Bram Stoker

Abraham "Bram" Stoker (November 8, 1847–April 20, 1912) was an Irish writer, best remembered as the author of the influential horror novel Dracula.

Novels

He supplemented his income by writing a large number of sensational novels, his most famous being the vampire tale Dracula which he published in 1897. Over time Dracula has become the most important gothic novel ever, even though it was written post the gothic novel era. Before writing Dracula, Stoker researched for 8 years on Folklore and stories of vampires world wide. Though it is widely believed to be, his book was not the first Vampire novel ever, being preceded by J. Sheridan LeFanu's 1871 novel Camilla, the first female vampire (and the first lesbian one) in fiction, allegedly based on the Countess Elisabeth Bathory. The name of Stoker's count was originally going to be count Vampyre, but while doing his research Stoker ran across a real 15th century monster; one who's legendary violence dwarfs the literary Dracula's cruelties considerably. The real monster, Prince Vlad Dracula or Vlad the Impaler was the Ruler of Wallachia, in modern day Romania. And became a legend by his cruel methods of execution. The novel does not make a reference to the real Dracula, but Stoker took him into account and vagely makes a note of him in the book when Count Dracula is talking to Mr. Harker about his family defending the church against the enemies of Christ many years before (first chapters of the novel). The novel is written in a very curious manner. It is a conjunction of Diary entries, telegrams and letters from the characters, which gives the reader the perspective of every character in the book. Parts of it are set around the town of Whitby, where he was living at the time.

Related Topics:
Dracula - 1897 - Vlad the Impaler - Wallachia - Christ - Whitby

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Dracula is the basis of countless films and plays. The two best and most accurate being Nosferatu, same story as the book but different names and settings (the Count is named Orlock), the second being Bram Stoker's Dracula, which even though it follows the exact trend as the original story, focuses more on Dracula's love and his Romanian background, giving a reference to the actual Dracula in old Romania.

Related Topics:
Film - Bram Stoker's Dracula - Romania

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An interesting critical interpretation of the novel is Talia Schaffer's recent "Homoerotic History of Dracula." Schaffer's analysis is a fairly convincing attempt to "out" Bram Stoker, or to prove that he was a closeted homosexual using his fiction as an outlet for the frustrations of concealing his true sexuality. His marriage to Oscar Wilde’s former girlfriend is also a point of contention. Schaffer analyzes a wealth of detail suggesting that Stoker modeled Dracula closely on the events of Oscar Wilde's public scandal over his conviction for sodomy. Stoker's trauma over his friend and countryman's public humiliation provided the grist for the catharsis of writing the novel. Much of the sexual aspect of the novel is from his hero, Long Island poet Walt Whitman. (Talia Schaffer, "'A Wilde Desire Took Me'": The Homoerotic History of Dracula," ELH 61 (1994), 381-425)

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His other novels include The Snake's Pass (1890), The Jewel of Seven Stars (1903), and The Lair of the White Worm (1911).

Related Topics:
The Snake's Pass - 1890 - The Jewel of Seven Stars - 1903 - The Lair of the White Worm

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Most of Stoker's novels are written in the same structure and way as Dracula is. Stoker is not rembered by his other novels, even though their content is magnificent though uncomparable to the success, work and importance of Dracula.

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Bram Stoker died on April 20, 1912 in London and was interred at Golders Green Crematorium, London.

Related Topics:
April 20 - 1912 - London - Golders Green Crematorium

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