What is truly evil?

I am beginning to wonder if the monsters we read about are really as evil as we depict them to be. I mean vampires are just like people they just have a different way to survive. And werewolves aren't monsters they are just scientific animals with a mutation. and you know that some believe that God creates everything, well if these monsters exist, maybe he has a reason for creating these unique creatures you know. What is truly evil?

FEAR! :S

i have a question, why do you think all the characters in the book truely feared dracula? yes he is the "villian" in the story but still there are way more people that could stand up to dracula than it being just him by himself i think that the towns people should have beenbrave enough to go out and try to destroy him their selves. Do you think it is because of his immortal power? do you think it is because of the connections to the undead? or is it just because they are to scared to fo anything about it?

Also, how do you think the concept of fear is portrayed throught the book?

the legend of dracula:)

ok you know how dracula has been portrayed in many stories and movies in many different versions? How do you think the original compares to today's version of the whole "vampire vs. Wolf" thing that is going on in this generation? like in the story of dracula he was the person that could control the wolves with a single look. but now they are in some kind of battle with each other?.. what is up with that? and how do you think the author would feel if he could see all that has happened to his "genre" of book, becuase with out bram stroker the age of the vampire would have not even exsisted, because it has diminished to stories such as TWILIGHT!? :S

what do you think?....

Legends/Prophecies

"It is commomly believed that on a certain night of the year-last night, in fact, when all evil spirits are supposed to have unchecked sway-a blue flame is seen over any place where treasure is concealed." (pg.22) This is the legend in the book i feel that it is a signal of dracula's coming. Sort of like his introduction into the book.

What do you guys think?...

Main Characters/byronic Hero

The main chracters of this book all seemed to care for one another very strongly (except for dracula of course), Like when Lucy's mom came to her in her time of need , even though she did end up endangering her life haha,and Mina stayed by lucy's side the whole time and she was always worrying about her husband. Van helsing is the care taker inthe story and he does a great job at protecting lucy in the book, her husband Arthur is forced to do the unthinkable when lucy is finally turned into the undead, a sad sacrifice for love. They all take care of each other as if they had been related in some way. This book shows a great amount of comradery amongst the group of characters...

Now in this story i see that there is not really a byronic hero, becuase when i looked up the definition it described it as a very cynical yet brilliant MALE! but usually leads himself to his own destruction. In Dracula i feel that there is neither a byronic hero nor a "hero" but a HEROINE! Mina is definitely the heroine in the story because she was the bravest one in the book, she was put into a man's place and faced the challenge with great gallantry.

TV Screen vs. Imagination

Another thought. What Do you think is better? Reading a Gothic Horror novel? Or Watching a Gothic Horror Film? Would you rather want to actually see the goriness on screen or imagine what it would actually be like in your head while reading the book? Personally, I would like to read it in a book. I would get to use my brain to imagine what the setting would look like and delve into the imagery. What are your guys' thoughts?

Please answer in a comment under this topic.

Setting.

2nd Discussion: Your novels will cover several different settings. These settings include both the outdoors and the interiors of any castles / chateaus. Please discuss your various settings, using quotes to help support your theories. Remember to include page numbers with your quotes. Visit other sites to discover similarities and differences; comment on those other sites.

This is the next topic.

Obviously, in our book, the setting changes a whole bunch because of the many, many characters within the book. But do you think that having too many settings is confusing to you as a reader. Or does it make the story more interesting? In my opinion, it adds to the realism to the novel. Do you agree?

Please discuss this topic by adding a comment under this

"Only Prettier"

I have learned that the people behind Gothic literature have started to censor annd pretty the monster up like in twilight. it just gets on my nerves how they stray from the original and think that it is better. Why do they do this?

Supernatural!

