Details
| Size | | Length: | 321 pages | | Height: | 9.5 in | | Width: | 6.3 in | | Thickness: | 1.0 in | | Weight: | 19.2 oz |
Industry Reviews
Dracula scholar Wolf (The Essential Dracula) brings intellectual curiosity and an easygoing style to this entertaining compendium of Dracula lore, which will appeal equally to devotees and the uninitiated. Beginning with an examination of blood rituals and taboos, a survey of vampire folklore from Bulgaria to China and a review of the biology of vampire bats, he goes on to discuss Bram Stoker's 1897 cult novel, Dracula, and its roots in gothic fiction, in the gory deeds of Vlad the Impaler, 15th-century mass murderer and prince of Wallachia; and in Stoker's repression of his alleged homosexuality. Wolf disputes the suggestion of Stoker's most recent biographer, Barbara Belford, that Dracula is a sinister caricature of the Dublin novelist's unacknowledged love interest, actor Henry Irving, yet Wolf maintains that Stoker poured all the pain and confusion of his repressed feelings into his one masterpiece. This guidebook decodes the symbolism and eroticism of Dracula movies from F.W. Murnau's 1922 Nosferatu to Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 Bram Stoker's Dracula. Wolf also scans the vampire fiction of Stephen King and Anne Rice, and investigates Dracula's multiple meanings in pop culture. Photos not seen by PW. (Apr.) FYI: Leonard Wolf's daughter, Naomi, has a new book due out in June from Random House.
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YA-Although Bram Stoker's 19th-century Gothic novel has never been out of print, far more people are familiar with the cultural artifacts it has spawned in the 20th century than have ever read the book. Wolf, probably the best-known Dracula scholar, has been writing thoughtful books on the subject for 25 years. His "connoisseur's guide" should be an enjoyable source for anyone intrigued by vampire lore or curious about its ubiquitousness in popular culture. Stylish graphics and a sly humor communicate the appeal of the subject. Brief essays cover topics such as "the lure and lore of death and vampirism," "the movie Draculas," and "the vampire bat and...its family values." One on Stoker himself tells of his correspondence with the poet Walt Whitman and provides insight regarding the creative process that produced the novel. Another, on Dracula's "fictional descendants," touches upon the work of several of the genre's more notable writers in horror, science fiction, and even mainstream literature; though this brief treatment cannot do full justice to the burgeoning market in vampire fiction, it is an excellent introduction. Teachers can use this book to encourage students to explore a number of literary questions, and vampire fans will enjoy it for its breadth of perspective and as a source of arcane data such as a monthly calendar that shows the phases of the moon during the events of the Dracula novel. It might even inspire some of them to read the book.-Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
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