DRACULA SUMMARY:
Dracula is a gothic horror novel written by Bram Stoker in 1897. It is written as a collection of journal entries, newspaper articles and letters. It starts off with Johnathan Harker’s journey to Count Dracula’s castle in Transylvania to sell him some property in London. He receives warnings against evil creatures, and an old woman makes him takes a crucifix. He reaches Dracula’s castle, where he meets the Count, “a tall old man [with] a long white mustache, and clad in black from head to foot” (Stoker 17). His stay at the castle is pleasant, with Dracula being a good host. Soon after, Johnathan discovers that he is a prisoner in the castle and also encounters Dracula’s brides. They almost attack him but Dracula stops them, giving them a child to drink blood from instead of Johnathan. He asks Johnathan to write letters to his boss and fiancée dated June 12,June 19 and June 29, informing them that he has set off for England, even though the date is May 19. On June 29, Johnathan sees Dracula sleeping, but looking younger with blood dripping down his mouth. He decides to escape by climbing down the wall.
The book later shifts to Mina and Lucy, where Mina writes journal entries worried about Johnathan Harker, her fiance, late return and about Lucy Westerna, her best friend’s health. They exchange letters where Lucy tells Mina about the proposals she has received from Dr. John Seward, Quincey Morris and Arthur Holmwood. Although she likes them all, Lucy accepts Arthur’s proposal. Dr. Seward and one of his patients, Renfield, who has a habit of eating live animals are also mentioned. Lucy continues to be restless and starts sleepwalking, which concerns Mina. One night, she gets out of the house and goes to the churchyard, where she sees a dark figure looming over her. As she gets closer, she notices two puncture wounds on Lucy’s neck, which she thinks she has caused by a safety pin. Over the next few days, Mina notices Lucy looking increasingly tired and the wounds on her neck not healing. A letter also arrives, informing Mina that Johnathan is in a hospital in Buda- Pest, suffering from brain fever. Mina leaves to join him there. She sees Johnathan in a weakened state, with no memory of Transylvania and later, they get married. Meanwhile in England, Arthur Holmwood, who is worried about Lucy’s health contacts Dr. Seward to help her as he has to go see his ailing father. Dr. Seward is not able to find out the reason for Lucy’s illness and asks his professor, Van Helsing for help. Van Helsing tries to figure out the reason for Lucy’s blood loss, and Arthur Holmwood, Dr. Seward, Van Helsing, and Quincey Morris all donate their blood to save her. Van Helsing later sees the wound on her neck and begins to suspect Dracula’s involvement. Although he keeps his suspicions to himself, he tries to save Lucy but fails. After Lucy’s death, Van Helsing tells Dr. Seward that they need to cut Lucy’s head and take her heart out. However, later, he finds that someone took the crucifix and decides to wait.
Johnathan sees a man and believes him to be Dracula, and Mina later decides to read Johnathan’s diary for his sake. There is also news of attacks on children, who get abducted and return home with wounds on their necks. Later, Van Helsing visits Mina and she gives him Johnathan’s diary to read. The next morning, Helsing’s faith in him restores Johnathan’s memories and he begins a new diary. He also visits Dr. Seward and concludes that Lucy is behind the attacks on the children. He also convinces Quincey and Arthur to accompany him to the graveyard where he plans to decapitate Lucy and drive a stake through her heart. Although reluctant at first, Arthur agrees to stake Lucy when he sees her in her vampire form and they manage to do the same the following night. At Van Helsing’s insistence, Mina and Johnathan come to stay with Dr. Steward, where they discover a potential connection between Renfield and Dracula. Johnathan also discovers some boxes of earth that were delivered to Carafax, Dracula’s house on London. Arthur and Quincey also arrive at Dr. Seward’s house and there, Van Helsing tells them about vampires, their weaknesses and their strengths. They make a plan to track down and kill Dracula, but say that this is a man’s job and it would be best for Mina not to be involved. They track down Dracula’s earth boxes, but only 29 of the 50 boxes are there. Later at night, Mina dreams of Dracula. Harker tracks down some of the remaining boxes and Renfield dies a few days later, lying in his cell and covered in blood. He tells Seward, Arthur, Quincey and Van Helsing about Dracula, and they rush to Mina’s room, where they find Jonathan unconscious and Mina’s head pressed to Dracula’s chest, covered in blood. Dracula escapes and Mina faints. When they wake up, she tells them that Dracula visited her room and threatened to kill Johnathan if she screamed. Later, Dracula visits Renfield and kills him, and later when Van Helsing presses a communion wafer to Mina’s forehead, it leaves a red mark showing she is turning into a vampire. They try to destroy the rest of the boxes, but discover that one has disappeared and that Dracula has fled England. Later, using Mina’s telepathic connection to Dracula, they discover that he has fled to Varna. They reach there but find out that Dracula already knew about their plan through Mina and escaped. They figure out that Dracula is going back o his castle and manage to kill him there, although Quincey dies in the battle. Years later, Mina and Johnathan have a some who they name Quincey, with Arthur and Dr. Seward also happily married.
