#Carfax Abbey

[pommedepersephone]

I abandoned my post as Mom, Guardian of EVERYTHING, and am on a solo trip to Whitby. It is both the home of Whitby Abbey, the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Carfax Abbey, and also adjacent to a dark sky preserve. So I am revisiting my first obsession (Dracula) and my current fixation (Good Omens) with some wandering of the coast and some stargazing.

I invite you to join me in enjoying A Night with a Vampire: BBC Radio horror read by David Tennant, and keep an eye out because I think I will actually finish one of the four fics I have in progress this week.

[tiger-moran]

Carfax Abbey - Cry Little Sister

(original by Gerard McMahon)

[vodkaandsnakes]

On this day, March 29, in Type O Negative history:

Repulsion (who will later change their name to Type O Negative) play L'Amour in Brooklyn, NY (1990)

Type O Negative play the Sound Factory with Drain STH, Stuck Mojo, and Latino Chrome in Charlotte, NC (1997)

Type O Negative play the House of Blues with Coal Chamber, Full Devil, Jacket, and The Deadlights in New Orleans, LA (2000)

Type O Negative play the Trocadero Theatre with Brand New Sin and Carfax Abbey in Philadelphia, PA (2007)

[your-friend-bram]

August 17

Oh Mina dear, you'll get some good news soon.

-Bram

[see-arcane]

I have been possessed by a stronger than average craving for tinkering with Jonathan Harker's genders (Jonders). Jonathan Harker is undeniably and forever my favorite gothic heroine. But, being that there is so much to chew on regarding his potential fluidity when it comes to gender roles within the story--the classic damsel, the willingly submissive half of the couple, the vengeful berserker, etc--it's got me thinking.

Let's take the metaphor out. What would happen to the Dracula narrative if Jonathan Harker was...

First thing's first--she almost definitely gets shouldered out of the Important Solicitor's position due to reasons of Being Girl. But she still has to get to Transylvania to be menaced by Count Bat Bastard. How?

Hawkins! Johanna is working at the firm as a secretary and personal assistant to a still very paternally mushy old Peter Hawkins. When Dracula's request comes around, he can't give up such a lucrative client over his gout and there's no one he trusts to pass it to. He has to go. And it'd only be right to treat his surrogate daughter to a paid scenic vacation have his aide along on the business trip. Especially when she hunted down Carfax Abbey herself! What a lovely outing they'll have.

...or not.

True to form, Count Dracula is very much not to be trusted around pretty young things of any kind. Considering his canon habits, things aren't about to go any easier for Miss Harker. But at least she has Hawkins watching out for her in-person! It all makes for some very tense talk when discussing anything other than the estate purchase; which Hawkins seems as keen to rush as Dracula is to dawdle over. But at least they'll be out of here soon. What's a couple of awkward nights, right?

One in particular has Johanna nervous as she goes to bed. Hawkins had taken Dracula aside with a hard smile, insisting there was a 'delicate matter' he wished to speak with the Count about. The last time a 'delicate matter' was brought up was when he nearly lobbed a typewriter at one of his ex-solicitor's heads for some distinctly unseemly behavior in her direction. She hopes there isn't a storm brewing under their host's roof. She hopes harder that tomorrow they'll be heading back to the Borgo Pass.

Instead:

Oh.

Oh no.

Between this and one requisite nightmare-week in which the joys of womanhood come and go--let's leave it unspoken whether her set of bloodstained cloths stay in her possession or not--Johanna gets put through the wringer. Per usual. But eventually..!

Yeah. No shock there. Deep calming breaths, Jack. Don't let the wonderful diary concuss you.

Part of being one of two (gasp) G I R L S in the Scooby Gang, Van Helsing and company vote Johanna and Mina out of the dirt hunt. Except. Well. Johanna is still necessary to have on the ground here. She's the only one with the location intel--and a surprise willed gift of inheritance and the firm from poor Hawkins, who the Transylvanian locals all vouch for as being 'slain by wolves,' leaving Johanna free of blame--so she's still running around for the crew.

