John O’Connor reopens the coffin of Dracula, a novel that is as much about monsters as it is about the fears of society itself.
Before we start, best to say “come inside” because - vampire or not - everyone is welcome to read what they want. From Hotel Transylvania being the subject of many a childhood Halloween movie nights to The Vampire Diaries and Twilight having a major (wooden) stake in many a heart during the teenage years, reading Bram Stoker’s novel “Dracula” in your college years almost feels like coming back to a familiar country home, that like the Count’s Castle, has grown rather dusty and decrepit - but still holds that enticing allure, calling you inside.
The opening segment focuses on Jonathon Harker’s descent into Dracula’s castle, in which he is warned several times of the impending peril he will receive upon arriving. The Gothic horror element is as bright as the bluest flame with eerie undertones permeating the narrative - any horror fan will get a kick out of the dire and dreary scene concocted in the first few chapters. I did almost feel as though us readers are also waking up from a bad dream when Jonathan wakes up in the hospital awaiting Mina’s arrival from London, after escaping the Castle. Yet, upon departing the Castle it seemed that the Gothic aspect was slightly lost and, although supernatural forces were still at play, as we get farther from Transylvania and towards London, we get closer to the realm of nonfiction rather than fiction.
One striking change, which could be seen as slightly disappointing, is the lack of dialogue between the Count and Johnathan after we left Transylvania. We shift from the relationship of a singular protagonist and antagonist to a more universal one. Their bond would have been one of intrigue to further explore the complexities and culture clashes of the pair. Bram Stoker was a classmate of Oscar Wilde’s older brother and a close friend of the family. I guess it might not be completely outside the realm of possibility to consider the homosexual undertones within Castle Black, which similarly of the time was a controversial take on Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Grey.
The lack of dialogue post Transylvania could also represent that perhaps it is the mob mentality that takes place when one comes up against what they perceive as “foreign invaders”, a ‘shoot first ask questions later’ kind of mentality. We are told how the Count flourishes in the destruction and suffering of others from Lord Godalming, and how his very existence is the work of the devil and an affront to Christianity by Van Helsing. The book is written and based in late Victorian era England centres around a period that was rife with antisemitism and anti-immigration. The Aliens act 1905 is an example of an act that was brought in, as a response to combat the influx of eastern European Jewish immigrants, and the idea of an eastern invader coming to London and converting the women of the nation to its “devilish ways” is quite telling of the fears of the time.
Another way the author challenges common notions of the time is the depiction of womanhood and femininity throughout the book. Madam Mina displays stark heroinism, even stating selflessly in the concluding chapters that she wishes to be killed by the man she loves rather than exist as one of these “weird sisters” of Transylvania. She demonstrates her empathy in how she feels insurmountable pity for Renfield, the psych patient in Dr Seward’s asylum, her empathy for the Count in begging her male comrades to not hunt him out of malice but mercy. and of course her kindness and compassion for her dear friend Lucy Westerna, who we see is someone who does become “infected” by the Count’s influence and suffers the matching fate. Mina’s empathy is almost seen as a weakness in the story, and it feels as though she goes through the story wrapped in layers upon layers of bubble wrap due to her “purity” and “maiden like” qualities.
However this is only a hindrance to her capabilities as she, in my opinion, proves to be the most useful and valuable member on the team, for example in her memorisation of the train routes and ability to connect with the Count telepathically. To a reader, Mina being the victim of the Count’s treachery is not accidental, and the fear of the most highly revered individuals of upper-class society being stolen and taken away by these “savages” from the east is a potent commentary on a certain portion of society’s view on immigration in this time period. As a similar kind of racism appears to be making a resurgence in Ireland and Britain, with anti-immigration movements blasting out of control, it’s hard not to feel that this book is relevant today more than ever before.