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Gothic Literature and the Rise of the Vampire (Introductory Lecture for Bram Stoker's Dracula) (Patreon)

Published:
2022-10-03 17:35:11
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2026-06
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Content

Today we’re discussing the origins of gothic literature and the development of the vampire as a primer for our reading of Bram Stoker’s blood-soaked Dracula.

Please know that our discussion contains mature themes. We’re talking about sexual repression in the Victorian era, the French Revolution, haunted antiquated spaces, the sublime, Catholic anxiety, vampire as narcissist, the allure of the dark side, and much more.

Video Timestamps:

  • 0:00 Dracula & Gothic Literature
  • 1:45 the early gothic novels
  • 4:50 caught between two worlds
  • 9:00 Freudian readings of the gothic
  • 13:11 secrets & antiquated spaces
  • 14:00 more gothic generic markers
  • 15:21 Shakespeare & the sublime
  • 18:00 the French Revolution
  • 22:00 late Victorian gothic literature
  • 24:00 Ripper fear & sensationalism
  • 25:00 serial killers, sex & dodgy doctors
  • 27:00 cannibalism & Catholicism
  • 27:00 the vampire & insatiable interpreters
  • 29:00 the origins of Bram Stoker’s story
  • 32:00 Vlad the Impaler & Elizabeth Báthory
  • 33:00 vampirism in folklore
  • 35:37 why do we find vampires fascinating?
  • 37:00 Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights
  • 37:41 a Freudian reading of Dracula
  • 38:38 why is the vampire sexualised?
  • 39:00 Lord Byron & Dr Polidori
  • 40:00 the aristocratic vampire
  • 41:39 our craving for the dark side
  • 42:00 vampire as predatory narcissist
  • 43:00 the allure of depravity
  • 44:00 repression in the Victorian gothic
  • 45:00 our personal vampires
  • 45:50 chapter reading assignment

Related Spooky Seasonal Reads:

Questions to Consider:

1) Why do you think we’re so obsessed with vampires?

2) What is your relationship with horror literature? Do you have any favourite frightening books to recommend? 

Keep that holy water close, folks...

Files

Previews only

Gothic Literature and the Rise of the Vampire

0:00 Dracula & Gothic Literature 1:45 the early gothic novels 4:50 caught between two worlds 9:00 Freudian readings of the gothic 13:11 secrets & antiquated spaces 14:00 more gothic generic markers 15:21 Shakespeare & the sublime 18:00 the French Revolution 22:00 late Victorian gothic literature 24:00 Ripper fear & sensationalism 25:00 serial killers, sex & dodgy doctors 27:00 cannibalism & Catholicism 27:00 the vampire & insatiable interpreters 29:00 the origins of Bram Stoker’s story 32:00 Vlad the Impaler & Elizabeth Báthory 33:00 vampirism in folklore 35:37 why do we find vampires fascinating? 37:00 Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights 37:41 a Freudian reading of Dracula 38:38 why is the vampire sexualised? 39:00 Lord Byron & Dr Polidori 40:00 the aristocratic vampire 41:39 our craving for the dark side 42:00 vampire as predatory narcissist 43:00 the allure of depravity 44:00 repression in the Victorian gothic 45:00 our personal vampires 45:50 chapter reading assignment

Comments

Laura Smith

Brilliant lecture! This isn’t a book I’d normally pick up, but thanks to Cliff for telling us about Dracula Daily, I’ve decided to read along. I have no knowledge about this type of literature, so the lecture has been really enlightening and actually got my interested in reading this work! I’m looking forward to watching the rest of the lectures as I read. Looking forward to moving outside my usual comfort zone anyway!

Gordon Felesina

So interesting how the romance genre has evolved over time!

