop him. It truly is a great set up.
My problem is that the telling of the tale is so dry and tedious that I can’t imagine ever wanting to read it again. I think Hollywood gets this idea better than Stoker did.
Is it really about Victorian sexuality? I read that teaser on the cover. I don’t see it but I’m sure some critics can torture that meaning out of it if they try hard enough. I just wanted a spooky vampire story.
Everyone knows the basic vampire story, but let me say that I’m surprised at how “unscary” the novel is. So much of it is the circle of friends and acquaintances arrayed against Count Dracula just recording their every thought in endless journal entries.
Very little drama actually takes place in a somewhat lengthy “horror” novel. Even the denouement is a massive disappointment. So much build up and then it’s just over.
I can see why the basic story line has captured people’s imaginations for generations. A regal vampire terrorizes communities and recruits others against their wills into the ranks of the Undead. Van Helsing and company try to stop him. It truly is a great set up.
My problem is that the telling of the tale is so dry and tedious that I can’t imagine ever wanting to read it again. I think Hollywood gets this idea better than Stoker did.
Is it really about Victorian sexuality? I read that teaser on the cover. I don’t see it but I’m sure some critics can torture that meaning out of it if they try hard enough. I just wanted a spooky vampire story.
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