The infamous vampire master was first seen on the pages of a novel on May 26, 1897, the day Dracula by Bram Stoker went on sale in London.
Abraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish author better known in his day as the personal assistant of actor Henry Irving and as the business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London which was owned by Irving.
Although Stoker traveled a great deal, often visiting the United States which he particularly liked, he never visited Transylvania where his famous novel was set. He also never equaled the publishing success of Dracula.
Write What You Know
Stoker followed the first rule authors learn: write what you know. He used the English village of Whitby, Slains Castle in Aberdeenshire, and the crypts of St. Michan's Church in Dublin as inspiration for his novel.
The dark, moody stories told by Armin Vambery, a Hungarian writer and traveler, also served as inspiration. After meeting Vambery, Stoker spent years researching European folklore and mythological stories of vampires.
Abraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish author better known in his day as the personal assistant of actor Henry Irving and as the business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London which was owned by Irving.
Although Stoker traveled a great deal, often visiting the United States which he particularly liked, he never visited Transylvania where his famous novel was set. He also never equaled the publishing success of Dracula.
Write What You Know
Stoker followed the first rule authors learn: write what you know. He used the English village of Whitby, Slains Castle in Aberdeenshire, and the crypts of St. Michan's Church in Dublin as inspiration for his novel.
The dark, moody stories told by Armin Vambery, a Hungarian writer and traveler, also served as inspiration. After meeting Vambery, Stoker spent years researching European folklore and mythological stories of vampires.
Dracula, The Novel
Most people have never read the original Dracula novel which was written as a collection of diary entries, telegrams, letters, ship's logs, and newspaper clippings thus making what is called an epistolary novel.
Most people have never read the original Dracula novel which was written as a collection of diary entries, telegrams, letters, ship's logs, and newspaper clippings thus making what is called an epistolary novel.
Stoker's original 541-page manuscript of the work was thought to be lost. In the early 1980's, the manuscript was found in a barn in northwestern Pennsylvania.
The typed manuscript held editing corrections and on the title page, handwritten, was Stoker's title The Un-Dead.
The author's name appeared at the bottom as Bram Stoker. At the last minute, the publisher changed the title to Dracula.
Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, purchased that rare manuscript. No price was given, but Allen is a billionaire with deep pockets. I don't know that he's ever put the manuscript on public display. I'm sure there would be many who would like to see it.
Just a side note, in 2013, in the UK, a signed first edition of the book sold for approximately $46,000 USD.
Dracula for Every Generation
If Stoker only knew how his vampire tale has morphed to be relevant to each new generation.
Takeaway Truth
Whatever it's called, the tale of this particular type of undead provides fresh inspiration to each new generation which then puts its own spin on the mythology.
If Stoker only knew how his vampire tale has morphed to be relevant to each new generation.
Instead of a Transylvanian vampire and English victims, we've had Lestat, the unforgettable vampire in Interview with the Vampire, and his sidekicks from the brain of Anne Rice.
The comic Dracula played by George Hamilton in the movie Love At First Bite made us scream—with laughter.
David Boreanaz as Angel, the sensitive tormented vampire with a soul, first appeared as the love interest on the TV series Buffy.
The actor and his character made such an impact that he was spun off into his own series, Angel.
A particularly compelling and emotional version of the story in 2014 was Dracula Untold starring Luke Evans.
With the romance revolution, Romance became a bridge over which the undead crossed to other literary genres. Amazing, considering Stoker had published stories for over 20 years before Dracula was published.
Popular From the Get-Go
London was primed for Stoker's novel because the horror genre, created almost entirely from European folk tales and legends, was very popular.
Popular From the Get-Go
London was primed for Stoker's novel because the horror genre, created almost entirely from European folk tales and legends, was very popular.
The Gothic movement in the 18th century strengthened the genre so that it carried into the 19th century. Notable examples are Frankenstein, 1818, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, 1886.
When the 20th century ushered in the era of motion pictures, Dracula came to life. In 1931, the first movie about the vampire count premiered.
The film was based on the 1924 stage play, Dracula, by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston—which was adapted from Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker.
Not a decade has passed that there hasn't seen some incarnation of the famous vampire.
The vampire novel wears many labels today: alternative reality, urban contemporary, paranormal, and horror to name a few.
Takeaway Truth
Whatever it's called, the tale of this particular type of undead provides fresh inspiration to each new generation which then puts its own spin on the mythology.
