Well I'm loving reading this book. Surprisingly. It was never anything I had contemplated reading, not after a lifetime of seeing the movie world's and media's so many different takes on Dracula. I've found a few questions to contemplate before we meet:
From Pocket Penguin Classics
1. Discuss the roles of male and female sexuality in the novel. How do the actions of the characters compare to the moral code of Victorian England?
2. The character of Renfield is often presented in popular culture as a madman or a slave to his 'Master'? To what extent is this true to the author's portrayal of Renfield.
3. Does Quincey P. Morris represent the 'New World' of the United States of America? Discuss.
4. Compare the words used to describe Mina and Lucy throughout the novel. What are the differences?
5. Why and how does the idea of vampirism notion have meaning for contemporary readers?
6. From the middle of the novel onwards the writers of the story are also readers of each other's words. How did this affect your reading?
7. Through each of the characters Stoker plays with different forms of writing, for example: personal journals and diaries, newspapers, letters, telegrams and medical reports. Discuss how this device impacts upon the narrative of the novel.
8. Gothic tales typically make use of supernatural themes. How many supernatural themes can you identify in Dracula?
9. The notion of 'Christian salvation' runs high throughout the novel. Discuss.
10. Does Count Dracula have any redeeming qualities?
From LitLovers © 2012
1. Dracula relies on journal fragments, letters, and newspaper clippings to tell its story. Why might Stoker have chosen to narrate the story in this way? Do letters and journal entries make the story seem more authentic or believable to you? Likewise, discuss the significance that many of the male protagonists are doctors (Dr. Seward) or men of science (Dr. Van Helsing). Why is this important to the story?
2. How does the novel invert Christian mythology in its description of Count Dracula's reign of terror? For instance, what specific elements of Stoker's story parallel scenes or images from the New Testament? Why might this subversion of Christian myth be significant?
3. Discuss the roles of Lucy Westenra and Mina Harker in the novel. How are the two women similar? Different? What accounts for their differences? To what extent does the novel depend on both of these women to propel the narrative forward?
4. Discuss the role of sexuality in Dracula. Would you say that Dracula attempts to reproduce himself sexually or by some other means? In what ways does the figure of Dracula subvert conventional notions of heterosexuality? Consider, for instance, his predilection for drinking blood and his habit of making his victims feed from his chest.
5. What are the elements of vampire folklore? For example, what, according to the novel, attracts or repels a vampire? How do you kill a vampire for good? Although Stoker did not invent the mythology of the vampire, his novel firmly established the conventions of vampire fiction. Choose another novel that deals with vampires and compare it with Dracula. (Consider, for example, one of Anne Rice's vampirebooks or Stepanie Meyer's Twilight series.) In what ways are the novels similar? Different?
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