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Awaking from the Nightmare: Bram Stoker's Dracula (Chapters 24-27) (Patreon)

Published:
2022-11-17 17:35:01
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

"The Castle of Dracula now stood out against the red sky, and every stone of its broken battlements was articulated against the light of the setting sun."

Tonight our we finally free ourselves from Bram Stoker's nightmare. 

Topics of discussion include: the battle between good and evil, the literature of the chaotic age, the etymology of the word 'stake', story as self-hypnosis, the ending of Dracula, and much more.

Timestamps:

  • 0:00 Stoker’s ending vs the opening
  • 1:50 perverted quest narrative
  • 3:00 Mina Harker’s possession
  • 4:54 the battle of good vs evil
  • 7:00 moving from the mythological
  • 8:00 literary/historical cycles
  • 9:00 gothic lit & the age of chaos
  • 12:45 time creates conflict
  • 13:58 dreamless sleeps & the uncanny
  • 16:29 when our souls are at stake
  • 18:22 the power of hypnosis
  • 22:20 destroying the three women
  • 26:43 the attack on Dracula
  • 28:28 what do you make of the ending?
  • 29:00 the legacy of Bram Stoker
  • 31:00 converting opinions into knowledge
  • 32:00 appreciating your insights
  • 32:30 Dracula vs Frankenstein
  • 33:40 where do our fears come from?
  • 38:00 Bram Stoker vs Mary Shelley
  • 38:45 story, suggestion, metaphor
  • 41:00 backstory & pitying the monster
  • 42:43 the idea of the scapegoat
  • 47:00 melodrama, rereadability, horror films
  • 50:00 psychopathy, fever dreams & first readers
  • 52:00 lucid dreaming & sleep paralysis
  • 54:00 thank you so much for reading with us

Questions to Consider:

1) What did you make of the ending of Dracula?

2) Why do you think the story has endured? 

3) What were your overall feelings, impressions, and thoughts after reading this novel? 

Sleep tight, everybody...

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Comments

Gonzalo Broto

I have thoroughly enjoy "Dracula", it's quite a thrilling read, though it's true that in the second half there is a noticeable increase of melodrama and sentimentality which didn't sit very well with me; similarly, the action became too rushed and, in certain ways, even "lucky" (there were some Deus ex machina which could have been avoided), which ultimately makes the novel loose some of its initial strength, but, all in all, I still liked it a fair bit. As you mentioned, Ben, it also caught my attention the shift from Count Dracula being considered a monster, to a criminal, which introduced a new layer to the character that was interesting. Finally, if there is one thing that I found missing and that I would have liked to read more about, that was Van Helsing's background story as to how he became so knowledgeable about vampires; that is altogether another story well worth telling!

Sarah Steinke

This read of Dracula definitely had me looking within more than past reads. However, I still see the story as that of a quest, and the battle between good and evil. I think I got more of the feminist/new woman pictures in this read, thanks to Ben's lectures. Mina being the new woman, more of an equal with her husband and in society, not a helpless house and child minder that must be protected (like Lucy and her mother). I also picked up themes of the western ideas/modernism/science etc vs the old spiritual/mysticism of the past. They talk a lot about technology and the blood transfusion was brand new at that time. Then you have Van Helsing who is a medical doctor and a specialist in literature and myths/vampires, among other things, well rounded, a man of the head/rationality and the heart/spirit. How providential for him to be called on and involved in the quest. Each of the men in the group (knights in their own right) bring something unique but equally important, even Mina, a woman, is included in the quest. I saw Dracula, his "wives", and vampirism as Satan and his sin, tempting, alluring, but ultimately leading to death and destruction. I think this novel endures because it is full of themes that speak to the human condition, our need for purpose, that there is evil and it must be actively acknowledged and exterminated, but also excitement, and a way to live vicariously through the characters, even the vampires/evil themselves.

Tanya

(Pausing this lecture to make a note of appreciation.) That breath taken by Benjamin at 27:16. That one spoken sentence satisfied everything I wanted from an ending I found rushed. How I wish I had thought to read it aloud for myself the first or following readings. New goal; read aloud. The Ending: On my first reading, I loved the way Stoker increased tension & stakes by whittling down time to the last seconds of hope. I had also, however, imagined a much greater punishment in Dracula's final moments, It seemed almost a favor to release his cursed spirit, rather than the drive for revenge Jonathan surely felt. Endurance: Addictive, naughty & a challenge to the psyche. It's epistolary narrative cranks up the tension, especially in those first four chapters, which by the time one has finished reading, the hook is set. I think a LOT of the success of 'Dracula' is down to those first four chapters. Overall Thoughts: This reread was much improved by the discussion of HCLBC. 10/10 would highly recommend. (You (Ben) did just fine with my name 😊)