Thanks to everyone who was able to make our meeting last Wednesday to discuss Dracula by Bram Stoker. It could not have been a more beautiful and fun night under the VMFA tent in the sculpture garden, with the sun sinking. Just lovely. Many thanks to the VMFA for allowing us this beautiful venue and free rein in the Sunken Cities exhibition. It may not have been Dracula related but it was still pretty amazing and full of lore.
And speaking of lore, Well! It was a delight to read Dracula. As with so many of the classics we have taken on over time, this was a revelation. Rather than a scary vampire movie, this was a(nother) Victorian classic novel of manners, somehow including a nobleman breaking bad with the occult. The societal constraints helped the plot along and I for one found it thrilling. The ending, even from a distance of centuries, was heart-pounding.
Bram Stoker's Dracula was the first to find ubiquitous cultural recognition but it was not the first vampire novel. Goethe published The Bride of Corinth in 1797, a full 100 years before Stoker's novel. Vampire myths were rampant in folk lore and Stoker spent 7 years researching European folklore and history. He was particularly taken by an essay about Wallachia Vlad III Dracula, a ruler who reigned terror in Transylvania in the 1400's. Although not a vampire. Stoker took the name as Dracula was from the area and killed thousands of people through sheer despotism.
During its time, Dracula was popular but not enduring. Stoker, an Irish theatre manager who made ends meet with chunking out sensational novels did not make much money from it. After his death, an unauthorized theatre production raised the profile again, then followed by a Hollywood adaption in 1931. Since then, the novel has never been out of print.
As a Victorian novel, the societal constraints are painful. The women in particular, Lucy and Willemina are allowed only to be pure, virtuous and selfless. Still, "Madame Mina" was brilliant, diligent and capable of organizing a horde of male individuals into a cohort capable of a plan, which to my mind is pretty unusual in the male characters recognition of and reliance on her skills. That was a breathe of fresh air in a pretty stuffy society.
In its time, Dracula was very well received critically. The overt sexual overtones of the vampire experience have been noted over time. In this reading, the three "brides of Dracula" and the John Harker, the sweet protagonist, and Lucy, his first victim in the story were especially vivid, a way to introduce passion into the repressed Victorian era. (Now, just how did Queen Victoria get all those children...?)
All in all, a great read and a great reminder of why "classic" literature persists. Because it is amazing. And so on to our next amazing read, Hamlet by Maggie O'Farell. This is the story of Shakespeare's son but mostly of his time. Fiona really recommended it and so we are on.
Our next meeting will be on the weekend, in order to accommodate being outside. We plan to meet at the Deep Run Hunt Club, on the patio with heaters, on Sunday, November 22, at 2:00 pm. There is a screened in porch there if the weather is wet but it will allow us to have excellent ventilation and a beautiful setting.
There was no appetite to forgo our Christmas book swap, so we want to be outside, during the day for that too. I can host, but did we have another idea? If so, I forgot, fill me in.
There were tons of book recommendations that flew around, here are the ones I remember, add in the ones I missed, please!
The Great Influenza - John Barry - factual, contextual, broad based, fascinating and relevant
Department of Speculation and Weather by Jenny Offill. Dept. of Spec. is amazing, just amazing. Weather is her latest.
Frankenstein - our old friend, as equally interesting as Dracula. If you weren't in book club when we read it, it is a great read.
Anna Karenina - ditto, although nothing can make up for missing Sean Connery as Count Vronsky in the movie from the 1961 adaptation which we watched way back when. There is a reason he is famous and a reason the book is too.
Sarah Thornhill - by Kate Grenville, an Australian author, an historic novel of the settling of Australia, similar to her The Secret River, which I loved. So far, I love this new one too.
The Swan Book by Alexis Wright. An original, about the aboriginal experience in Australia, and the environmental havoc of modern times. I think. Still, it was a compelling read, with tons of awards.
Woman in White by Collin Wilke - I took way too much time to read this book and am now cramming to get all my library books in on time. It was so worth it. A contemporary of Dickens, he is definitely an equal.
Moby Dick - I read it long ago, as did Jen. It may be the meaning of life and then again, it may not. FYI, I am not reading it again.
Want: a Novel - not to be confused with Happiness: a novel which we read before. This is truly a novel of neediness, in all aspects of one's life. How it shapes you, how it cowers you, how you move beyond it. Really good, Lynn Steger Strong is the author.
We didn't talk about this but honorable mention should go the The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani. A recommendation from my "Fine Literature" Facebook group, it was a stunning psychological novel. I loved it. It is also pretty brutal to start, just fyi. It won the Prix Goncourt in France, its highest literary prize. Which reminds me, Dreams of my Russian Summer by Andre Mackin won both the top French literary prizes in 1995, the Prix Goncourt and the Prix Médicis. I loved it.
Chime in with anything I missed, and I miss everyone who could not join us.
All condolences to Julie Wiessand, we are all with you mourning the loss of your father.