Carlee

I really like the phrase "return of the repressed." I've never thought about it that way. The vampire represents so much more to each individual. I have always equated the Gothic with the desires we all try to keep hidden or are "forced" to keep hidden for one reason or another. So...repressed. I also see some correlation between the Gothic and the spiritual term, "The Dark Night of the Soul." Usually the protagonists have to go through the different stages of this: a disconnect or hopelessness, letting go or confrontation, new understanding or insight, and then reunion to the self or higher power. It's similar but a bit different than the Stage of Grief. I've always appreciated horror. To me, the modern day romances and horror are two genres that evoke the most base emotions within us, love/lust and fear. And I think that's why I am so drawn to them, horror especially. I also have cPTSD and, for a lot of people, horror can be a safe way to explore our traumas, to become more self-aware or examine it in a way that doesn't require being so personal. It's a coping mechanism. It's a controllable thing. I can put the book down when it becomes too much. I do find a beauty in the Gothic, but I find myself reaching more often for Cosmic horror nowadays. Lovecraft's Dagon and The Nameless City are a couple of my favorite stories, but as far as novels go, One Last Gasp and A Song for the Void by Andrew C. Piazza are my favorites. They're historical cosmic horror and both have allegories towards fear and addiction, respectively. And the writing is quite beautiful in A Song for the Void, which is so oddly satisfying against a horrifying backdrop.

Donna F.

I pretty much know the book Dracula by heart as I read it several times as a teen. And it scared the heck out of me!! I had a long time of sleeping with the lights on! I don’t want to be scared now, so I don’t want to read it—but I’m fascinated by the lectures and people’s reactions and comments. So I’m just dipping in to this selection. I do love the old movies about Dracula, the Frankenstein monster and The Wolfman~~however, these days I gravitate, over and over, to the comedies: Young Frankenstein, Transylvania 6-5000, Teen Wolf. And, pertaining to Dracula, Dracula: Dead and Loving It, Love at First Bite, Once Bitten—and of course all the silliness in the various movies of Abbott & Costello. Lastly there is the tv show Eerie, Indiana. I guess the comedic take on horror media is essentially whistling as you walk past a graveyard—Mr Death isn’t coming for me—Not Yet-Not Yet!! Re every single person’s coming death, I get more out of the movie of the play, Our Town, with the characters sitting in rows of chairs, simulating being in a graveyard, and barely noticing what’s going on in the world of the living. I, too, have enjoyed Anne Rice’s vampire books, although I’ve actually enjoyed The Mayfair Witches books more.

Donna F.

Actually a writer whose work does scare me re death is Cornell Whoolrich. He wrote suspense novels. “Mystery aficionado Ellery Queen said of Cornell Woolrich that he can "distill more terror, more excitement, more downright nail-biting suspense out of even the most commonplace happenings than nearly all his competitors." Woolrich's work continues to fascinate readers all around the world, and this trilogy should become a staple in all noir collections. It contains two full length novels (I Married a Dead Man and Waltz into Darkness) and five short stories, including "Rear Window"-works in which one of the genre's consumate "poets of terror" explores all the classic noir themes of loneliness, despair, futility, and occasionally redemption. * Film adaptations of Woolrich works include the Hitchcock classic Rear Window.” It doesn’t have to be horror to be terrifying

hardcoreliterature
>>168343555

I adore Rear Window! What an absolute masterpiece of a film. I'm going to have to check out Cornell Whoolrich now. I believe I have one of his stories as part of the Library of America Noir collection. Thank you for the great recommendation, Donna! :)

Sharon

This was a stellar lecture, Ben! A backstory...I was painting upstairs in my studio when my partner told me he was leaving to run errands. I later went downstairs to eat lunch. After lunch, I heard a man's voice and thought it was my partner but he hadn't returned. I looked out the back window but nobody was in our garden. I walked towards the stairs and heard the man's voice coming from one of the rooms upstairs. I was so frightened that I almost ran out of the house...until I realized that I had forgotten to pause the Audible Edition of Dracula that I was listening to in my studio before heading downstairs for lunch. I felt like such an idiot. Even though I now laugh about it, it freaked me out so much at the time that I could not get myself to finish the book and audiobook. I think that's why I've been very anxious but looking forward to giving both the book and audiobook another go!

Jan Mariolle

What a delicious appetizer to enjoy before our first course. Your lectures are so thoughtful and inspiring. I just joined the book group a couple of days ago and my spirit is lifted and engaged. Thank you.

