I recently read Bram Stoker’s Dracula (my thoughts), so here is a special Halloween edition of Fun Facts Friday.
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More books by Bram Stoker*
1 ) Dracula was part of a genre in which fantastic creatures threatened England. At the time “Invasion Literature” was at its peak.
2) Bram Stoker spent 7 years researching vampire stories and European folklore. The most influential was Transylvania Superstitions, an 1885 essay by Emily Gerard
3 ) Actor Henry Irving of the Lyceum Theatre where Stoker worked was the inspiration for Dracula’s mannerisms.
4 ) One of the original titles for the book was The Dead Un-Dead.
5 ) Dracula was originally named Count Wampyr. Stoker changed the name after reading the book Account of the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia with Political Observations Relative to Them by Willima Wilkinson.
6 ) In Romanian the name dracul (dragon + “ul”) can mean either “the dragon” or “the devil”.
7 ) Stoker failed to properly fie for copyright in the United States, hence the novel was in the public domain since its publication.
8 ) The classic horror film Nosferatu (1922) was an unauthorized adaptation of the book.
9 ) Storker’s widow sued trying to remove the film from circulation. The popularity of the book soared due to the controversy.
10) The book did not meet immediate commercial success, it actually became iconic when the movie versions came out.
Buy Dracula from Amazon.com*
More books by Bram Stoker*
Zohar – Man of la Book
*Amazon links point to an affiliate account, the money is usually spent on books
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- Prince Charles related to Dracula through Queen Mary (elspethlodge.com)
- Review: Victorian Undead II: Sherlock Holmes vs Dracula! (csilibrarian.wordpress.com)
4 Comments
Dracula is one of my favourite books, so I look forward to reading your thoughts on it.
And I’ve always found ‘Count Wampyr’ funny – nothing with that name could possibly be scary!
I think it’s just in the connotation. Dracula isn’t a scary name until you put in context. While Stoker didn’t invent the vampire, he certainly did create the genre.
Thanks for posting these. Very Interesting!
Thanks for sharing these. Of all the vampire lore I’ve read or watched, this is the one book I’ve loved the most.