Hayley and I have recently enjoyed listening to some classics together on audiobook. One of those books was Dracula by Bram Stoker. We have been jumping into some classics, and I have not been disappointed!
The story of Dracula is incredibly intense. I have appreciated the high level of writing that is always displayed in classic novels. Dracula is no different. It is written through multiple journal entries from different characters, which is peculiar to me, mainly because I have never read a book like that before. There are drawbacks, but I don’t think I truly experienced those. Listening to it as an audiobook helps keep the characters distinct, especially when one character is quoting another.
Dracula clearly is a story of good and evil. Dracula is the embodiment of evil, where the others, especially the women, are good. After reading classics, I like going through the SparkNotes to see what I was supposed to see, and try to help train my mind for looking for themes. Some of the criticism of the book is its view on women and their sexual independence. Dracula and the other vampires–all women actually–are presented as sexual deviants that are maring the purity of each individual leading to death. Obviously, as a Christian, I would affirm that promiscuity for either men or women is not something that leads to life–earthly or spiritual. And it is the spiritual death that I think Stoker is focusing on.
Going beyond the themes, the story is compelling. As the story is unfolding and you are able to piece together what is about to happen, you cannot help but want to yell at some of the characters! I promise you that if you read Dracula, you will not be disappointed with the story’s intensity and excitement. Also, it starts fast! Then, it basically starts a whole new story. Keep pushing through. You’ll soon see what is on the line. The stakes are life and death. I will say that the ending was a bit anticlimactic compared to the rest of the book. Check it out and tell me if you agree!
I gave Dracula a rating of 4 (4 for writing/3 for content/4 for enjoyment). Do any of you have better resources for classic book analysis than SparkNotes? I mean they must exist, right?