It’s that time of year again, the sun is starting to set earlier, the days are growing shorter, there’s a certain chill in the air and in your bones. As the weather seems sympathetic to the purpose, it’s the best time of year to read some of the great horror works, such as Dracula or Frankenstein,.
Each novel is a classic. Dracula, written over one hundred years ago, is Stoker’s masterwork. Told mainly via a series of letters and journals, the story presents the quintessential vampire – a demonic being from folklore, who is also an aristocratic figure of immense power. Dracula is one of literature’s most unforgettable creations, yet he is a character more talked about than seen; one who is the impetus and focal point for all the action of the novel, but who largely remains hidden in shadow. This is masterful storytelling. The reader never learns too much about the character and what we do learn is revealed slowly; we cannot, therefore, become over-familiar with him and the aura of mystery that surrounds him is never destroyed.
Coupled with Dracula’s undead status is the fascinating dichotomy of his desire to live once more. After centuries of a wraith-like semi-existence Dracula has managed to raise himself into a state of self-awareness through sheer force of will. His journey to London, therefore, offers him with more than an expanded hunting ground; it also offers him a chance to be in the centre of things again, to be in the midst of life.
Frankenstein – a work written approximately seventy years before Dracula, has given us a further archetypal character – the monster. Mary Shelley’s work has withstood the test of time, and presents another tale concerned with immortality – in this case, with the terrible triumph of science over death and the hubris of humanity. Whereas Dracula is engaged in prolonging his existence via supernatural means, Frankenstein's goal is to conquer death by harnessing the forces of nature and reanimating dead tissue. The result, of course, is the creature; a being ultimately regarded with horror by Frankenstein, but who, in the end displays a humanity and wisdom far beyond those of his creator.
Both books are great reads at this, or any time of the year.
