Riassunto
Trama e riassunto di Dracula
A chi è rivolto
For readers who love suspense, old houses and storms, and anyone who knows the vampire from films and wants to see where he began.
Che cos’è questo libro
What if the most frightening thing in a story were a perfectly polite host? Bram Stoker published Dracula in London in 1897, after years of reading folklore and travellers' accounts. A Transylvanian nobleman leaves his crumbling castle for England, and a small group of ordinary people realise what he is. The book is told through diaries, letters, a ship's log and newspaper cuttings, so the horror feels like evidence gathered page by page. It begins on a road into the mountains.
In questo riassunto
- 1A solicitor travels into the mountainsFree
- 2The castle is a beautiful prison
- 3Two friends at home, and three suitors
- 4An asylum beside the house at Carfax
- 5A storm, a ghost ship and a sleepwalker
- 6Lucy fades and Van Helsing is called
- 7Old fear against a modern world
- 8Friendship, faith and the duty to fight
- 9How the story is told and why it frightens
Punto chiave 1 di 9
A solicitor travels into the mountains
Jonathan Harker, a young English solicitor, travels east by train toward Transylvania. His firm has sent him to help a client buy a house in England. The client is Count Dracula, who lives in a remote castle in the Carpathian Mountains.
In Bistritz, the inn landlady begs him not to go. When he insists, she gives him a crucifix to wear. Harker finds the gift a little embarrassing, but he accepts it so as not to offend her.
At the Borgo Pass a strange carriage with four black horses arrives, and the other travellers watch him go with pity. Wolves howl as the road winds through the night. At the ruined castle, a tall old man in black greets him, and his handshake is cold. Stoker sets his first mood here, a reasonable man stepping politely into danger.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- Count Dracula
- An ancient Transylvanian nobleman, he employs Jonathan Harker to arrange his purchase of property in England.
- Jonathan Harker
- A young English solicitor engaged to Mina Murray, he travels to Transylvania to assist Count Dracula.
- Mina Murray
- A hardworking schoolmistress engaged to Jonathan Harker, she is Lucy Westenra's close friend and learns shorthand and typing.
- Lucy Westenra
- Mina's warm-hearted friend, she receives proposals from Arthur Holmwood, Dr John Seward and Quincey Morris.
- Dr John Seward
- A physician running an asylum near London, he is Lucy's suitor and Abraham Van Helsing's former student.
- Abraham Van Helsing
- A Dutch physician and scholar, he is Seward's former teacher and brings knowledge of folklore to Lucy's illness.
- Arthur Holmwood
- The son of an English lord, he is engaged to Lucy and friendly with her other suitors.
- Quincey Morris
- A brave American from Texas, he courts Lucy and remains a loyal friend to Arthur and Seward.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 164,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 10 h 55 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary; paperback, hardcover and large print at cost
- LanguagesEnglish and 14 other languages
Questions about Dracula
What is Dracula about?
It tells how a Transylvanian count moves to England, and how a doctor, a scholar and their friends discover what he is and join forces to stop him. It is told through letters and diaries.
Who are the main characters in Dracula?
The main characters are Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray, Lucy Westenra, Dr Seward, Arthur Holmwood, Quincey Morris and Professor Van Helsing, who face Count Dracula. Renfield is an asylum patient linked to the Count.
Is Dracula a true story?
No. Dracula is a work of fiction, published in 1897. Stoker drew on folklore, travel books and history of the Carpathian region, and the name of the Count owes something to a real Romanian prince.
Why is Dracula written as letters and diaries?
Stoker built it from documents so the story would feel like gathered evidence. Each writer sees only a part, which creates suspense and makes the strange events seem more real.
Is Dracula hard to read today?
The short diary and letter entries make it easy to read in small pieces. The suspense and clear scenes carry you along.