Amber Sauer

I'm very excited to begin this work and thank you for the thorough introduction. I'd like to pull one thread from the lecture- you referenced the Ripper Fear in the context of depravity and sexuality. You said that he preyed on prostitutes. What's interesting is that none of the women were professional prostitutes, they merely prostituted themselves when their other work wouldn't cover food or nightly shelter. I bring this up because this is an example of exactly what you reference in the lecture about women and men being held to different standards and suffrage as a backlash to that. When women transgressed sexual norms, it became their identity. I wonder to what extent we'll see more of that play out in the gothic reads. Note: if anyone else is a history fan like me (history is how I first discovered literature!) I highly recommend reading The Five by Hallie Rubenhold who deep dives in to these women's lives.

shirley muhleisen

I’m “stoked”! Thanks for the introduction and hints, Ben! The dark lighting really set the mood. I’m listening to a very dramatic YT audiobook by Steven “RedFox” Garnett while reading the book: first time doing that and it is mesmerizing!

Linda Moore

I’m ready to read after listening to the lecture twice, the suspense was mounting. My husband picked up the book from the library. And the time had come. I opened the book with great expectations, to find it was in Spanish! Ah, the suspense builds. I’ll now read Great Expectations….I’ll go find a lecture on that one, too. Thank you Ben! I am loving this new venture!

Michelle Martel

I'm so excited to be rereading Dracula with the group. Gothic is my favorite genre to read. I was just thinking yesterday that I would like dabble more into contemporary horror to see what I think of it. I think if it is too much on the "this could really happen" side, I will be too frightened to enjoy it. I tend to like supernatural elements.

Lisa Cassidy

Thank you Ben for a wonderful lecture. I’ve always wanted to read Dracula but was a bit afraid to, even though I have seen many old Dracula movies. I’ve been reading horror classics on and off for years. I look forward to reading Dracula with a new appreciation of horror.

David Wisehart

Another great video, Ben. I've read Dracula a few times, and played Renfield in a stage production, but it's been a while since I've turned those pages, and this should make for a fun October read. I'm particularly interested in the Gothic precursors. I have a copy of The Monk on my shelf, and may give that a read this month, too, along with some of the others you mentioned.

Caroline P
>>92869613

Hahahaha, that is a very funny story, but blimey I would have been scared too.

Caroline P
>>92880754

Hello Amber, wasn’t The Five a brilliant book. I read it ages ago but it has stayed with me ever since and it taught me so much.

Caroline P

Hello, thank you Ben for a great introduction. I have read Dracula many times but not for a while. I am very keen to read it again with everyone in the book club. I started two days ago and am half way through chapter four, at the end of which I will pause for the next video. I must say that despite it being a re read it is as scary as ever if not more so!

hardcoreliterature
>>92876174

Thank you, Jan. I’m so happy you’re here. We certainly have quite the feast before us… A nightmare-inducing one, like the beef-heavy meals of Stoker and Radcliffe :)

Sharon xx

Excellent lecture, Ben! I’ve never read, Dracula 🧛‍♂️ so I’ve been anticipating this so much. I’ve read the first four chapters and it’s quite the page turner! Can’t wait to pick it up again. I think our obsession with vampire’s has many origins from the potential for immortality, fantasy, personal escapism and the fact that they’re often acted by some seriously good looking actors/actresses. 😂 I am not a horror or true crime fan at all. But a bit of gothic horror is the perfect autumnal read and is about my limit as far as scary goes. Hoping everyone is enjoying the read x x Sharon x x

hardcoreliterature
>>92882641

Thank you, Shirley! Loving the pun ;) I'm completely stoked too. I just checked out Steven “RedFox” Garnett's narration and wow! What an incredible voice he has - perfect for the story!

hardcoreliterature
>>92887273

Oh, no! This has happened to me on more than one occasion too, Linda. In the time being, Great Expectations is delightfully gothic too and perfect for the season :) And thank you! I'm so happy you enjoyed this one :)

hardcoreliterature
>>92892165

We're so excited you're reading it with us, Michelle. Gothic is my favourite too. I also have a preference for the supernatural vs the probable. Ghosts over slashers - though I do love spending time anywhere in the horror genre generally. I'm currently rereading some of my old Junji Ito stories. Wonderfully horrifying!

