Bram Stoker

1. Bram Stoker Dracula

2. Stoker’s Life • -1847-1912 • -Irish • -Athlete to theater • -Married Oscar Wilde’s ex, Florence Balcombe • -Knew Sir Henry Irving, Theodore Roosevelt, and Walt Whitman • -Liked to travel

4. Vampires • -Been in “existence” since 1726 • -Arnold Paole • -Serbian military man plagued by vampire • -Medics dug up his body after he died due to suspicion, found body puffed up and blood coming from mouth, ears, nose • -Confirmed existence of vampires

5. Vampires Cont… • -Paole claimed to have rid himself of vampire through ritual • -More deaths happened very shortly after his • -Peter Plogojowitz • -Austrian/Hungarian superstition • -Low medical knowledge

6. Historical Vampires • -Countess Elizabeth Bathory de Escsed, 1560-1641 • -Slovokian royalty • -Believed bathing in the blood of others would make her younger • -Tortured and killed over 600 young women

8. Historical Vampires Cont… • -Vlad Dracula III • -Transylvanian ruler, 1431-1476 • -Imprisoned and family tortured at age 11 • -Grew to hate Turks, revenge • -Killed 40-100,000 people • -Famous for “staking”

11. Vampires in Novels • -Superstition and Culture • -Mostly Eastern Europe • -”The Vampyre”, 1819 • -John Polidor with Mary Shelly when they wrote ghost stories during a storm • -First to give vampires “rules” and character • -Aristocratic and prays on rich • -Stranger appears, friends, dies, re-appears, marries and kills sister

12. Vampires in Novels Cont… • -Short stories and poems • -”Carmilla”, 1871 by Sheridan Le Fanu • -Based on Elizabeth Bathory • -Female vampires attacking other females • -Hunt for tomb to destroy main vampiress

13. Vampires in Novels Final • -”Dracula” in 1897 • -Vampire became icon of gothic literature and culture • -Pop culture in 21st century • -Vampire Diaries • -Twilight • -Moonlight

14. NOT a vampire

15. This is a vampire

16. Historical Contributions • -Feminism and the “New Woman” • -Mina Harker thinks and plans • -Stoker considered very liberal for his time • -Began with right to school and vote • -Moved to right to divorce, keep job, live alone, keep children • -Now dealing with images of women and culture

17. Historical Contributions Cont… • -”Dracula” part of invasion literature, gothic literature, romance, horror, post-colonialism • -Gothic literature=horror + romance • -Post-colonial=discourages expansion, encourages independence

18. Historical Contributions Final • -Mother Goose, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Frankenstein, How the Other Half Lives, The War of the Worlds, Might is Right, The Importance of Being Ernest, Sherlock Holmes, The Invisible Man, The Island of Dr. Monroe, The Jungle Books • -Sir Henry Irving • -Stoker’s friend/boss • -Shakespearean actor

19. Geography and Architecture • -Transylvania is continually conquered, buried deep in the mountains • -Conquered by Romans, Huns, Carpi, Gepids, Avars, Slavs, and Bulgarians • -Still tension today, no “real” Transylvanians • -Bistritz, city of 50,000 established in 12th century

20. Geography and Architecture Cont… • -Borgo Pass • -Not real, Tihuta Pass • -Stoker never went there • -Hotel Castle Dracula in pass, but about 20 miles off from where Dracula’s castle would have been • -No significance in names, just found map

21. Geography and Architecture Final • -Slains Castle, Scotland, 1597 • -Stoker visited, description close • -Bran Castle, Romania, 1212 • -Vlad’s castle • -Chactice Castle, Eastern Europe, destroyed and severely haunted

22. Bran Castle

23. Chatice Castle

24. Slain’s Castle -Only one Stoker actually saw/visited

25. Final Note • -”Dracula’s Guest” • -Never sure if it was a short story or in original version • -Website • -BEST BOOK EVER!!!