Thoughts on Bram Stoker's Dracula

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays my eldest two children and myself hold an hour long creative writing class focused on the genre of horror fiction writing. After the class we listen to at least 20 minutes of Bram Stoker's Dracula on Audible. I start each of our classes with a call back to the previous lesson and a call back to the previous audiobook session. 

So far there have been a great many things to learn and analyse about Dracula. You can likely find a crap ton on professionals that have done extensive research and think pieces for many years on this classic literature. Here are my own musings as we uncover the story. 

1. Within the first chapter the foreshadowing and foreboding is far more heavy handed than anything I've read within the genre present day. While the devices used are great- I got to discuss with the kids how they could employ these elements within their own short stories- there sure is a lot going on here. We've got people crossing themselves, openly gawking pointing, praying for the solicitor, John and using fearful language galore. At one point an older woman doesn't even beat around the bush- she literally gets on her knees and begs him not to go to Count Dracula's for his mother's sake if he can't be saved from his own foolishness. 

I'm thinking we need only one or two of these instances to set the tone. 

2. However even with all the hullabaloo, John Harker, disregards it all. In reading between the lines I can't decide if it's jolly prejudice that compels him to do this or arrogance. It might even be lack of intelligence according to my kids!

3. We all agreed we enjoy the style of the story and it being relayed through journal entries and various forms of media. The kids think it's something they would like to see utilised in modern day writings more. I like this idea- especially the further away from the median of paper we get. In the eighties and early nineties we were still heavily reliant on mail- might be something to explore within setting and time period. 

Re-reading Fahrenheit 451 at a certain age.

Reading Fahrenheit 451 as a teen hits completely different than it does for my forty-three year old self. I'm re-reading the book aloud with my fourteen year old son as a part of his ELA for school and feel flabbergasted that so much went over my head that first and second time I read it. 

The amusing part is I remember feeling enlightened upon reading the book! Maybe it hits different due to the juxtaposition of our media/digital world being so prominent and parallel to scenarios in the book that it has my head whirling and my thoughts spinning. Still, I distinctly remember drawing comparisons and examples of the vapidness in pop culture during that time the same way I'm drawing pop culture and political parallels now. It's a testament to Bradbury's strong theme and storytelling. The description of some of the futuristic systems and robotic dog are striking and relevant to this day. As I read this time around I'm realising that this book will likely ring true and poignant for any time period. 

This time around my mind latches onto how extensive book bans have gotten. They were happening before but we're at an all time misguided high now. When Montag's boss gives his supporting arguments as to why they burn books it's sounding mighty familiar. 

"If you don’t want a house built, hide the nails and wood. If you don’t want a man unhappy politically, don’t give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none."

"Colored people don’t like Little Black Sambo. Burn it. White people don’t feel good about Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Burn it. Someone’s written a book on tobacco and cancer of the lungs? The cigarette people are weeping? Burn the book."

"So now do you see why books are hated and feared? They show the pores in the face of life. The comfortable people want only wax moon faces, poreless, hairless, expressionless."

Thoughts About Salem's Lot

So far, for me, the best part of Salem's Lot has been the Introduction by Stephen King explaining his back story on the road to writing Salem's Lot. It's fascinating and he plugs Bram Stoker's Dracula. I have a soft spot for rthat book right now since I am reading it with my kids.  Otherwise I am desperately slogging along. There was a long ass Prologue- it made me glad prologues are relatively out of style these days. This prologue was so long I literally stopped and flipped halfway through the book wondering if I was reading some modern addition. Bro, can I skip this? At this point it seems irrelevant to the rest of the book. 

Maybe once I am further along that prologue will be integral. Maybe when I'm further along all these character introductions will come into relevance as well. Maybe when I'm a little further in I will recognise the writer that thrilled me with Cujo and Pet Cemetary- whose ending I still remember being scary AF even though I can't recall it in vivid detail anymore. Maybe when I'm a little further in I will understand the reason for the format of accounting the hours.

Three chapters in and one of the most fascinating stories told is the one of the widow whose husband slipped into the mill grinder. In a little book I used for the kids horror creative writing class; Write Horror Fiction in 5 Simple Steps, Laura Baskes Litwin tells a little story about Stephen King witnessing a co-worker losing both of his hands up to his elbows in a factory accident. She uses it as an example for using what you know within a story. RL Stine would relegate it the memory floor of his idea factory but for me it spoke to how King could vividly use that experience across stories in various ways. 

A theme for February

We've talked about how I love a theme. In February I always hit health hard with my kids. I can cover self love; which has resulted in unit studies and joint reads covering self esteem, anger management, personal health and hygiene, self regulation etc. Under the theme of passion in February I always cover sex education with my kids too. We've read, studied, chatted, and researched using a plethora of books over the years such as; Usborne's What's Happening to Me? Guy Stuff: the Body Book for Boys, American Girls The Care and Keeping of You Vol. 1 & 2, Celebrate Your Body (and it's changes too), 30 Days of Sex talks for three different age categories, Good Picture, Bad Picture for two different age groups, Own Your Period-A Fact-filled Guide to Period Positivity. I don't limit the conversations to a single time of year but February is definitely a heavier catalyst for conversation. 

February also seems to be the time the I can come into a set mindset of loving myself more as well. I don't know if I intentionally can't get myself to fall in line health and personal fitness wise in January due to principle or some other psychology but I surely never truly get my act together until February when it comes to a new exercise routine or cleaning up my diet.