hardcoreliterature
>>92894262

Thank you, Lisa. I love the old Dracula movies! Last night, I threw on two back-to-back. Nosferatu from 1922 and then the 1931 Bela Lugosi film - he is so marvellous. I'm looking forward to hearing what you make of the book :)

hardcoreliterature
>>92903387

Thank you, David. That's so cool that you played Renfield. That must have been so much fun. I'd love to hear what you make of the precursors. I've immersed myself in the Gothic this month, having particular fun trawling through a lot of great short stories!

hardcoreliterature
>>92909633

Thank you, Caroline. The end of chapter four is such a brilliant place to pause! Even knowing the rest of the story, I can't help but feel a sense of mounting dread :)

Jeffrey Jackson

Thanks Benjamin. I have never had any desire to read Dracula, but I ordered a copy yesterday after seeing this video posted. A few years ago I learned a lesson about avoiding books where I thought the premise was unappealing, or not serious or deep enough, whatever that means. Then a small book club I was in about 2 years ago decided to read Frankenstein. I wanted to read something “more serious” like Dostoyevsky, or Faulkner. But I went along with the group. I ended up thoroughly enjoying it! Obviously Dracula is considered special by a great many people, and you have chosen it for this group, so I am avoiding it no more. Jeff.

Sarah Steinke

Dracula is one of my very favorite books of all time. I have read it several times and October is the month I usually reread it. My fascination with vampires began back when I saw The Interview with a Vampire movie with Brad Pitt ,Tom Cruise, and the amazing Kirsten Dunst. I had to go read the book (even better) and so many other vampire novels and movies and shows since. For me, its the idea of a person giving into their darker desires and what are the results, the consequences, the good and the bad. Is it worth it? It reinforces the principle of balance. In addition to all the reasons you gave for why vampire lore and myth persists, I think we are obsessed with them because they give us a window of what it would be like to give into the darkness, to be the more powerful, to have control over others and be alluring/irresistable, to have immortality and never age/grow old, have superhuman abilities, to take and be selfish because you have to, its now part of your nature. Most victims of vampires do not want to become a vampire but some do, so you can experience both sides. The unwilling victim, now gets to indulge in the dark side and is it really their fault? Are they really evil? Bram Stoker's Dracula is pure evil in my opinion, and I love it. The atmosphere, characters, and facing fear and the unknown, risking your life for your values, for goodness to prevail, are why I love Dracula. I could go on and on, but I think that sums it up for now. So excited for future videos and discussions about one of my favorites

Scott W

I've never read Dracula. I'll be starting it tonight after everyone is in bed.. I'll have a snack beside me, a nice warm drink of something.. I look forward to feeding off all your energy for this great work in the discussions to come.. ;-) oh, also.. I recently discovered Ted Hughes', 'Vampire'. A very chilling little poem, perfect as an appetiser..

Caroline P
>>92924194

Hello Jeffrey.. I have found so far in this group that often I think I won’t join in with a particular book. Then I think maybe I will give it a go.. and then I find I have bought a copy…anyway those books end up being the best ones. So I get it with what you say about Frankenstein.. maybe it is because we go in with no expectations. I was adamant that I wasn’t going to read Blood Meridian and then ended up really being in awe of it. That’s the joy of reading I suppose, unexpected treasure

Ellen M

Great lecture Ben! As a genre, horror/gothic has never been my cup of tea. I love the tongue in cheek version of gothic in Northanger Abbey, but even my beloved Jane Austen could never pique my interest in this genre, and that is my least favorite of her novels. But, I started my first read of Dracula the other day and reached chapter 6 - will stop now that I watched this lecture. It’s wonderful, juicy, scary, tense and deliciously campy all at the same time! The lecture gives great backstory but I still can’t help but wonder, how the heck this idea of vampires really started- like who was the very first person that came up with the idea of a blood sucking monster? It’s wild. I need to listen to this again One of my favorite ‘awful’ movies when I was a teen is the version with Gary Oldman as Dracula (& Keanu Reeves/Winona Ryder as Jonathan and Mina) I need to rewatch that…

Pierre Bolkonsky

Thank you, Ben, for the illuminating lecture. I haven't read much gothic and I've grown dismissive of the vampire genre because of the many bad movies I've watched. Hopefully going back to the source will change my perception.

