Chapters 2-4: Trapped.

I continue my venture into the novel 'Dracula'...

Ok, so Jonathan Harker has entered Count Dracula's humble abode. The story has moved on a bit since then. He becomes heavily acquainted with the Count, having frequent chats with him about everything from his desire to visit London to his 'boyar' status. I quite like this 'getting to know' of the main character, which I thought was long overdue in the piss boring first chapter.

It doesn't take too long for Jonno Harks to realise something is up. First thing he notices is that he has never eaten with Dracula, only on his larry. He also notices the lack of natural light in the place. He also notes the Count's 'protuberant teeth'. After a lucky dip of, let's say... unusual characteristics, he notices his lack of reflection on the mirror and an attempt to bite his neck after cutting himself with a razor blade. The story follows on to seeing Draccy crawling down the house like a 'lizard' and escaping into the twilight.

I find this both hilarious and irritating. Not at one point does Harker realise that the Count may not actually be human,despite noticing his constantly pallid and cold body, his fangs, his red eyes, his ability to matrix down walls and, quite simply, his lack of company. It doesn't make me think he is stupid, quite the opposite. I think he's too smart for his own good. Any idiot would pick up on his appearance and assume "Yep, he's a vampire". He does make the decision to get out of there.

After meeting these lovely vampire women in the third chapter. Harker is officially shitting himself at every moment in Chapter three and four, almost so it becomes uncomfortable. He spends the rest of his time trying to get out of the castle as quick as possible.

The ending is good. It reminds me of the scene in 'I Am Legend' where Neville is trapped in the lab, with the infected pounding at his door. The difference is that Harker doesn't have a grenade to run in to them with; he only has his will. The journal ends with him declaring his last efforts to climb the walls down and escape. I assume he fails.

I quite like this scene. But I think it's missing a cry of "LEEEEEEEEROOOOOYYY JEEENKINS!"

So, to that, I carry on reading this odd novel. Wish me luck, I bloody need it.

Chapter 1: Meh

Ok, as much as reading this novel presents no form of entertainment for me compared to FIFA or CoD, I have to do it, so I do with some 'enthusiasm'.

I read Chapter 1, apparently a journal entry from Jonathan Harker (woo namesake), who IS fictional, so yeah. First page is complete dribble about god knows what. We get a little mention of Count Dracula on the next page; he's just presented as some bloke who invited Jonny to stay for a bit in the mountains. The dribble continues for a while, talking about what my teacher ambitiously calls the 'sublime'. Honestly, it is just setting the scene (Don't bite my head off, this is just my opinion!).

Anyway, moving swiftly but drearily on, we finally a get a bit of interest. He arrives at Bistritz, a settlement in the heart of Transylvania, greeted by the people intriguingly with little optimism. At the mere mention of Dracula, they cross themselves. One woman in fact begs Mr. Harker not to go, handing him her crucifix in the process. All very intriguing and one of the few points of interests in this opening chapter. What I find completely moronic from the character is that he ignores the warnings completely. Imagine if you were driving along and you saw a sign saying "DANGER - ACTIVE VOLCANO AHEAD", but carried on thinking "ah, probably just one of those vinegar things": this is basically what Harker does.

Then, our mood drops straight back down to coma-level when he starts describing the landscape again. Sadly, Gothic literature is associated with going on and on about the countryside like an obsessed geography teacher, calling it 'The Sublime'. "Eurgh," I remarked at the thought of such exciting and dramatic features I'll soon be reading about.

So he describes his journey with impeccable detail till he has to change carriages to reach Count Dracula's crib. The driver was another thing that intrigued me kinda: 'Great black hat that seemed to hide his face from us'; 'Eyes that seemed red in the lamplight'. Is he not human? Is he a mutant? Why is he so secretive? I'm looking forward to finding out I guess.

The journey there is supposed to be this really tense and scary build-up to entering Dracula's place. I can understand why people think this. It's all very dark and negative, the descriptions of the setting goes from this really shining place to this threatening atmosphere. He shows quite clearly the guy is distressed by what's happenign outside. To me, I just wanted to skip the page. Not because it was scary, but because it was just - so - dull. It doesn't make great reading truth be told.

Sadly, we don't get a welcome from the Count in this chapter, but we do get a bit of an insight about what's to come. Lots of description. Lots of geography. Lots of hints about the nature of the host/Count. All in all: meh.

Signing out,
The Dragon.

Introduction

So, if the title didn't give you a bigger enough hint, I will be entertaining you with a series of updates on my reading of Dracula by Bram Stoker.
It is 377 pages long, with 27 chapters from the viewpoints of several fictional characters: I do not expect to be enthused...
Nonetheless, this is a task I am DETERMINED to complete. I will rant to my heart's content, regardless of the hate or critiscism I may (or may not) recieve haha.
Be warned, I can rant for Team GB, so don't take my thoughts too seriously.

With much love and affection to all you readers,
The Dragon.
P.S. If you are reading this and do not know who I am, you are a very sad person, even more so than me, who is nicknamed 'The Dragon'.

This is either Dracula's normal face or he is stoned off his arse