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Beyond Dracula: Bram Stoker’s Fiction and its Cultural Context
Beyond Dracula represents an important critical departure from the customary psychoanalytical approach to the writings of Bram Stoker. Reading Stoker as a participant in Victorian and Edwardian cultural life, this volume examines the breadth of Stoker's novel-length fiction, as well as his journalism, biographical writings and short fiction. In its consideration of questions of religion, censorship, gender and medicine, the volume will interest not merely readers of the Gothic but those involved in the study of Victorian and Edwardian culture.
- GenresNonfictionVampiresHorror
227 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 3, 2018
A huge debt of gratitude is owed to my friend, Aloha, whose generosity brought this book to my attention, and allowed me to read it electronically. After seeing the astronomical asking prices of Amazon, I am forever grateful. I’d imagine that the reason it’s so expensive is because of its scarcity, assuming it’s rare, but even used paperback copies cost just under a hundred dollars, plus shipping and taxes. New hardcovers go for one hundred and thirty dollars. Heck, even e-books are going for a hindred bucks. In all seriousness, Aloha, saying thank you isn’t enough. Not by a long shot. I hope you know just how much this means to me.
I learned a lot. Much more, in fact, than I ever thought I’d know about the man. William Hughes professor of Humanities and Gothic Literature at England’s Bath Spa University and noted literary critic, began this work with an introduction, which gives an overview of Bram Stoker's professional and personal life, with an emphasis on the latter. This, in itself, was impressive and by the end, I couldn’t get enough. I wanted to know more, a lot more. What I believed then to be an innate fascination set the tone for what was to come. I couldn’t have been less prepared, albeit in a good way.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William...
However, instead of focusing on Stoker’s personal relations, Hughes expertly examines some of the author’s recurring themes, including mythology, eugenics, Edwardian and Victorian culture, transcendency and the sacredness of blood. He does this with a religious and/or spiritual slant, as most of Stoker’s work featured persons of faith. Hughes doesn’t simply state these topics as curious side notes, either. He clearly took great care and time to analyze a handful of Stoker’s work (nonfiction, short stories and novels,) and he so in such a way that I had no choice but to be stunned, again and again. His prose isn’t especially dense or dull. He doesn’t come across as pretentious, although he does write as one might expect a person in his position to write, which can be challenging. His word usage took me temporarily out of the text, as it became necessary for me to stop and define said words. This happened frequently, and it was frustrating (very frustrating, at times,) yet I persevered.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics
Hughes is verbose, and this probably should have been further revised, but I am kind of acclimated to similar publications. That doesn’t make it rubbish. His wordiness didn’t take too much away from my overall enjoyment. Beyond Dracula was a wonderfully unique experience, one which I hope to never foget.
Despite these constructive criticisms, I don’t believe that they should deter anyone from reading this beautiful book. It’s challeging, yes, but well worth everything required. Highly recommended.
I learned a lot. Much more, in fact, than I ever thought I’d know about the man. William Hughes professor of Humanities and Gothic Literature at England’s Bath Spa University and noted literary critic, began this work with an introduction, which gives an overview of Bram Stoker's professional and personal life, with an emphasis on the latter. This, in itself, was impressive and by the end, I couldn’t get enough. I wanted to know more, a lot more. What I believed then to be an innate fascination set the tone for what was to come. I couldn’t have been less prepared, albeit in a good way.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William...
However, instead of focusing on Stoker’s personal relations, Hughes expertly examines some of the author’s recurring themes, including mythology, eugenics, Edwardian and Victorian culture, transcendency and the sacredness of blood. He does this with a religious and/or spiritual slant, as most of Stoker’s work featured persons of faith. Hughes doesn’t simply state these topics as curious side notes, either. He clearly took great care and time to analyze a handful of Stoker’s work (nonfiction, short stories and novels,) and he so in such a way that I had no choice but to be stunned, again and again. His prose isn’t especially dense or dull. He doesn’t come across as pretentious, although he does write as one might expect a person in his position to write, which can be challenging. His word usage took me temporarily out of the text, as it became necessary for me to stop and define said words. This happened frequently, and it was frustrating (very frustrating, at times,) yet I persevered.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics
Hughes is verbose, and this probably should have been further revised, but I am kind of acclimated to similar publications. That doesn’t make it rubbish. His wordiness didn’t take too much away from my overall enjoyment. Beyond Dracula was a wonderfully unique experience, one which I hope to never foget.
Despite these constructive criticisms, I don’t believe that they should deter anyone from reading this beautiful book. It’s challeging, yes, but well worth everything required. Highly recommended.
July 7, 2024
Simply had to pick up this one because of the cover (even though it's Nosferatu). Inside you'll find a study on Stoker's fiction, pity and terror: theology, morality and popular fiction, chivalry, atavism and masculinity, the taming of the new, hysteroid pathology and physological medicine. The book end with extensive notes and a bibliography. Rather academic, more a thesis than popular science the author states some very interesting points here. Recommended for every advanced Dracula reader!
September 23, 2024
DNF for me. This was a heavy academic book exploring Stoker's writing. Not really the book I was interested in reading.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews