Eneh Akpan Writes: Bram Stoker

Showing posts with label Bram Stoker. Show all posts

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Count Dracula: Traits and Peculiarities

Bram Stoker absorbed Central European folktales into his vampire novel which on publication became the definitive volume for every other book and film in the genre. His eponymous character, Dracula has also become the modern vampire archetype. From Stephen King's Salem's Lot to Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles to the Television's Vampire Diaries.

The film 'Dracula' portrayed by Christopher Lee is the first vampire movie I ever watched.
Courtesy: Wikipedia

The name “Dracula” is Romanian and stands for Son of the Dragon. It is the self-given name of Vlad III the Impaler, an historical figure whom it is assumed is a partial inspiration for Stoker's character. It is widely believed among scholars that Stoker, while researching for his novel, came across papers on Romanian history and folklore and was inspired to alter the name of his character which he'd formerly named, Count Wampyr.

Dracula is the most portrayed of all characters in the horror genre and is the second most adapted character in film behind Sherlock Holmes. He is so ingrained into popular culture that he has become an Halloween staple.

According to accounts in the novel, the blood-sucking Count studied the black arts and is a master of alchemy and magic. And that qualifies him as a sorcerer.

He died and was buried in his castle but as we all know, he returned as the nosferatu (undead). Dracula is immortal though not invincible. He is a centuries-old vampire with dreams of world-domination which was his underlying reason for luring Jonathan Harker, the main narrator of the novel and an English solicitor to his castle. Harker taught him a great deal about England.

Dracula, the powerful vampire, lives in a ruined castle on the Carpathian Mountains with three beautiful female vampires. Their relationship to him is unclear with suggestions ranging from lovers to sisters to victims. He is a Transylvanian nobleman, a “voivode” or Wallachian prince. He commands an air of aristocracy. Unlike most modern day vampires, Dracula walks in daylight and the sun is not fatal to him. Even though, his supernatural abilities are drastically subdued by daylight. He can only cross running water at low or high tide.

Being a powerful sorcerer, Dracula is also a shape shifter who on different occasions transforms into a wolf, a bat, and a dog. He can also dissolve into a mist. He possesses superhuman powers to control some animals like bats and rats. Yet, even in his human form, the Count could slip through a crack in the wall.

He craves rest/sleep to regenerate. He can only regain his strength by sleeping on Transylvanian soil which he keeps close to himself inside large boxes. He has hypnotic and telepathic abilities. He also controls the weather, invoking storms on “The Demeter,” the Russian ship that brought him to England and by creating a mist so his presence remains undetected.

Count Dracula Courtesy: Helgi Halldórsson/Freddi

Dracula's bite transfers his vampire genes into his prey automatically making them slaves of the vamp. When the victims die, they turn into vampires. Count Dracula's demise lifts the curse of the vampire off a living victim so that when they die a natural death, they stay dead. That’s kind of a blessing, of course. But would it not be nice to be immortal?

Stoker's vampire character can levitate and he flies when he transforms into a bat. His image is not reflected in mirrors and he can vanish at will and reappear someplace else. However, despite all these supernatural abilities, this most powerful of vampires cannot step into an abode unless invited in.

Dracula drinks blood-fresh blood.

Count Dracula shape shifts freely at night. However, he can also do it at dawn, noon, and dusk but he is restricted. In his employ, are gypsy body guards. These servants of his know his real nature, but remain fearless and loyal to him, regardless. He exercises a certain degree of influence over other vampires, even ones he didn't transform. He can retract his fangs.

The undead blood-sucking fiend is not a big fan of holy symbols like the crucifix and communion bread. Besides, he has a fierce aversion to garlic. The vamp can be destroyed through all the traditional means of killing vampires however, in the novel, he is vanquished by one character slitting his throat and another driving a Bowie knife into his heart.

What Bram Stoker did was give to the world an immortal character; a vampire we love to hate, whose very memory transcends fiction and now lodges in the darkest regions of our hearts.

Keep your pen bleeding!

Akpan

Sunday, May 12, 2013

3 or 4 Processes That Lead to Novel Serialization

This one’s coming off an article by Isaac Asimov I read recently. Inspired by correspondence with a fan of his who wrote him about the prevalence of serial novels in recent times. ‘It can be frustrating…,’ she wrote.

Personally, I don’t take issues with continuity in a plot, which takes multiple volumes to unfold, do you? I could list a couple of books I would have appreciated as a series because I wanted to see more of the characters.

And now, the moment we have all been waiting for…

The reasons writers create sequels.

1. Publisher Pressure

J. R. R. Tolkien’s trilogy was originally intended as a single volume publication (Wikipedia still regards it as one book in its Bestselling Fiction List). But Tolkien’s publishers made him reconsider; paper cost was their major excuse.
Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy was a compilation of separate pieces from Astounding Science Fiction between 1942 and 50. The stories were created at editorial insistence. And the fourth and fifth books in the series were dragged out him by his then publishers, Doubleday.

2. Reader Pressure

Arthur Conan Doyle is peculiar as an example of author victimization by his readers. Doyle who is credited for creating the most adapted character in the fiction universe made a grave ‘mistake’ and killed Sherlock Holmes. You think it wasn’t a mistake? A. Conan Doyle probably thought the same thing until fans expressed their indignation and demanded that Sherlock Holmes be resurrected.
The author was forced to put his fictional character back in action after the series was already concluded in Doyle’s mind.

