Still reading

I’ve re-read Dracula. It’s been about 25 years and I was surprised by both how much I remembered and how much I did not remember.

I know that this is a hard book to like for a lot of people. For one thing there is the language, which is old and deliberately formal. It is also, for some people, of a different country as well as culture. Then there’s the style which is not a typical narrative. Put all that together and this can be a slog for some people to read. It is a slow-reading book. I understand how that puts people off. For some reason, though, I like the way that Stoker does it and I think that he pulls it off.

I was, however, more critical of it this time than when I first read the book. I let the novelty of it carry it through the rough spots. Plus, finally reading what I had seen interpreted so many times was a lot of fun, which is a strange thing to say about that book. I still enjoyed it, though it is not a book that I would re-read for pleasure very often.

I might return to it as a study, though. I think Stoker handled the structure well, which is not to say that I don’t see some flaws in it. Maybe I’ll write some more about it later.

Right now I am a little behind on the October reading list, so back to the books.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. Read it. None of the movie versions that I’ve seen follow the story or really capture the essence of it. Remember that it’s from the late 19th century, maybe get an annotated version to explain some the arcane or esoteric parts, and enjoy it.