Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a Gothic masterpiece that blends horror, romanticism, and the supernatural in a timeless tale of good versus evil. writes WILLIAM BOVE
Why I Love Dracula
“For the dead travel fast.” This line is delivered to Jonathan Harker in the first chapter of Dracula and serves as great foreshadowing. In my opinion, it sets the tone for the rest of the novel. The line is one of my favourites, functioning both as a warning and a richly textured description of the race between good and evil. In its brief simplicity, it hints at the very nature of the evil that stalks the living throughout the novel.
Dracula, written by Bram Stoker, was first published on 26 May 1897. The novel is written in epistolary form, meaning it tells its story through journal entries, letters, and newspaper clippings. This approach provides multiple perspectives, including those of Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray, Dr John Seward, Lucy Westenra, and Dr Van Helsing.
The novel invokes feelings of dread, isolation, horror, romanticism, and mystery. It is so eloquently penned that one might imagine the book itself was written in blood. Blood is central to the vampires’ existence in Dracula, and Stoker weaves it into his story so powerfully that, as readers, we too crave it. We become fascinated with its source, wondering who or what will take it next.
The main characters include Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray, Lucy Westenra, Dr John Seward, Dr Van Helsing, Quincy Morris, Renfield, and, of course, Count Dracula. The central character is Dracula himself – a figure who has achieved immortality not only within the story but also in popular culture, film, and our collective memories. He remains a part of us, feeding on our fascination with horror and romanticism.
The first-person point of view is essential for this work of Gothic horror. First-person narration is a staple of Gothic literature, allowing for deep emotional resonance and an intimate expression of both the characters’ souls and the story’s essence.
I have read Dracula many times, beginning in high school. I fell in love with the story from the very first page. The accounts told through letters, journal entries, and newspaper clippings always leave you wanting more, building excitement as the plot unfolds. Each time I reread it, I discover something new.
“Dracula’s country is so barren of people that he came to England, a place where life is rich and flourishing.” This quote from Dr Van Helsing touches on the contrast between Dracula’s homeland and England, where he seeks new life to conquer.
Some sources suggest that Dracula came to England to find a bride and raise an army of the undead to dominate the world. While this theory is fun to consider, I believe Dracula is more a commentary on Victorian society, touching on issues of gender, sexuality, race, and disease.
Victorian England expected a level of decorum and discretion, especially regarding sexual behaviour, but the vampire unleashes a sexuality without boundaries. In the darkness, passion and primal instincts take over, driving characters to abandon their societal constraints.
Though the vampire has an alluring, electric pull, we must remember it is an undead thing, a predator. Dracula’s mannerisms – like his hairy palms and ability to crawl headfirst down walls – betray his true, inhuman nature. Jonathan Harker soon realises that his host is far from human and embodies pure evil.
The novel draws a subtle distinction between the East and the West. When Jonathan enters the East, things become stranger and more supernatural, marked by superstition. By contrast, the West represents reason and order. There is an implied xenophobia, suggesting an uncertainty about foreign influences and all things outside the safe confines of Victorian London.
This fear of the foreign changes the lives of all the main characters. Among them, Renfield embodies a particularly chaotic madness. Though only a supporting character, Renfield’s passion and symbolism are profound. At first a servant of evil, Renfield returns to a sense of humanity when he fears Dracula will harm Mina. He warns her, trying to save her, moved by her beauty and goodness.
Through trials, deaths, and victories, the main characters eventually defeat Dracula. Quincy Morris drives a blade through Dracula’s throat, and a stake is plunged into his heart, ending his reign of terror. However, the soul of Stoker’s Gothic horror lives on in every page.
Every feature of the Gothic novel is present in Dracula: mystery, the grotesque, desolation, love, death, and the supernatural. Stoker’s passionate and descriptive writing teaches us to celebrate these themes, reminding us that horror, terror, and romanticism are deeply intertwined with life itself.
A fun fact about Dracula: Stoker’s characters helped shape the iconic imagery of the vampire (Dracula), the vampire hunter (Van Helsing), and the mad servant (Renfield). As you read this novel, whether for the first time or the twentieth, remember the warning: “For the dead travel fast.”
Do you love Dracula too? Tell us about it in the comments section below!
