Bram Stoker wrote “Dracula” in 1897 turning folk myth into a literary character and it turned out one of those cases when the protagonist became way more famous than the author himself. The popularity of the book opened the floor to the abundance of the vampire fiction novels and films that followed in the 20th and 21st century.

Count Dracula invites London lawyer Jonathan Harker to visit him in Transylvania. The rich nobleman wants to relocate to England searching for fresh blood. After noticing that the estate is empty and its owner has a weird connection with the surrounding animals, Jonathan decides that it’s best for him to escape. Three vampire brides ambush him and he almost lost his life. The Count saves him but only with an intention to seal the estate deal.

As Dracula is approaching England, weird things start to happen there. After examining the conditions of the disturbed patients, Professor Abraham Van Helsing realizes that the vampire is coming and starts to plan resistance. Together with other inhabitants, they chase Dracula back to Transylvania and finally kill him.

The characters of the book make you fall in love with them from page one. They are mysterious and very open-minded as for their time. They are young, courageous, persuasive, talented in medicine, ancient crafts, and science.

The gothic horror genre of the book is manifested in the slow development of the events and constant tension in the language. The writing style of the book is diverse. Bram Stoker managed to create multiple dimension of the text using letters and diary abstracts to narrate the story.

Despite being assigned horror fiction and gothic genres, the book doesn’t scare the reader. The author went beyond typical moonlight, garlic, bats and silver stakes. On the contrary, it fascinates with its dimensions and takes you on a real adventure of the 19th century times.

Author: Jared Russell