Dracula--Review

Dracula by Bram Stoker

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Dracula is basically considered the definitive book about vampires. If that is the case, then vampires aren't as scary as I thought them to be. Count Dracula is very strong, and he can change forms and fit through tiny cracks (like the space between a closed door and the door jamb), but he is very limited by small things like garlic, crucifixes, and the "holy wafer." He cannot come into a house unless invited (what kind of villain has to be invited inside???), and he can't cross over water except at high or low tide (at one point he is stuck on board a ship because he has to be carried--in his box--off the boat). He is completely vulnerable if caught sleeping in his coffin. Okay, so that's what I didn't like about the book: I thought the villain should have been scarier. However, I really enjoyed reading it, and I liked it's format (it is told by journal entries and letters). It got pretty suspenseful at the end, so that was fun. I would recommend it for people who like classic literature, but not so much for people who like to read horror books (it wouldn't be scary enough).

I can't decide what I think about Stoker's representation of women. On the one hand, they are smart, good, and respected (which I like), but on the other hand they are weak, and, when they become vampires, evil seductresses. I'm not sure if he was trying to make a comment about women's purity and that it should be guarded at all costs lest they become corrupted into sex fiends, or if he was trying to make the point that women are smart, as smart as men at times, and should be trusted in decision-making.


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