Dracula

by Bram Stoker

Book Overview

A rich selection of background and source materials is provided in three areas: Contexts includes probable inspirations for Dracula in the earlier works of James Malcolm Rymer and Emily Gerard. Also included are a discussion of Stoker's working notes for the novel and "Dracula's Guest," the original opening chapter to Dracula. Reviews and Reactions reprints five early reviews of the novel. "Dramatic and Film Variations" focuses on theater and film adaptations of Dracula, two indications of the novel's unwavering appeal. David J. Skal, Gregory A. Waller, and Nina Auerbach offer their varied perspectives. Checklists of both dramatic and film adaptations are included.

Criticism collects seven theoretical interpretations of Dracula by Phyllis A. Roth, Carol A. Senf, Franco Moretti, Christopher Craft, Bram Dijsktra, Stephen D. Arata, and Talia Schaffer.

A Chronology and a Selected Bibliography are included.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393970124
• ISBN13: 9780393970128
• Release Date: December 1996
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.3" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 3 years and under

Customer Reviews

Wrong cover

They don’t send the right edition

Picture doesn't match what I got

The book is fine, but does not match the picture. I was lead to believe it was a different copy than what I received

Got an illustrated version, not the actual book

Got an illustrated version which was not at all what I meant to order. I wanted the actual full text of the book. Frustrated

It was okay.

It was okay. I appreciate that it was written well over 100 years ago.

Different editions

I have already bought this book but i wanted the edition that was shown on the display. as a book collector this is highly disappointing. now i have 2 copys of the same edition.

beautiful book, just as stunning condition.

The book I received is hardcover and has no illustrations as a cover. This wasn’t what i expected, but for me, it adds to the character. Great condition, definitely recommend!

Stunning book

I’m so excited to read this, though I’m desperately trying to wait until October season. There’s some bad reviews on quality, which made me nervous. I spent extra to get the stunning clothbound edition and it didn’t disappoint! It’s an absolutely gorgeous book and is brand new. I love the cover and I’m very happy I spent the extra to get the cloth edition.

No Cover

I bought this book to go with my collection and there was no cover with it. I would have never purshased this copy if I had known. The picture showed a cover.

Long, overly detailed, and with a deeply unsatisfying ending, I can’t recommend it

School reading with a classic concept but disappointments throughout

Disappointed

I mainly bought this because I wanted the cover that was pictured and I got a complete different edition. I’m a book collector and it’s just upsetting. I read the edition in the picture when I was younger so the nostalgia was important.

Refreshing twist on Dracula

I have read Dracula many times, so my old edition took some damage. I replaced it with this and was very satisfied. The classic story is augmented with Jae Lee's fantastic illustrations for an great overall package.

Boy! They were prolific journalers and diarists!

This book will make you throw rocks at ALL the 'Dracula' movies you have seen or had wanted to see. The words, the epistolary format, the story, the darkness, the horror, the sensuality are all there for you if you dare. I loved this book and recommend it. My Top 10 seems to be crowded and always changing but this book could be a candidate.

The vampire novel!

Actually Dracula does not need a lot of explanation. Everybody must have experienced at least once the myth of Count Dracula in any form: film, television or book. No character has ever ignited so much imagination than the Chief Vampire of Transylvania. It is absolutely no surprise that this book is still read by thousands of people worldwide.The narrative unfolds itself by combining letters, newspaper clippings, journal entries and even phonograph records. This certainly adds to the mysterious atmosphere that dominates the first half of the book, but turns a bit against the story when the action really starts. Simply by reading a letter written by Miss Mina Murray, you are already informed that Mina will survive the struggle described by her. Technically this method also puts extra constraints on the author. Knowing this, it is fun to see how many tricks Stoker needed to keep the flow of letters going. At one point in the story he has to send Doctor Van Helsing back home, just so he can respond with a letter. Of course, it would have been quite silly to have two people writing each other letters while they are living in the same house. The story itself is very powerful, but to modern readers it is often perceived as being dense and overcrowded with details. This is typical to Victorian novels, in which the women are always tender and caring and the men brave and intelligent. It seems that these conclusions have to be underlined on every page of the book. Still Bram Stoker succeeds in winning the attention of the reader by supplying an unprecedented richness to the story. The plot is filled with unexpected twists, remarkable action sequences and rather eerie -sometimes almost erotic- confrontations with evil entities. No situation is left unused to heighten the mystery. Even for the spoiled modern reader, some lugubrious scenes can still be experienced as hair-raising; a treat that most modern novels can't claim so easily.Keeping in mind that this is a typical Victorian extravaganza and that the story suffers a bit under its form, one can but only admit that Dracula must be `the' classic vampire novel. Although there is a lot of `derived' work on the market, no one can truly claim to know the legend of Dracula without having read Bram Stoker's novel.

An Open Door For The Curious Mind

This is far and away the best edition of the original novel you could read. In addition all it's footnotes and explanations provide a trail for any curious reader to explore for just about any particular aspect of the novel. From legends of Vampires, historical facts of Vlad Dracul III, all the way to obscure but curious details of the lendary Scholomance School Of Magic taught by the Devil himself!