Bram Stoker's Dracula: A Documentary Journey into Vampire Country and the Dracula Phenomenon

by Elizabeth Russell Miller, Clive Leatherdale (Contributor), William Hughes (Contributor)

When Bram Stoker's Dracula was published in 1897, the ghoulish tale shocked, captivated, offended and thrilled readers. How Stoker became the creator of the mysterious, seductive count from a castle (and coffin) in Transylvania was a story in and of itself. Over the past century, Dracula has never been out of print and has become its own cultural phenomena, starting with Bela Lugosi’s famed rendition in 1931, to Mel Brooks, Francis Ford Coppola, Christopher Lee, Buffy , Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles and the hugely popular Twilight series. This generously illustrated documentary collection explores in full the scope of the Dracula phenomenon, from the folkloric origins of the vampire legend to its unending legacy as a vital influence on the literary and performing arts, not to mention the Romanian tourist industry. Nor does it overlook Bram Stoker himself, and includes his working notes and exceptional primary documents.

Genres: Vampires, Nonfiction, Horror, Gothic, Literary Criticism, Classics, Folklore

432 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2004

About the author

From Wikipedia:
Elizabeth Russell Miller is Professor Emerita at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She currently resides in Toronto. In her early academic career, she focused on Newfoundland literature, primarily the life and work of her father, well-known Newfoundland author and humorist Ted Russell. Since 1990, her major field of research has been Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, its author, sources and influence.

Reviews

[BJW · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you loved the romance of the movie (Winona Ryder/Gary Oldman) and liked Dracula as a sort of sexy, sympathetic character you will be quite surprised and perhaps even disappointed with the actual story. This book is amazing and brutal, a good illustration of why Dracula was so feared and reviled. I would recommend this to anyone except young peeps that might get too creeped out by some of the passages.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful overview of the novel. Miller looks not only at Stoker's life, but the context in which Dracula was written, the source material, and just about everything else. An excellent book and reference.

[David]

I don't know what silly translation I've got. It's just a coincidence that it happens to be Halloween and I'm reading about someone with fangs who hates the sun and looks nothing like ragged ann annie wearing a mini skirt sippin a vodka cranberry. It was in the Oprah classics, Oprah is more than a person but a force of gawd.

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply stunning.

[Tiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not sure if this is the correct edition that I read. But it was ok, a little hard to read with all the different dialogue and the way the characters spoke in this time period. It didn't flow really fast and easy.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this for a vampire literature class that I taught. It provides quite a bit of historical context and supplemental poems and short stories that help put Dracula into context with the world and culture around it.

[Eleni · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an instructor for a vampires course, I found this a very helpful resource. In fact, I believe that the person who set up the Slavic department's course some years back must have used this book as a guide.

It focuses of course on Dracula, the writing of the novel, publication history, influence, criticism, but it also has a base in the folklore about vampires and provides excerpts from many different texts.

I learned a lot and took many notes and look forward to finessing my lectures and discussion questions because of it.

I also think it is a good text not just for teachers but for anyone who is fascinated by vampires -- you can skim sections and jump to the places you might be more interested in (for example, the various representation of Dracula in the movies).

[E G Melby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took me a few years to finish but it is a keeper. I read the chapters here and there over the past few years. Everything you wanted to know about Stoker’s classic book in one spot! Some chapters were more interesting to me than others, but this is jam packed with fascinating information, and good historical background. I loved reading the contemporary reviews of the book back when it was published.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books on Dracula and its background I've ever read: chronology on Stoker (including his residence at St Lenonard's Terrace in London), the vampire before Dracula, contexts for Dracula, the writing of Dracula, parts of the manuscript, Transylvania, the myth, Whitby, publication history, the legacy, a checklist for further reading. You get many great sketches, illustrations and photos inside. A brilliant book I can highly recommend!

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is extraordinary. A fascinating and detailed dive into pretty much everything you could want to know about vampire mythology — from original cultural contexts to modern popular culture. This is a literature fan's dream come true.

[Babar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives a detailed explanation of myth, historical fact’s, character development, cultural and religious influence.


It’s a good read

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 I am going to EXPLODE with Dracula facts