Michael Filippone

Wonderful lecture, Ben! I had to pause it just now because I’m so excited about this book, and wanted to comment on some things you said so far. There is something about the gothic that I just can’t get enough of - especially gothic horror and the more contemporary southern gothic of the U.S. I’ve read Dracula only once (twelve years ago, so I’m due for a reread). I recall reading an article at the time that claimed Dracula was received in its time as lowbrow pulp for the masses. I don’t know if that’s true, but there’s no denying that it has transcended that realm and is a timeless story of terror with much to admire. I can not wait to get back into it this month. It’s apparent and undeniable that sexuality is a timeless theme of vampire lore. However, considering what I have come to learn since I read Dracula 12 years ago, I now feel that the general emphasis of this theme (at least in the broad cultural recognition of it) lies a bit heavily in the heterosexual framing of sexuality. I’ve since read Carmilla (so beautiful - another of my favorites now) and Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (bursting with homoerotic tension), and I’ve read about the letters that Stoker and Walt Whitman traded (utterly enthralling! They’re covered on the lit blog The Marginalian). Stoker was very close to Oscar Wilde, and started writing Dracula only a few weeks after Wilde was arrested for homosexuality. Also there is that line that was removed from all printings of Dracula except for the American version because it was considered too risqué: on the evening that Jonathan is to stay in Dracula’s castle, Dracula fends off his eager wives by telling them not to feed on Jonathan tonight; they can have him tomorrow. Supposedly the cut line, to paraphrase, said: “you can feed on him tomorrow, but tonight he’s mine”. Scandalous haha! Anyway, I’m so excited to read this book, especially now that I have a richer grasp of the subtextual nuances. Now it’s back to the video to finish the lecture!

Suz R

Hi Benjamin, I think people are enamored with vampires because it’s something that most of us have not seen. It’s a taboo topic that allows for various sub genres within the topic itself. I’m sure when the writings first came out the church and those of good moral standing highly opposed talk about the vampires much less anything else. Plus those in authority didn’t want it getting out …who would believe ya? And we all know the more you try to quiet something the quicker it spreads. . And we as a people desire to know the things that are unknown. I think it away the vampires give people a glimpse into things that they fear such as the afterlife is there such a thing question are there people to meet you is it warm and fuzzy or is it cold and callous and enfield with you roaming the streets never to be fulfilled. Honestly horror is not my genre I think we see enough horror on television that I do not need to include it in my reading. However I do like Dracula and I do like Frankenstein so I do try to read those in October, They try to help me gain insight into why some people want to be scared and some people don’t. People have been doing this for a while and personally I think it will continue on.

Chrissy

That was a brilliant lecture, Ben, and you have me so excited to read Dracula! It’s probably not the kind of book I’d normally reach for, as horror usually doesn’t horrify me (nor do thrillers thrill me.) However, at the time of posting, I’m onto the third chapter, and I am captivated. I’m not quite sure why, but for some reason I was expecting something schlocky and pulpy. I should have known better! As I read, I can feel my eyes widen, and my jaw drop, and I’m reading like a 10 year old again. I’m rationing myself to 2 chapters a day, to prolong the excitement. This is so much fun!

Jan Mariolle

I enjoyed your post so much. It’s wonderful to feel that childlike excitement around reading again. I feel it too.

ALEX LEMON

Well, as a new member, I was debating whether I should jump into the current schedule now or continue reading the back catalogue. This great lecture made that decision quite easy and my copy of Dracula should arrive today!

Vicky

Looking forward to this one!

Emma

Hello everyone! I'm really excited to be here reading with you all. Small confession to make though I don't think I've ever actually read gothic literature before, not exactly sure why. Now that I think of it, It's probably because I'm a big chicken about them. You really couldn't pay me enough to watch any type of scary movie. So, this should be interesting to say the least. Any advice to keep me from falling asleep with all the lights on this month would be greatly appreciated :))

Steve Justice
>>93000237

Hi Alex, I'm new too and just picking and choosing as I go. I want to do Dracula so I'm reading this but I really want to read Tolstoy so I'll be picking up with the curriculum after this. What's nice is that it's always there whenever you want to pick up where you left off.

hardcoreliterature
>>92920495

Thank you, Sharon. I envy your first reading experience. Page turner is definitely the best description of this one! I love your point about our obsession with vampirism being connected with our desire for immortality. It’s interesting noting that in many of these stories, the vampire figure is preoccupied with their family and history. They’re like an (un)living legacy stalking the dark halls at night..

hardcoreliterature
>>92925120

I went to the Anne Rice books after enjoying the film version of ‘Interview with a Vampire’ too and found myself utterly smitten (bitten?) by the lore. In the dark autumnal period that followed, I devoured vampire stories by the coffin-load. I love your idea of the vampire as giving us window into the darkness, Sarah. There are an incredible amount of different ways to read the vampire figure, but the one that I find personally most rewarding is seeing the vampire as our shadow. The idea of befriending our dark side is certainly an alluring one!

hardcoreliterature
>>92955687

Thank you, Pierre. I think a lot of readers would definitely relate to you there. I’m very keen to know if Bram Stoker’s work does change anything for you!

hardcoreliterature
>>92975177

Thank you, Michael. I really appreciate that! I’m exactly the same. For some reason, gothic has always fascinated me. And Southern Gothic is one of my favourite flavours. It’s definitely a blast to read how some of the contemporary reviews responded to Dracula. It was a bestseller of its day and looked down on by some. One reviewer said it was an ‘artistic mistake to fill a whole volume with horrors.’ The rest, of course, is history. As you say, it’s now a timeless tale of terror! And thank you very much for sharing such a wonderfully insightful appreciation of the homoeroticism of Dracula. Did you know that Wilde actually courted Bram Stoker’s wife before they married? His letters to Walt Whitman are beautiful, passionate, and filled with love. And I’m totally with you on that scandalous line - “tonight he’s mine!” One of my favourites!

Jen

I wasn't planning to read this quite yet, but after watching this video, and getting caught up in Ben's evident glee, decided to switch things around and have now read the first few chapters. Like Emma above I really dislike horror, but on reflection seem to make an exception for vampires! I am interested to see how this compares to the modern interpretations I am more familiar with. I feel like I know this story but have never actually read the book. I know I watched Coppola's interpretation but that was many many years ago.

hardcoreliterature
>>92976409

These are such incredibly insights, Suz. The taboo nature really is like a perfect storm when it comes to subgenres. A large number of my family are very traditionally religious and there’s this hushed sense of ‘we’re not supposed to believe in that…’ (i.e. the priest has told us not to believe). Not with vampires per se, but definitely with ghosts and communicating with the supernatural world. And, yet, the belief, and fear, is certainly there! I’m completely with you on there being more than enough horror on the television today. I’ve had to keep it off for the most part - certainly many of the things actually happening in the world are upsetting enough!

hardcoreliterature
>>92982496

Thank you, Chrissy! Reading like a ten-year-old again - that, I think, is the gold standard of literature. Does it return us to that period in which we had a childlike sense of wonder? Dracula definitely does it for me :)

hardcoreliterature
>>93022907

Hello Emma! I’m a big chicken when it comes to horror too. But, for some strange reason, I have spent years forcing myself to watch unnerving horror films and tear through horror stories. They’ve definitely left their imprint! My lights will remain on this month…

hardcoreliterature
>>93183793

I'm thrilled to hear you got caught up in my glee, Jen :) I'm due a private screening of Coppola's film very soon as part of my binging of vampire films this month!

shirley muhleisen

I am thoroughly enjoying reading Dracula while listening to a wonderfully narrated audiobook. The shape shifting of the Count is fascinating. Since just learning that the journal dates of different characters does not track with the Chapters, I want to see what the others have been doing in their journals while Arthur is captive. This is a page turner, despite my dislike of horror, like some others have related. I’m also living the heavy descriptions of the countryside, ride on train or in carriage and inhabitants of this still country that is hard to access. When hearing of so much blood in the earth, I wondered if Count was referring to high count of unburied casualties from wars in the general region, in 1800s. But maybe he was referring to his own contribution?