Dracula is a gothic horror novel written by Bram Stoker in 1897. It is written as a collection of journal entries, newspaper articles and letters. It starts off with Johnathan Harker’s journey to Count Dracula’s castle in Transylvania to sell him some property in London. He receives warnings against evil creatures, and an old woman makes him takes a crucifix. He reaches Dracula’s castle, where he meets the Count, “a tall old man [with] a long white mustache, and clad in black from head to foot” (Stoker 17). His stay at the castle is pleasant, with Dracula being a good host. Soon after, Johnathan discovers that he is a prisoner in the castle and also encounters Dracula’s brides. They almost attack him but Dracula stops them, giving them a child to drink blood from instead of Johnathan. He asks Johnathan to write letters to his boss and fiancée dated June 12,June 19 and June 29, informing them that he has set off for England, even though the date is May 19. On June 29, Johnathan sees Dracula sleeping, but looking younger with blood dripping down his mouth. He decides to escape by climbing down the wall.
The book later shifts to Mina and Lucy, where Mina writes journal entries worried about Johnathan Harker, her fiance, late return and about Lucy Westerna, her best friend’s health. They exchange letters where Lucy tells Mina about the proposals she has received from Dr. John Seward, Quincey Morris and Arthur Holmwood. Although she likes them all, Lucy accepts Arthur’s proposal. Dr. Seward and one of his patients, Renfield, who has a habit of eating live animals are also mentioned. Lucy continues to be restless and starts sleepwalking, which concerns Mina. One night, she gets out of the house and goes to the churchyard, where she sees a dark figure looming over her. As she gets closer, she notices two puncture wounds on Lucy’s neck, which she thinks she has caused by a safety pin. Over the next few days, Mina notices Lucy looking increasingly tired and the wounds on her neck not healing. A letter also arrives, informing Mina that Johnathan is in a hospital in Buda- Pest, suffering from brain fever. Mina leaves to join him there. She sees Johnathan in a weakened state, with no memory of Transylvania and later, they get married. Meanwhile in England, Arthur Holmwood, who is worried about Lucy’s health contacts Dr. Seward to help her as he has to go see his ailing father. Dr. Seward is not able to find out the reason for Lucy’s illness and asks his professor, Van Helsing for help. Van Helsing tries to figure out the reason for Lucy’s blood loss, and Arthur Holmwood, Dr. Seward, Van Helsing, and Quincey Morris all donate their blood to save her. Van Helsing later sees the wound on her neck and begins to suspect Dracula’s involvement. Although he keeps his suspicions to himself, he tries to save Lucy but fails. After Lucy’s death, Van Helsing tells Dr. Seward that they need to cut Lucy’s head and take her heart out. However, later, he finds that someone took the crucifix and decides to wait.
Johnathan sees a man and believes him to be Dracula, and Mina later decides to read Johnathan’s diary for his sake. There is also news of attacks on children, who get abducted and return home with wounds on their necks. Later, Van Helsing visits Mina and she gives him Johnathan’s diary to read. The next morning, Helsing’s faith in him restores Johnathan’s memories and he begins a new diary. He also visits Dr. Seward and concludes that Lucy is behind the attacks on the children. He also convinces Quincey and Arthur to accompany him to the graveyard where he plans to decapitate Lucy and drive a stake through her heart. Although reluctant at first, Arthur agrees to stake Lucy when he sees her in her vampire form and they manage to do the same the following night. At Van Helsing’s insistence, Mina and Johnathan come to stay with Dr. Steward, where they discover a potential connection between Renfield and Dracula. Johnathan also discovers some boxes of earth that were delivered to Carafax, Dracula’s house on London. Arthur and Quincey also arrive at Dr. Seward’s house and there, Van Helsing tells them about vampires, their weaknesses and their strengths. They make a plan to track down and kill Dracula, but say that this is a man’s job and it would be best for Mina not to be involved. They track down Dracula’s earth boxes, but only 29 of the 50 boxes are there. Later at night, Mina dreams of Dracula. Harker tracks down some of the remaining boxes and Renfield dies a few days later, lying in his cell and covered in blood. He tells Seward, Arthur, Quincey and Van Helsing about Dracula, and they rush to Mina’s room, where they find Jonathan unconscious and Mina’s head pressed to Dracula’s chest, covered in blood. Dracula escapes and Mina faints. When they wake up, she tells them that Dracula visited her room and threatened to kill Johnathan if she screamed. Later, Dracula visits Renfield and kills him, and later when Van Helsing presses a communion wafer to Mina’s forehead, it leaves a red mark showing she is turning into a vampire. They try to destroy the rest of the boxes, but discover that one has disappeared and that Dracula has fled England. Later, using Mina’s telepathic connection to Dracula, they discover that he has fled to Varna. They reach there but find out that Dracula already knew about their plan through Mina and escaped. They figure out that Dracula is going back o his castle and manage to kill him there, although Quincey dies in the battle. Years later, Mina and Johnathan have a some who they name Quincey, with Arthur and Dr. Seward also happily married.