Bram Stoker's Influence On Count Dracula

Abraham Stoker was born in Dublin, Ireland on November 8, 1847. His mother worked for a charity and wrote stories, and his father worked as a civil servant. He grew up as a very sickly child and spent many of his childhood years in bed under the care of his mother. During this time, his mother told him many horror stories that may have sparked his love for gothic and horror novels. He was unable to stand or walk until around age seven, but he overcame his weakness and later even joined the soccer team at Trinity College in 1864. While in college, Stoker worked as a full time civil servant and a part time freelance journalist and drama critic. He worked unpaid for the Dublin Evening Mail. He later earned a degree from Trinity College in mathematics.

He does not appear as often as many of the other characters; however, his influence and presence remains evident throughout the story. He is easily angered and very stern, as seen in his interactions with the vampires who disobey him to feed on Harker, and he tells them, “How dare you cast eyes on him when I had forbidden it? Back, I tell you all” (Stoker 43). He is also someone who prefers to have control over his environment, which influences the way he treats others and his decisions. For instance, Dracula explains the reason for him living in the remote setting of Transylvania as “[here he] is noble… the common people know [him], and [he] is master” (Stoker

Although Stoker’s exact inspiration for this novel is not known, some critics speculate that Count Dracula’s character was based off of the prince of Wallachia, Vlad the Impaler. However, many other critics argue that there is not enough evidence that supports this claim. Before writing his story, Stoker studied many legends and folktale about vampires and later incorporated some of these into his story. An example of this is the use of garlic to protect Lucy from Dracula. Because of the novel’s influence and popularity, it has gained the attention of many critics. As stated by Jennifer Swartz-Levine, Stoker portrays the female vampires in his novel as alluring and sexual, making the innocent and modest ideals of English women during that time seem normal and acceptable. Count Dracula, as described by Eric Kwan-Wai Yu, can be viewed as a symbol for sexual assault due to the treatment of his victims. After reading this story, I am able to make many connections between it and other vampire based novels, films, and television shows. Even though this story was not the first well-known vampire story of its time, it carried a huge impact throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. I enjoyed discovering the twists in the plot, and the suspense kept me engaged and wanting to read