The thing that i thought was kind of supernatural was the blue flame jonathon saw while he was on his way to Count Dracula's home. Now correct me if i'm wrong but i thought it strande that there was this ominous glow that remained everywhere they turned, and when jonathon asked the count about it he said, "It is commomly believed that on a certain night of the year-last night, in fact, when all evil spirits are supposed to have unchecked sway-a blue flame is seen over any place where treasure is concealed." (pg.22) Jon wondered why people didnt go out to look for it and the count gave a creepy grin and told him that even if someone wanted to find the treasure no one would find it, mainly because no one was brave enough to actually leave the safety of their home on that frightful night.

Dracula Supernatural being!

Well if you look at the history of mythical creatures called "Vampires" supernatural beings believed since biblicohl times, they are the "living dead." They live off the blood of other creatures, the are repulsed away by garlic ex. Van Helsing put garlic around Lucy while her transformation to a vamiprus is beging. Also anytime today we hear vampire we think they turn into a bat and they can't come into ou house unless invited, or they sleep in coffins, or they SPARKLE in sunlight (Probally the most stupid thing I ever heard of." But yes Dracula does all the vampire abilites except the sparkle part. But the author of "Dracula," Bram Stroker put his abilites in a such dark but inticing way, thus Gothic literature. Even though my group has a fear for Dracula we also are drawn to him like a moth to a light. Think about Stroker describes dracula to be handsome and he gaze to be so beautiful it puts you into a trance. To me that is more frightening then anything because as huans we are drawn to beauty. To me Dracula has one the most amazing supernatural powers in any novel for in fact he like a supernatural being there really isn't any human about him. Now question for this post if you could have any of Dracula's supernatural power what would it be and why?

One Supernatral Happening I Saw

Well, on the topic of supernatural horror, I first saw Dracula as an eccentric old man, but the first behavior of the Count is when Jonathan cuts himself shaving confirmed the suspicion of the peasants Harker ran into. It seemed strange that Dracula did not appear in the mirror, and when the Count noticed the cut Jonathan had given himself, "his eyes blazed with a sort of demoniac fury". (Stoker 26) This is the critical point in the book where we learn Dracula is something not human with a passion for blood. What are your thoughts on the supernatural happenings within the novel?

Mysteries of Gothic Lit.

I guess the apparent genre of the gothic era is mystery and adventure (but mostly thriller type).Why is that do you think? Because most if not all of the books from that century are based around the supernatural. Now thinking this made me think of how we crave the magic today, and thats why we read these things I guess for the same reason people back then read them.

Mystery:))

i agree with kevtay, you have brought up alot of valid points! I liked what you said about the mystery, i have read a great deal of the book already so i won't go into too much detail but the mystery that appears most apparant to me is that dracula has soo much power in translyvania!. i can't wait to find out what he has in store for the friends of john next. oh i have a question! what do you think about the whole COUNT title? if he is the living dead, which clearly means he is dead, why is he still a count???

Dracula and Frakestien

Jessicee123 you have a very good point! I think it is really amazing how both authors use diary entries. This shows the readers a personal view of each character and how everyone relates to oe another. Also what i want to point out on Dracula is that it mostly about fictonal characters! What do you think about this? Dracula and Frankenstien are very popular even in our society many people know about them, and each of them have their ow stories. What I fid diferent was that Frankestein was a misunderstood creature, while Dracula was truly a monster who fed on people bloody I really think Dracula is a concentration of pure evil. M question to you is why most Gothic novels have very mystical creatures in them?

Frankenstein and Draculaa.

Well, the novels Draculaa andd Frankenstein have a very similar structuree. Like how both of thee books start off with letters. Have you guys noticed that? Draculaa begins with a diary kept by Jonathan Harker, a man who is likee an English solicitor. And he’s travelling somewheree, andd he is on his way from Englandd to Eastern Europee. This is a major resemblancee to Robert Walton. At the beginning of the book, Walton writes a series of letters on a ship headedd on a voyagee to the North Polee. I thinkk the book is structuredd likee this on purpose becausee the letters give us info about whats gonna happen later on in the story, but not not too much information so that it has that hint of mystery, which is a key element in gothic literaturee and horror stories.