Dracula

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Recommended: The features of Victorian fiction

CHAPTER 1 1876

Summary

Chapter 1 starts with the main persona, Jonathan Harker; a solicitor clerk making a journey to Transylvania at he behest of a client Count Dracula. Jonathan starts making entries in his journal on May 3. He leaves Munich and arrives at Vienna
Budapest. He stops at Hotel Royale, where he has dinner but his night is restless as he has queer dreams. He starts out again in the morning boarding the train at Bistritz. As directed by the Count, he goes to Golden Krone Hotel, where Dracula gives him a letter.

On May 4, his next entry tells about the fear on the faces of is landlord and wife. They refuse to tell him much about Dracula and instead try to dissuade from going, telling him that it is the eve of St. George’s Day, when all the evil things in the world have full sway. The Landlord’s wife puts a rosary around on his neck. The Count’s coach arrives for Jonathan.

On May 5, in the castle, the driver, the landlord and his wife, and a small crowd point two fingers at Jonathan and make the sign of the cross. Jonathan is later told that this is to word of evil. The driver and Jonathan arrive earlier than schedule time. The driver urges Jonathan to go back. Before Jonathan can react, a tall man with along brown beard and a great black hat comes along. The other driver makes a sign of the cross and leaves in a hurry. The tall man drives his carriage away towards Dracula’s castle. At about midnight a dog begins to howl followed by many others.
The horses nervously strain and rear but the driver pacifies them almost magically. The howling sounds nearer and nearer and this time it is the baying of the wolves. Suddenly, Jonathan sees a faint flickering blue flame. The driver sees it and jumps down and disappears into the darkness. He reappears again, the flames seems to have disappeared. Again it appears but does not seem to illumine the place. Once a strange optical effect happens, where the driver stands between the flame and Jonathan and does not obstruct it. The howling of the wolves continuously follows the carriage. The horses jump and rear in terror, but the driver is in full command. After some time, they finally stop in the courtyard of a vast ruined castle with tall black windows through which no light penetrates.

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