Have finished Dracula by Bram Stoker.
I had varying expectations going into this one, as I have seen the florid, over-the-top, highly romantic (and therefore to me, enjoyable) 1992 film adaptation of Dracula.
Wow...what a difference. All I can say is...the filmmakers took lots of liberties with the plot lines. Embellishment everywhere.
The novel itself is much quieter and stiller, and much more sinister for being so. Stoker gives no reason for Dracula's behaviour, other than pure blood lust - there are no romantic motives for his actions.
I found that Stoker made Mina a much stronger female character than I thought she would be. Her gentle yet steely strength saves her and the men around her, who feel initially that she should be sheltered from their quest to destroy Dracula. Another strong female character introduced before her time.
I also really liked the novel in its epistolary form - this way, the reader gets to see how different characters feel about the same situation - it also exposes the characters' flaws and deepest thoughts, which they cannot express verbally.
More of this, please!
Next up: Jude the Obscure, the first of several Thomas Hardy novels on the list.
March 2010 | Chapitre Onze
14 years ago
I enjoyed Dracula too. It's quite different than the movies, as you aptly pointed out. Prof here says dracula tales rose into popularity as capitalism began to gain strength. Interesting, huh?
ReplyDeleteHmmm...that IS interesting.
ReplyDeleteSlogging through Jude the Obscure. I hate it when reading feels like a chore...will elaborate more when I finish. :)