Dracula

The definitive vampire novel that created the modern vampire mythology and established many of the conventions of Gothic horror.

Count Dracula's arrival in England brings ancient evil into the modern world of the late Victorian era. Through a combination of journal entries, letters, and newspaper clippings, Stoker tells the story of the vampire's attempt to spread his curse to London and the small group of heroes who band together to stop him.

Stoker's Dracula is far more than a simple monster—he represents the collision between old and new worlds, between superstition and science, between Eastern European mysticism and Western rationality. The Count is aristocratic, cultured, and immensely powerful, but he's also a parasite who feeds on the innocent and spreads corruption wherever he goes.

The novel's innovative narrative structure, told through multiple documents and perspectives, creates a sense of authenticity while allowing Stoker to explore his themes from various angles. Jonathan Harker's initial encounter with Dracula in his Transylvanian castle establishes the vampire's supernatural powers and predatory nature, while the London sections show how ancient evil adapts to modern urban life.

The character of Mina Harker is particularly significant—she's intelligent, resourceful, and plays a crucial role in defeating Dracula, yet she's also vulnerable to the vampire's influence in ways that reflect Victorian anxieties about female sexuality and independence.

The novel's exploration of sexuality is remarkable for its time—Dracula's bite is clearly a sexual act, and his female victims are transformed from virtuous women into sexually aggressive creatures. Dracula has influenced virtually every subsequent vampire story and remains the most important work of vampire fiction.