Even so, odds are high that she initially gets sidelined with Mina. Which isn't overly awful. It is good to be side-by-side in this timeline! No needless sequestering from each other! Johanna is already planning to see Mina back to their new house before they have to sleep another night in an asylum.

And then comes the 3rd of October.

Van Helsing: "Madam Harker, is it not somewhat attention-catching to wear trousers in public? We are meant to be unremarkable while we wait on th--"

Johanna, has already smoked through two cigars, kukri in her lap, playing a game of chicken with God: "Do you think I scaled a mountain in three layers of skirts, Professor? No? Then I will not do the same if the rancid bastard tries to escape out the window."

Van Helsing, aside: "Friend John, can you speak sense to her?"

Jack, melting off the side of the bench: "I think I hauve consumption"

Anyway. She very much does get to the Dracula head chopping. And there will be much rejoicing. BUT all that grimdarkness aside, there are other, more hijinks-flavored opportunities to think of with this particular set up. If only because I genuinely believe that Lucy and Art, having two spare best friends on hand and a general vibe that radiates 'ooooh what if triple wedding???', would come up with the following master plan. Some truly Shakespearean folly kind of shit:

Thankfully, Johanna and Mina nix the idea pretty quick. Case in point:

And, last but not least, my final word on the range of Jonders that exist within my very best gothic heroine friend:

ha ha I do that

[yallemagne]

Jack would be the easiest sucker to trick into believing he was Dracula’s reincarnated bride. He has no husband to begin with and he hates his life so damn much which makes him ten times better of a fit than Mina. Then this tall dark handsome stranger moves in next door??? Luring him in with “compliments” like “you remind me of my dead wife”??? Man is dead. Jack is like “this Count de Ville is suffering severe delusions but :] I’m not complaining” and then his body would never be found.

So like, last year I think there were posts going around talking about how to make the “reincarnated lovers” thing from Coppola’s “adaptation” gagging work and I’ve been sitting on my two bits since then bc my mom knows my Tumblr, but after reading some of those I had a dream about the funniest option: Jack Seward

The guy barely believes in vampires, there’s no bloody way Dracula is convincing him he’s the reincarnation of his dead wife

(I just wanted to tell someone about this chaos and you seemed like you were the best option, apologies for the cursed mental image)

LOL, that's amazing! Although the problem is that I could see Jack totally falling for Dracula anyway. "Oh, interesting, this super hot distinguished old gentleman appears to be under some sort of delusion! I should invite him over for dinner to ogle him try to diagnose his condition!"

If Quincey or Arthur doesn't knock some sense into him in time, he's a goner. XD

Thanks for sharing the cursed mental image, this makes me giggle.

[holmesillustrations]

Dogs Bracket is here! It turns out a lot of these dogs are horses, but there was exactly 32, which is perfect for our purposes 🐶🐴🦁

Currently on Semifinals

Most of us are i think familiar enough with the stories that this wont be a surprise, but just in case i do want to warn that a few of these illustrations feature violence against or by the animals in question, i'll tag those specifically when we get to their polls as 'animal violence'

Full list of competitors under cut:

(Illustrations in blue were already out, those in green have been newly eliminated)

[Colliers Cover Illustration] Missing Three-quarter, FD Steele

"On the ledge of rock above this strange couple stood three noble buzzards" Study in Scarlet, Charles Doyle

"He laid his hand upon the glossy neck." Silver Blaze, Sidney Paget

"Close to the door of the cage lay Mrs. Ronder, with the creature squatting and snarling above her." Veiled Lodger, FD Steele

"Silver Blaze" Silver Blaze, Sidney Paget

"Phosphorous!" I said. Hound of the Baskervilles, Sidney Paget

"THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES." Hound of the Baskervilles, Sidney Paget

"There's our man, Watson! Come along." Hound of the Baskervilles, Sidney Paget

"The carriage rattled past." Missing Three-quarter, Sidney Paget

"There in the centre lay the unhappy maid where she had fallen" Hound of the Baskervilles, Sidney Paget

"THE DRIVER POINTED WITH HIS WHIP—'BASKERVILLE HALL,' SAID HE" Hound of the Baskervilles, Sidney Paget

