Know the Type: Dracula

Welcome back to our series celebrating authors through readings of their most famous works! Things have taken a turn for the terrifying this week, however, as we continue our celebration of Halloween horrors…
No delve into the depths of horror writing would be complete without featuring Bram Stoker’s 1897 Gothic masterpiece. Written as a series of diary entries, letters and newspaper articles, the novel draws heavily from the folklore and history of Transylvania - but Stoker found the name of the eponymous Count in Whitby’s public library while on holiday there. (Coincidentally, Dracula also lands in Whitby during the events of the novel.) While some contemporary reviewers praised the novel’s effective use of horror, others reviewed it less favourably, deeming its use to be excessive. Of course, following various adaptations of the source material, many of the characters have since become archetypes of the horror genre.
(Music by Zapsplat.com)