I can not believe I waited this long to read 'Dracula', everyone has read 'Dracula', my boyfriend has even read 'Dracula', and he mostly just reads books with pictures (and by that I mean comic books, not kids books, LOVE YA DARLING). I always got the impression I wouldn't like it, that it paled into significance compared to 'Frankenstein' and that Stoker was a one hit wonder. But I was wrong, I was like hella wrong. 'Dracula' rocked my world with its awesome epistolary style (yeah that's right I took English Lit A level), it's kick ass women and its genuinely evil vampire dude. The descriptions were awesome, the atmosphere was creepy and the characters were well written and likeable.
So what made me think I wouldn't like 'Dracula'? Well maybe it was everything it spawned! Don't get me wrong I love quite a bit of the modern vampire stuff, particularly Joss Whedon's version. I grew up with Buffy and her kick ass ways, and my heart melted when Angel came on screen just like every other teenage girl. As for Twilight, I'm ashamed to say I read the whole series (I know I know this is a shocking revelation, but when you work in a bookshop it's easier to have read the current 'big thing' because everyone is always going on about it, I read 'Da Vinci Code for the same reason) and while I was probably more into the werewolves, there was something about that sparkley fellow Edward.
But they weren't vampires. Seriously they weren't, Angel and Edward were both vampires that didn't act like vampires, and that was what made them attractive. They don't suck your blood, but the fact that they could if they wanted to kinda gives your make out sessions that hint of danger that girls love. The REAL vampires, the bad guys, the ones that actually suck your blood, well they are kinda icky and ugly.
And that is why Dracula was a nice refreshing change, he IS a bad guy, and not a bad-guy-who-had-something-terrible-happen-to-him-like-having-his-true-love-murderer-in-front-of-his-eyes-and-we-can-totally-get-why-he-is-doing-all-this kinda bad guy; no he's just bad. Evil. End of. The heroine doesn't have a crush on him (no SHE DOESN'T Francis Ford Coppola, so why did you make Winona Ryder go all gooey eyed over him? grr) he isn't described as in any way attractive and he is completely ruthless. There is no heart of gold under that thousand year old Transylvanian chest, and when he is defeated there is nothing but glee from the characters and the reader.
So having a vampire villain who is ACTUALLY a villain has an interesting and very pleasing effect on the female characters in this book- they KICK MOTHERTRUCKING VAMPIRE ASS! Seriously Mina Harker is awesome, she has intelligence, independence and integrity. She sticks by her, frankly at times a bit wussy husband, not because she feels she must (there are plenty of times when she is encouraged to 'turn back' and 'stay away' from the whole vampire hunting affair) but because she loves him. And she doesn't assist by making tea and looking pretty but by correlating information and completing research. Furthermore, when the lads decide to cut her out of the vampire hunting and 'go it alone' they cock it all up and poor Mina ends up getting bitten- it is only by working together that they are able to defeat Dracula. Mina Harker is an outstanding role model, and all right at times her part in it all is more like a secretary, but considering this book was written in 1897 it is still pretty damn impressive.
Now I'm not suggesting that Buffy doesn't kick ass because, frankly, she kicks tonnes of it, but her weakness is always her love for Angel (and in later series Spike). When he goes all evil on her ass she turns into a weeping jibbering wreck. OK she eventually pulls it together, but it isn't her finest moment. As for Bella, well she becomes a drooling loved up mess from the moment she meets Edward, and even contemplates killing herself when he buggers off. OK she reads books and is fairly smart, but in the end she decides not to go to university so she can stay home and marry her highschool boyfriend and have his mutant babies, I mean come on! Mina Harker would have slapped the silly bint round the face, told her to man up and put a stake in her hand. Mina didn't want to snog Dracula, she wanted to cut of his head because he upset her husband and killed her best friend. She was out for revenge, and didn't let any undead lothario get in her way. Somehow in the past 100 years, when we've made such vast leaps forward when it comes to gender equality, we need to look back to see an example of a powerful heroine when it comes to vampire writing. What is it about the 'fanged ones' that makes us go all girly and weak, it's weird right?
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