"I SAW HIS EYES FIX THEMSELVES OVER MY SHOULDER." Hound of the Baskervilles, Sidney Paget

"Holmes crouched behind the bush with the dog as the carriage approached." Shoscombe Old Place, FD Steele

"Running up, I blew its brains out." Copper Beeches, Sidney Paget

"Holmes gazed at it and then passed on." Abbey Grange, Sidney Paget

[Mycroft's brougham] Final Problem, Harry C. Edwards

[Woman with horse] Shoscombe Old Place, FD Steele

"As I slipped the bars it bounded out, and was on me in an instant." Veiled Lodger, FD Steele

"The dog sniffed round for an instant, and then with a shrill whine of excitement started off down the street." Missing Three-quarter, Sidney Paget

"Dog and man were rolling on the ground together, the one roaring in rage, the other screaming in a strange shrill falsetto of terror." Creeping Man, HK Elcock

"Holmes darted forward and barred their way." Lady Frances Carfax, Alec Ball

"They bundled him into a cab that was beside the kerb" Red Circle, HM Brock

[The professor and his dog] Creeping Man, FD Steele

"Holmes emptied five barrels of his revolver into the creature's flank." Hound of the Baskervilles, Sidney Paget

"We got off, paid our fare." Speckled Band, Sidney Paget

"We were to go to the theatre… suddenly he darted away into the fog." Bruce-Partington Plans, FD Steele

[MacPherson's Dog on the beach] Lion's Mane, FD Steele

"THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES." [Frontispiece] Hound of the Baskervilles, Sidney Paget

"How far to Wallington?" Cardboard Box, Sidney Paget

""Too late, Watson; too late!" cried Holmes" Solitary Cyclist, Sidney Paget

[Lion] Veiled Lodger, FD Steele

"At the same moment Holmes stepped out and released the spaniel." Shoscombe Old Place, Frank Wiles

Full graphic with nothing greyed out:

And finally, i wanted to include every animal illustration, but i did leave out the two from Blue Carbuncle with dead geese, those are not dogs they are ingredience.

Edit: I realised i completely messed up the order of polls in the original bracket, all fine for round 1's results but would have caused problems for round 2. The current one is correct, but obviously had to be shuffled around a lot, so the numbers by each one show their order from round 1 for future reference, sorry bout that!

[strugglingwriterwattpad]

walter deville teaser

In the magnificent ballroom of a majestic Tudor manor, a spellbinding scene unfolds. Bathed in the soft glow of candlelight, a mysterious woman glided across the polished floor, her movements as graceful as a swan. The haunting melody that filled the air seemed to possess her, guiding her every step between each guest. In the depths of the shadows, a figure stood, his presence both alluring and enigmatic. His face remained concealed, adding an air of intrigue to his already captivating aura. Their eyes locked, two souls drawn together by an invisible force, and the world around them faded into insignificance.

As the music swelled, reaching its crescendo, the stranger took a bold step forward. His voice, filled with a whisper of longing, broke the silence, confessing a love that seems to transcend time itself. “you have no idea how much I love you, Miss Stoker.” The woman's heart raced, her breath catching in her throat, as she was swept away by the intensity of his words.

In the moment frozen in time, their lips finally met in a passionate kiss. It was a collision of desire and longing, a union of souls that defied explanation. But as their embrace deepened, a peculiar taste lingered on the woman's tongue, a metallic tang that sent a shiver down her spine. Suddenly, a surge of curiosity mixed with a hint of fear flooded her heart. The taste of blood upon his lips was unmistakable, a jarring contrast to the tender moment they shared. Questions swirled in her mind, like whispers in the wind. Who was this faceless man? “(Y/N)?” he whispered. “(Y/N)?”

With a sudden jolt, the woman catapulted out of her seat, causing Evie to quickly reach for her pills. "We've landed," Evie whispered, handing her boss a pill with a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry about it," she added, noticing the beads of sweat on her forehead. "Oliver's waiting for us, let's go!" with a nod of her head (Y/N) slowly stood from her seat.

