Friday, November 5, In the year of our Lord 2010
Briercrest College and Seminary, Distance Learning Office
Just uncovered this post that I had forgotten about, 4:17 PM
Weather = Melting, Calm, Sunny
After reading the Bram Stoker’s Dracula I gained an appreciation for the iconic monster we know as the Vampire. I consider Bram Stoker’s work to be the measuring rod by which to compare other depictions of what he first made popular. One of the things that I loved about Stoker’s work was that it blended the common everyday understandings of Modernity with the supposed reality of a supernatural monster. He wrote the story in such a way that it was believable paying very careful attention to detail so that there were no inconsistencies. I became a bit of a critic, especially of the newest teen girl sensation, Twilight which I thought was a thoroughly repugnant desecration of the original Vampire.
So what is a vampire then?
Speaking generally a vampire was once a person who died and now continues in unlife by sustains his existence each night by feasting upon the blood of other people. Vampires have several iconic weaknesses to things such as sunlight, running water, garlic, holy symbols, etc. That is a very basic description of what a vampire is, but it lacks the subtle nuances and significance that Bram Stoker was able to give to the original masterpiece.
The original Count Dracula was characterized by the complete corruption of his being as displayed on his face when he was ‘at rest’ in his coffin. A gentle, caring, beautiful, God fearing woman in life became a voluptuous lustful, God spiting fiend in unlife. It was as if the transformation were not only physical and mental but also spiritual, which adds a whole new dimension. This would have been particularly frightening for readers at the time who took morals and Scripture seriously, it does add a theological horror that is lost on the generation of today. To make it even worse the process of turning from life to unlife is a slow process, one in which family and dear friends watch, attempt to stop, give their own blood to save, and all the while the plot grows darker and more ominous. Even once the protagonists are armed with knowledge, garlic, and charms, the greatest among them keeps a will on his body because he knows that this undead is far more powerful than he and that he would never survive an encounter with it. In an attempt to save a dearly loved and gentle soul the Holy Eucharist burns upon her eternally rejected forehead. The plot grows darker and more ominous still for this woman still lives yet is passing and she, the very reason for waging war against this creature, becomes their unwilling betrayer. They speak of God and call upon his blessing, but God hides his face and the darkest night and a long treacherous journey engulf the protagonists and the reader.
Far from a hack and slash bloodfest, this book is a Classic. Stoker uses things that we barely even comprehend these days. He uses words, subtlety, dramatic irony, and the thoughts, emotions, and journals of the characters to weave a tale that is truly horrible to behold.
I was fascinated by his oscillation between the bright and normal activities of the characters, fading into a twilight of question and suspense, and suddenly you, the reader, behold the gathering dark of horror that you know is out there, but cannot see. Everyone is powerless and it is as if God Himself gives the powers of darkness leave to corrupt and destroy the hopes and dreams, even the very core of good people. When he goes back to the normal life, the ‘morning’ if you will, it serves to clearly see what terrible things were done and this morning comes as a relief, because maybe it will be day again, but also brings new horrors to light. Then things go back to normal and the characters progress in their lives. But after going on this journey a few times you the reader begin to have an unsettled feeling at the brightest of times because you know that night must surely come. You also begin the realize that the nights grow darker and days grow shorter. By the end, the brightest moments of the book are but a murky twilight of uncertainty about to be engulfed by a night that will not have a morning. Bram Stoker successfully created this effect and made it seem very real and very whole. The feeling is absolutely dreadful. There are lessons to be learned here for anyone who wants to write fiction.
