Up to Chapter 20

I am now actually trully enjoying Dracula. Their hunt for the vampire is now underway and while we haven't seen Dracula for a while we are still hooked showing the mark of a good book since we don't actually mind the absence of the main character.
I loved the spooky bit when Mina wakes up to find her window open despite her knowing she closed it.
Stoker also covers social aspects of life. There are a lot of places where feminists would be appaulled such as Van Helsing saying killing the vampire 'is no job for a woman' which is odd considering Mina has demonstrated that she is the most intelligent person there as well as the most emotionally strong - both Morris and the Lord cry in front of her and need her help. Renfield is finally getting important and Ive now actually started noticing him as it were and the thought of his sanity being biggest the further Dracula is away is a fantastic idea.

Part 11 On Audiobook

I' m now using the audiobook of Dracula which is very useful since it means I can listen to little bits whenever I want without worrying about carryingt he book around with me.
It's interesting now to see the many paths of people merging. Van Helsing lived in Holland and now he is coming face to face with Mina and Jonathan and now Dracula is getting noticed. My big question is why didn't he kill Jonathan? All those days in the castle Dracula could have killed him once he got safe passage to england but he didn't? Now he's got Van Helsing on his trail because of it.
I was surprised Harker didn't mind Lucy going through his journal. I would have thought he wouldn't want anyone to know because of the horror it contained but I suppose that was the effect of seeing Dracula on the train.
I was stunned Van Helsing already wanted to see Lucy's body. I thought he didn't have enough to go on yet but it shows he obviously knows what he's doing.
I love Van Helsing's explanation that he believes Lucy not to be dead but not to be alive. It poses all sorts of phylosophical issues such as do we love life more than we fear death? Stoker was obviously an intellectual man and I can't wait to see Arthur's reaction to seeing Lucy walking but not really alive. Will he be happy or sad?

Up to Chapter 12

Once again mixed feelings.

I love the uses of irony although it's also quite sad in a way. When Harker says 'I would give the last drop of blood in my body for her'. This is so dramatic because when reading I wondered wether this would be put to the test if she tried to suck his blood but I also felt sorry for Harker because everything bad seems to be happening to him in this and yet we haven't seen Dracula for a while! This shows how it is not just his presence that causes fear and despair.

The introduction of Van Helsing is interesting. We know him to be vitally important but I did not ever think of him as a blood specialist but always considered him a supernaturalist. I struggle to see how he will proove more important in the plot unless his knowledge comes to play a bigger part.
I also found that the context was more important. Van Helsing had to return to Amsterdam to get some books. In modern day we could flick a switch on the computer and find all we needed to know.
It was infuriating when Seward thought about the bite marks and then disregarded them. This is brilliant use of irony because I think anybody whop knows anything about dracual knows about those marks and yet we cannot intervine!
Garlic!!! We at last see that Van Helsing is on the right track!!
As for the ending it was I have to admit brilliant!! It might normally be a bit cheesy to say it is not the end but the beggining but I actually thought it was a fitting thing to say and it really keeps the reader hooked. Personally I am wondering how Mina will react and what will Dracula do next?

Up To Chapter 9

Mixed feelings on this section. If I'm honest I found the ship log I bit...predictable. It seems odd to me that they did not check the boxes earlier since it seemed to me the only possible hideaway for Dracula.
As for Lucy I found her behaviour increasingly odd but I loved the way they used dramatic irony as we knew it was Dracula on their favourite seat but Mina doesn't know. The teeth marks are brillianlty done since Mina regards them as a tiny detail and yet we know it to be far more important- again this shows the true effect of a diary since I expect her to find out that these are far more important later on in the novel. Finally I was shocked about Jonathan!! I expected him to be dead but it appears he is not...or is he? As of yet we don't have any real proof do we? Therefore I am not sure that Mina will see him again but ishe does I can't believe that he will be the same man.

Up To Chapter 7

I've just read up to chapter 7 and I have just one word for my feelings: Dissapointed! I guess I'm just one of those action people but I really could not enjoy the girl gossip in letters between Mina and Lucy. While it must of course be vital to the book it seemed to me odd to have changed from Harker's description of peril to Mina and Lucy's description of love. While I am sure Stoker is trying to emphasize the difference between the two situations it seems clear that these two situations will become mingled together.
I do, from an acting point of view, enjoy Stoker's use of dramatic irony. When Mina describes her frustration with lack of news from Jonathan her assurance in his saftey due to his previous letters is very dramatic in the sense that the reader starts to feel almost guilty at their knowledge of an event that will be lifechanging for Mina but she doesn't yet know about. All in all though I have to say I didn't enjoy the couple of chapters as much as the first since it seemed to me a more descriptive based section while the opening was more active and more engaging, but I suppose this is the whole function of good novels- they grip you with action and suspense in the opening so as to get you to stick with the book and leave the more detailed explanations (less engaging) to later- I'll consider this for my coursework.

Harker's Death

I've now read up to chapter 4 and found it interesting. It was a tragic end but still a good way to end Harker's life. I wasn't hoiwever prepared for Harker's death so early on in the book. It supports my theory in my first post that the book is dedicated to being very dark and gruesome. One thing however, that supports all we know about the gothic genre is when he describes Dracula smiling at kissing his hand as like Judas. While it is used as treachery it does emphasize religion. I do, again, have a question. Why did Harker remain so long in Dracula's presence? Was his job that important to him? Dracula's lack of a reflection would have been enough to make me run a mile and so why did Harker risk his safety and ultimately his life for his job?

ITV Version - Marc Warren

Hi guys!

Having read the first chapter I felt I needed to get another source for the plot so I knew I understood it all. So I decided to buy the recent ITV version of Dracula with Marc Warren and Sophia Myles. It's well worth getting because it was fantastic! It was however terrifying and the opening scene was fantastic. David Suchet stars as Van Helsing and he is attacked by Dracula when he goes to bed. It's a scary start to a scary film but it really captures the audience. The gothic signifiers are present- veil, candle, dark, castle. However, there is a major difference. In the book Dracula appears initially kind and pleasent while in this Dracula is dark and gruesome from the start asnd you know things aren't going to turn out well for Harker. It's well worth watching and here's a taster scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOEg97ISYHs

Enjoy!!!