“So, who lives here again?” Evie asked as (Y/N) sat in the car, cruising along the secluded roads on the outskirts of Whitby, she couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. The ever-changing weather, a characteristic she had missed dearly, played its whimsical game once again. One moment, the sky was a brilliant canvas of blue, devoid of any clouds, and the next, it transformed into a murky grey, with gusts of wind that seemed to dance through the air. “The De Ville family.” As they continued their journey, (Y/N)'s gaze was drawn to the enchanting woodland that enveloped their family estate. It was as if nature had painted a masterpiece, with emerald green shades blending seamlessly into fern green's vibrant hues. The lushness of the trees and foliage created a mesmerizing tapestry, inviting her to explore its hidden secrets. “But our family will be staying the weekend for the festivities.”

“Holy shit. are they royalty or something?” as the manor came into view (Y/N) felt a sense of familiarity. Nestled amidst a sprawling landscape, stood an opulent white brick mansion exuding an aura of wealth and influence. Its majesty matched only by the pristine gardens that surrounded it, meticulously manicured to perfection. Every corner of the magnificent abode reflected the abundance of riches it houses, while the walls remained untouched by even the tiniest speck of dirt. “No, it's just old money. England's full of it.” the artist knew something felt strange about the manor. It felt like home to her, and she couldn’t tell if she liked it or not.

“Welcome to New Carfax Abbey. Let me find our host.” As Oliver wandered off to find the owner (Y/N) also started to wander around the outside of the beautiful building. As she approached the entrance, the pillar carvings beckoned to her with an irresistible allure. Intricate and mesmerizing, they depicted a whimsical dance of enchanting forest creatures, each one brought to life in the bleached stone. These were no ordinary animals; they were the very same majestic beings she had encountered in her adventures. The sight filled her with an overwhelming sense of wonder and curiosity, igniting a fire within her. She yearned for the owner's permission to document every intricate detail, to capture the essence of this extraordinary building. Her excitement surged through her veins, as her mind raced with a flood of ideas, eager to be transformed into words on paper.

“I hope you don’t mind I brought a friend with me, Lord Deville,” Evie spoke pointing towards (Y/N) as she traced the pillar with her manicured nails. “(Y/N).” She called out but the girl seemed to ignore her. evie and the lord watched her closely, the rich gentleman listened to her breathing slow down as if slipping into a trance. “(Y/N)!” Evie called once again but still no reply. As the man gracefully approached the mesmerized woman, his presence seemed to cast a spell of intrigue. With a gentle touch, his large hand found its place on her shoulder, as if to guide her deeper into the enchanting world of his home. And there she stood, lost in a trance, her gaze fixated on the captivating artwork that adorned the brick. “miss are you alright.” His voice as smooth as milk snapped her from her brain her twinkling eyes locking with his stormy ones. The two matched their gaze smiling lightly at the sense of familiarity of each other.

“I'm sorry were you both calling me?” she stuttered looking towards Evie was an embarrassed look. “don’t worry (Y/N) your probably jet lagged.” She laughed picking up the poor girl's bag from the ground. “Walter, this is (Y/N). the artist I was telling you about.” The man now known as Walter stared back at (Y/N) his storm eyes now swapped with a flash of light of excitement. “it’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Stoker. I am a very big fan of your work. obviously.” The sun-kissed hue of his skin suddenly blushed with a fiery red, as if caught off guard by his own rambling. It was almost endearing to witness him in such a vulnerable state as if his emotions were laid bare for all to see. But there was no denying the transformative power of the new face that had entered his life, for it had swiftly altered his entire demeanour. “I'm glad you enjoyed them Mr Deville and thank you for the generous donation to the gallery I can assure you there are big plans for it.” his smile couldn’t get any bigger, but it did. The sound of her voice lulled his heart into a stuttering beat as if it had been out of service for many moons.

“come let me show you around the manor. I hope you like how I've displayed your art.” His cotton-covered arm poked out to her as an invitation to his home. She slowly slipped her arm into his feeling a familiar spark ignite in their touch. His smell was so calming and alluring sending her into a high, her doing the same to him. Walter held her small hand in a comfortable tightness not wanting her to slip from him again.

