Dracula by Bram Stoker

No, I haven't read this one recently. But I had started this list by wanting to write about the books that I have read on the 1001 Books list, and then recently I have been adding the books that I have been reading at the moment. Well, at the moment I am reading "Wild Swans" by Jung Chang, and since we also have a visitor this week, and are waiting to be inspected at school, I am a bit behind with that. So I thought I'd use this opportunity to catch up with a few more of the books on the list that I have read. Dracula is the 37th book on my original list (which consisted of 91 books - I am pleased to report that I have read a few more books since then, so my total is a bit higher - those books have already been written about on here, though!)

So, Dracula. We watched a film a couple of months ago which was a variation on the theme. In it, Arthur Holmwood had contacted syphillis, so when married Lucy, he could not sleep with her without passing on this illness. The non-consummation of the marriage upset Lucy, who confides in her friend Mina that she is sad, but does not explain precisely why. In the meantime, and unbeknownst to Lucy, Arthur has contacted some strange characters who have said that they can cure him of this disease by giving him a blood transfusion. Mina's fiance, Jonathan Harker, is sent by his solicitor's firm to Transylvania. Mina does not hear of him again, so she is very sad too. Dracula eventually comes to England ... and finally bites Lucy etc etc. So it was Dracula with a twist. But I suppose that is one way to interpret Dracula - an STI that causes people to die, but not before they have passed it on. Very topical ...