Tanya

New member & not generally one for commenting, I just wanted to put in my bit of appreciation for a well thought out lecture & well organized book club. This is a reread for me, & one I’ve been highly enjoying. As to our draw to vampires, in addition to the mentioned inability to let loved ones pass on, or to punish our enemies with an eternal life of ‘in between’, I often think that we’re drawn in to the lore of vampirism out of that which we see as powerful, seductive, and/or unending. The fact that we can obtain these things through vampirism is just another facet of those repressed desires talked about.

Susan Knox

I agree with the other commentators that sexuality and immortality are two of the themes that lure us to vampire stories. I would like to add two things: the super-human strength of the vampire and the sense of timelessness with its ability to see all the great works of art and culture from the past (although this may have been picked up from watching the Twilight series more than anything else). I have a really low score on the scare-o-meter so Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Northanger Abbey (😉) are my usual limits. Oh, and I love Frankenstein but feel it is more philosophical than terrifying.

Alena Malik

Hi Ben and fellow book club members! I cannot contain my excitement about the turn of the season, and what a perfect read for October! I think the allure of the vampire comes from that combination of seduction and danger - a magnetism and intrigue that draws you in even though you know you shouldn't. This is akin to my relationship with the horror genre generally - it has always intrigued me but I am plagued with a faint heart. I started reading Dracula many years ago (maybe around the age of 17/18) and had a nightmare that night, and couldn't bring myself to continue! But you have brought the perfect opportunity to brave this tale once more. Excited to be reading with you all! Thank you for all you do Ben :)

hardcoreliterature
>>93292885

Hello Alena! Your excitement is palpable, and you're making me even more excited! Your relationship to horror sounds very similar to my own. I'm very sensitive, and yet drawn to the macabre. I think you're right about the allure of the vampire as arising from the combination of seduction and danger. How incredible to hear you had a nightmare the very same night you first read Dracula. I'm sure Bram Stoker would be thrilled with that response! On a related note, I had a nightmare just the other night after reading through Dracula. All I remember is I was going deeper and deeper into a dark crypt..

hardcoreliterature
>>93269764

Thank you, Anovuh. I really appreciate that. And welcome to the club! :) We're so happy you're here reading with us! Wonderful insights from your rereading of Dracula. It really is incredible how many of our repressed desires hang on the vampiric figure, isn't it?

Tanya
>>93271890

I definitely have glossed over the super human strength when it comes to 'Dracula', so thanks for pulling that bit to the forefront. Another new (to me) aspect of the reread to keep in mind.

Margaret McNally

Great primer for sure! It’s interpreted diversely which is the best kind of novel. For me it’s about immortality ( often quest for) sexuality, blood sacrifices for pleasure and the self, and good vs evil. Everyday is the struggle. It’s not easy in this world. So many temptations. I actually just got as my new tote La Belle Dame sans Mercy by Waterhouse. Lovely. I just found out the fact that Bram Strokers wife converted to Catholicism soon after novel published. ❤️❤️ Supernatural 😍

Tiffany Gallaher

I've been listening to this video post while working and when you came to the part about the sublime [15:21] it made me stop. Thank you for giving me a term/mental coat-hook on which to hang something I have been thinking about for several years and with it, a link to a whole related literature. About a year ago my uncle died of pancreatic cancer and I helped nurse him in his last days. I care for my elderly father, who is slowly dying of congestive heart failure. The experience of watching someone encounter death and by extension drawing near to it oneself has been periodically on my mind, with its related feelings of terror, mystery and grief mixed with beauty. The choral piece Northern Lights by Ola Gjeilo is one I have listened to while thinking about these things. It was written to express his feelings while viewing the aurora borealis. The Latin text that goes with the piece is taken from the Song of Songs. I've included the translation below as well as a link to an article about the piece: https://pianistmusings.com/2017/01/27/northern-lights-by-ola-gjeilo/ Thou art beautiful, O my love, sweet and comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army set in array. Turn away thy eyes from me, for they have made me flee away. For me, the feeling of the sublime is what connects thoughts around death, the northern lights, love expressed in the Song of Songs and now, gothic literature. Who knew? Well, I didn't know until this afternoon that it was also a feature of gothic literature and that I could also explore that feeling as I read Stoker's Dracula in the October season. So, thank you!