[slasherbog]

Renfield from Dracula can be faster than a car and I have evidence.

Carfax Abbey is in London. (marked red)

Seward Sanitorium is in Whitby. (marked purple)

It is a plot point (at least in the 1931 film) that Renfield escaped the sanitorium and fled to London, where he knew Dracula would be. These locations are estimated to be 231 km apart. It would take about 5-6 days to travel this distance, though he seems to end his journey within mere hours. It is presumed he didn’t use a carriage. The trip, car or train interchangeably, is roughly 5 hours. Let’s assume his journey to return to Dracula was 3 hours. 231 / 3 = 77 km/h.

Renfield’s running speed can reach up to 77km/h or higher (we don’t know what he’s capable of)

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Wow, today’s (August 20) Dracula Daily entry really shows how much Stoker messed up his timelines! He wanted Renfield’s condition after Dracula’s arrival in Carfax Abbey near London to continue for a week, but he didn’t plan out the timing so the entry instead comes a day after yesterday’s! The second problem is a more fixable error - the latter portion of today’s entry, the part saying it has been three days and they are going to let Renfield escape as an experiment -

…Three nights has the same thing happened—violent all day then quiet from moonrise to sunrise. I wish I could get some clue to the cause. It would almost seem as if there was some influence which came and went. Happy thought! We shall to-night play sane wits against mad ones. He escaped before without our help; to-night he shall escape with it. We shall give him a chance, and have the men ready to follow in case they are required....

- should be listed as being written on the evening of August 22nd. That would have Renfield let out of the straightcoat on the night of the 19th/20th, and the ‘three days’ being the 20th, 21st, and 22nd, which fits with the report of the ‘experiment’ being on the 23rd. That’s why you won’t be seeing that entry today, as you would expect.

That also gives me the impression that Lucy’s entry about being in Whitby and feeling well for the last week (August 30) may not be intentionally Stoker having her put on a brave face to Mina, as it seems when read chronologically. The book places it separate from, and before, Lucy’s 24th-25th entries where she is near London (in Hillingham) and unwell, so Stoker likely intended it in connection with Seward’s August 20th entry - indicating Dracula had been away from Whitby for a week and therefore Lucy was doing better there, before coming to London and becoming his target again - but didn’t manage to make the dates consistent. That lines up with the sequence of the entries in the book, ignoring dates: Lucy saying she has been well in Whitby for a week, followed by Seward saying Renfield has been upset for a week and then or three days, followed by Lucy being near London where Dracula is and becoming unwell again. I think that is Stoker’s intended sequence of events.

Moreover - just figured this out - Renfield is quiet during the three nights because Dracula is away from Carfax feeding on Lucy, because after one week she returns from Whitby! The reason I could never figure out, last year, how Renfield’s behaviour lined up with Dracula’s location, was because Stoker’s dates were inconsistent!

So, in sum, I believe the intended chain of events is:

For a week after Mina’s departure, Dracula is in Carfax Abbey, Renfield is in a passion and restrained in the straightcoat, and Lucy (with Arthur) is in Whitby and recovering.

Lucy returns to Hillingham near London and Dracula preys on her. He is away from Carfax during the nights, and Renfield grows quiet at night and is released from the straightcoat. He becomes wild at dawn when Dracula returns.

Lucy grows weaker and more unwell; Stoker wants to build this up but gives the wrong dates, so that her diary entries precede the one at Whitby where she felt well. By August 31st Arthur is horried enough to write to Seward about her health, and then the dating of entries gets back on track.

[winterseve00]

The remains of Carfax abbey, aka Dracula's castle. The inspiration for Bram stocker when he wrote the public domain novel, Dracula

....

