Who knew that Bram Stoker was Irish, that his first name was “Abraham,” that he wrote many works in addition to Dracula, and that the novel Dracula can be both a fun and eerie read? One thing CWLC members knew for certain was that Katja W. would give a fantastic presentation on her Irish writer, Bram Stoker.
Abraham Stoker was born in 1847 in Clontarf, Ireland. He studied mathematics at Trinity College then turned his focus to theatre after watching awe-inspiring performances by Sir Henry Irving. Stoker became a theatre critic, manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, and Irving’s friend and international tour manager. Stoker had a penchant and talent for writing: his early publications were printed in periodicals, and he later grew in popularity to become one of the best-selling English writers of the Victorian era.
Stoker published numerous short-stories and short-story collections, novels, and non-fiction. Katja introduced five of Stoker’s works to the club: Under the Sunset (1881), Gibbet Hill (1890), Dracula (1897), Snowbound: The Record of a Theatrical Touring Company (1908), and The Lair of the White Worm (1911).
Dracula is Stoker’s magnum opus and it remains one of the most popular works in English literature. The novel centres on a young British solicitor who travels to Romania in hopes of finalizing a real estate deal with a charismatic nobleman named Count Dracula. Unlike other clients, Dracula happens to be a vampire: he lives in a menacing castle, is centuries old, only makes his appearance at night, and sucks the blood of unsuspecting victims.
Stoker’s gothic horror is epistolary in form, consisting of letters, diary entries, and newspaper clippings from different narrators. This form offers readers various perspectives, enhanced realism, and a sense of suspense. Stoker’s use of anxiety-filled cliff hangers also maintain a suspenseful narrative and have his audiences wanting to read more. Katja explained the “Dracula Formula,” which Stoker successfully used for his novel: “The narrator is an educated skeptic—rational and grounded—confronted with something he cannot explain. The story is anchored in historical reality, there’s a foreign, supernatural presence and the landscape itself is more than just setting. It acts almost like a character, full of memory, tension, and atmosphere.” Dracula easily falls into the horror subgenre known as “Slow Burn Horror,” which is characterized by a gradual build-up of psychological tension that focuses on atmosphere and character development.
Dracula and Stoker’s vampire prototype have been the inspiration for many adaptions in literature, film, television, comic books, and games. Perhaps Stoker’s vampire wasn’t the first of its kind, as described in Shawna M.’s presentation on Sheridan Le Fanu, but it is Stoker who has made this undead character remain alive.
Katja shared an amusing story as to why she chose Bram Stoker for her Irish writer. Katja’s mother worked in the town of Bistritz, located in Northern Romania (Transylvania). It is in this small town that Dracula‘s protagonist, Jonathan Barker, begins his journey to find Count Dracula. While visiting her mother in Transylvania, Katja and her family hoped to explore Dracula’s Bran Castle. Unfortunately, numerous tourists had the same intention, so Katja and her family opted to read the famous novel instead.
Posted by Mooréa G.