[scarlet-came-back-wrong]

"Despite the box-office appeal of both star and film, however, Browning's Dracula remains a curiously static, even meek portrayal of Stoker's novel. Contemporary censorship practices may account for the film's failure to deliver sex and horror sufficient to rival Stoker's description of the "baby in the bag" scene featuring Dracula fetching late-night take-out for his voracious wives. This alone does not, however, explain the quite striking conservatism of Browning's adaptation. In Stoker's Dracula the characters who defeat the monster and restore order could well be considered vigorous, adventuresome, and progressive. Lucy exercises modern sexual power through a socially-sanctioned choice of three suitors and, in proto-feminist fashion, Mina shows that a masculine intellectual acuity need not cancel out feminine gentleness and grace. Mina's superior powers of deduction allow the men to catch Dracula before he reaches the safety of his Transylvanian home, and her moral courage provides the inspiration for the entire enterprise. Harker, Van Helsing, Seward, Quincey, and Godalming show steely fortitude from start to finish, turning the tables on the invading monster by invading continental Europe to defeat Dracula on his home turf where he is at his strongest. Browning's Dracula rearranges this plot so that the everyday society threatened by the monster becomes strangely distant and insulated from the threat. It is a boob-like Renfield, not the masculine, morallyupright, and rational Marker, who travels to Dracula's castle to be transformed into a raving lunatic by the Count's infectious bite. Renfield returns and an ineffectual Dr. Seward unsuccessfully attempts to incarcerate and cure him. Both Lucy and Mina prove weak, easy victims for the Count, and Jonathan Marker reacts to Dracula as if the ancient monster were some guy moving in on his chick at a malt shop. His response to the threat goes no further than suggesting to his girl Mina that she "forget" about Dracula or simply go away with him to escape the attentions of this unwelcome foreign interloper. Only Dr. Van Helsing, a foreigner like Dracula, understands the seriousness of the Count's visit and possesses the strength and know-how to defeat him. These plot variations throw a peculiarly American, or isolationist, slant on Stoker's story. No wonder only Van Helsing understands the superstition-laden folklore necessary to defeat a vampire, yet another folkloric creation — these old, European things have nothing to do, finally, with modern America. Because the "bad" European magic will inevitably be defeated by the "good" European magic, the new, modern American society is not only not threatened, but actually could never have been threatened in the first place. The madness of the old world, brought back to the new by Renfield, underscores the point of the film. The heroic crew do not need to return to the continent as they do in Stoker's Dracula; instead, Van Helsing works alone to dispatch Dracula in Carfax Abbey, off-frame and without sound. As Jonathan and the now purified Mina slowly mount the stairs towards the sunlight, it is clear that the European madness has taken care of itself. The new, superstition-free, cafe society that is modern America was never truly at risk."

From "Draculafilm: "High" and "Low" Until the End of the World" by Jake Brown.

[mxsoyo]

Watching every Dracula adaptation! #2

Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugosi

Next up is the first authorised film adaptation of Dracula. The movie is actually based on a play adaptation from 1924, which explains some of the changes they made.

Should you watch it? Yes, but not for the reasons you might think. The movie is very funny (not intentionally), great to watch with friends. It is also free to watch on the Internet Archive. It is still recognizably the story of Dracula, but a lot of the details have been changed, especially the characters, so beware of that if that bothers you.

↓ Character and Story Changes + notable moments under the keep reading. ↓

Character Changes: -Renfield takes up Jonathans role of the young solicitor traveling to Transylvania in the beginning of the movie. Until he is put under Draculas influence where goes back to his book version after that. Dwight Fryes performance as essentially both Jonathan and Renfield are both very entertaining. Like that man is giving 200%. -With Bela Lugosi starring as Dracula, this movie was definitely the starting point of the sexy-fication of the character. Even thought I think this Dracula has even worse social skills than his book counterpart. -Mina is actually Jack Seward’s daughter in the movie, I assume this change was made to explain why the main characters would be hanging around at the sanatorium. Personality wise she is a bit blander than her book counterpart, partially because she spents a good chunk of her screen time under Draculas influence. -John Harker (just John, not Jonathan in this version) has been definitely changed for the worse. They made him the sceptic that doesn’t understand what is going on and is constantly doubting Van Helsings advice. He feels a bit more like a douchy version of Arthur than Jonathan. -Like I said, Jack Seward is Mina’s father in this version and is the character in name only and in the fact that he owns a sanatorium. -Lucy (her surname has been changed to Weston) is a single girl since Arthur and Quincey don’t appear. She has a stronger interest in the macabre and has a small crush on Dracula (despite everything about him). -Van Helsing gets a lot of good lines in the movie, he seems a lot less eccentric, and Dracula remarks that he has heard of him. But he is not yet the badass expert vampire hunter later movies make of him. -The movie also added two prominent characters the sanitarium worker Martin the and nurse Briggs, which both serve as a kind of comic relief. Story Changes: -As far as I know this is the first time the female vampires (Draculas roommates) are referred to as his wives. -We get a lot more scenes from the point of view of Dracula -Dracula actually introduces himself to the main characters as their next door neighbour and casually comes over for conversation before they find out he’s a vampire -Lucy dies very shortly after being introduced, but the plotline of the gang trying to keep her alive was given to Mina instead - The ending is surprisingly anticlimactic. They find Dracula lying in his coffin in Carfax Abbey, Van Helsing kills him off-screen, while John looks for Mina. -Afterwards Van Helsing also says they should leave without him, they do and then the movie just ends

Notabel Moments: -The movie starts with Swan Lake out of all songs and then is dead silent when it comes to background music afterwards -The opossums and armadillos (classical Romanian wildlife)

-this GIANT BEE (totally not a normal sized Bee jerusalem cricket in a miniature coffin)

-The BATS!!! Oh my god the spirit halloween bats! The bat driving the carriage?! -the spirit halloween plastic spider on a string -”I never drink... wine.” is such an iconic line, that I was surprised it’s not from the book, this also goes for ”the strength of the vampire is that people will not believe in him” -The best scene in cinema history! I cant do it justice by explaining it, you’ll have to watch it yourself, it’s at 1:03:20

Next Up: Dracula (1958) starring Christopher Lee

[see-arcane]

I'm reading a dissertation on gender-fluidity in Dracula and how the Harkers especially display androgyny in an atypical non-villainious way (they take a comparative literature approach) and it's very good so far. It's going to talk about their love and challenge the notion that it's heteronormative, according to the abstract, but here's just a few bits from what I've read so far

When Jonathan becomes sick in Budapest, Mina travels across Europe on her own to bring him back. Whereas Jonathan’s journal briefly mimicked the form and content of a Radcliffean heroine’s travel narrative, her narrative never does. As far as narrative decisions go, it is appropriate that her narrative does not take on such a format here, because if anything she is playing the Radcliffean hero to his heroine. As discussed in 3.5, he is, if anything, the party being given away to a spouse by a father. Hawkins suggests to Mina, not to Jonathan, that they may as well marry in Budapest. [...] Jonathan, meanwhile, becomes very emotional, a state associated with Victorian femininity. His anger has him shouting in most conversations with the group, and failing to kill the Count in Carfax Abbey leaves him in a “sublime misery” that had “no place for words” (Stoker 268). [...] Today anger and rage are perhaps the most acceptable emotions for a man to openly display, but by Victorian standards, emotional excess was inherently feminine. A manly response to his situation would have been “[d]isinterested and controlled compassion” (Demirhan 96). The volatility of Jonathan’s mood here speaks to a lack of self-control, which—as discussed—was one of the core tenets of Victorian masculinity. On the other hand, Mina is obviously shaken and upset, but she consistently makes a great effort not to be overwhelmed by her feelings (Stoker 269). [...] When it becomes evident that he cannot leave, he instead wishes he had “a gun or some lethal weapon” (Stoker 51). When he realizes that Mina cannot stay, he pre-emptively grants the wish that was never granted to him. [...] Finally, it is worth noting that he seems more than comfortable with her wielding a deadly—and undeniably somewhat phallic—weapon. Whereas the phallicized women of The Great God Pan and The Beetle, and the vampire women elsewhere in the novel, inspire fear, Jonathan is entirely comfortable with Mina armed.

Ohhhh this is fantastic! Who is the writer? Is there a link where folks can go read the dissertation?