3. Muse Pressure

The sequelization (as Asimov calls it) of a book can be the result of an idea that becomes too big for a single volume publication.

Thomas Harris did it with his Hannibal set of novels; Tolkien with his Lord of the Rings, Silmarillion and the Hobbits. In some peculiar cases, different writers have continued other writer’s work with a different background and set of characters because the original holds them in everlasting appeal. One striking example is suspense writer, Dean Koontz with his Frankenstein series.

Horror writer Stephen King explains this process in his book, On Writing:

“A thousand pages of Hobbits hasn’t been enough for three generations of fantasy fans. Hence Terry Brooks, Piers Anthony, Robert Jordan, and a half hundred others. The writers of these books are creating the hobbits they still love and pine for; they are trying to bring Frodo and Sam back from the Grey Havens because Tolkien is no longer around to do it for them.”

Stephen King,

On Writing, A Memoir of the Craft.

Bram Stoker and Stephen King have both published serial novels (not whole books with a continuity of plot and character but a single volume published in four or five batches). In Everything’s Eventual, a collection of short stories by King, he gives us his reason for serializing his books, The Green Mile and The Plant;

“It’s about trying to see the act, art, and craft of writing in different ways, thereby refreshing the process and keeping the resulting artifacts-the stories, in other words-as bright as possible.”

I love it when a favorite character makes a comeback. If that’s the reason for serializing a work of fiction, I believe it’s a good and welcome enterprise.

Keep your pen bleeding.

Akpan

Friday, February 22, 2013

10 Less Common Vampire Traits

Photo credit: sodahead.com

Updated: Nov. 6th, 2016

Ever since Stoker created his Dracula-probably, the greatest anti-hero of all time and definitely, the most adapted villain in film and literature-vampire writers as well as film makers have added several improvisations to the vampire genre.

Just like the more commonplace, the less-known traits exist as well. And thing is, each of these gains a better foothold with the release of every new film and lit.

1. Sympathy Towards Humans
It's not every day you hear a vamp sympathize with humans. Why should they? Humans are food to vampires. Blade is a fine example of a vampire with heart. Edward Dalton, head hematologist (blood doctor) in Daybreakers felt sympathy towards humans, as well.

2. Invitation into Private Residence
In Salem's Lot a vampire had to be invited by the occupant of a house or they were powerless to enter. A scene in Ninjas vs. Vampires has a female vampire asking to be invited in by a guy before she could go in. Most modern vampires don't need IVs. They know their way in.

3. War Between Vampires
In Blade II a vampire hybrid feeds on other vampires giving the idea of dissension within the bloodsucking world. In Twilight the Cullen family battle James and his team for the life of Bella Swan. In The Saga of Darren Shan, the vampires are at war with the vampaneze (a bloodthirsty variant of the vampire). Usually, vamps co-exist in mutual confidence and reciprocal virtues *clears throat*.

4. Telepathy
Markus from Underworld gains access to other people's memory bank by drinking the victim's blood. Throughout the movie, there is a bonding of minds through drinking of blood. In Bram Stoker's Dracula, Mina's mind bonds with the Count when he traps her under his power. An event like this one is scarce in the vampire genre.

5. Holy Symbols
Science easily becomes the new magic. Recently, somebody shared a link on Reddit about a group of scientists creating a zombie virus. Back in the day, zombies were strictly tied to voodoo. Back to vampires, in Underworld, Daybreakers, The Vampire Chronicles, Blade, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and many others, holy relics do not harm, scare, or kill vampire. You could scratch a few with 'em if you got close enough besides that holy symbols are just objects.

6. Flight
Most powerful vamps glide effortlessly. However, besides the bloodsuckers in Stephen King's Salem's Lot, Markus in Underworld and, the 'subsiders' (who grew wings) in Daybreakers most vampires have no business off the ground. If they really feel like flying they might catch a plane.

7. Blood Substitute
Blade used a special serum to fight off his thirst for blood. In Daybreakers where a plague turned the entire world into vampires reducing humans to a mere 5% of the population, blood was in scarce supply and research for a blood substitute was inevitable. You don't see this kind of stuff in every vampire movie.

8. Human Lovers
Dracula had Mina (Bram Stoker's Dracula); Edward Cullen had Bella (Twilight Saga); Selene had Michael, who later became a hybrid vampire/werewolf (Underworld); Darren Shan had Monkey girl (The Saga of Darren Shan), the list goes on. This trait is almost fit to be part of the common vampire traits.

9. Associate with Werewolves
The werewolf is a sworn enemy of the vampire but modern writers have added a new twist to the age-old feud between the two species. In Twilight, a pack of werewolves fought side by side with vampires against bloodthirsty vampires from another coven; Underworld has a hybrid of werewolves called Lycans protecting and serving vampires. Remember, Dracula can only be killed by a bite from a werewolf. This is a fine twist to the old vampire legend.

10. Resents Being Vamps
Now ain't that a bitch. Edward Dalton (Daybreakers) resents his brother for turning him into a vamp and fights relentlessly to find a cure. He also refuses to drink human blood. Darren Shan (The Saga of Darren Shan) was coerced to turn a vampire to save his friends life. For turning his mother while she was pregnant with him thereby, making him a half-vampire, Blade (Blade) hunted and killed vampires all his life.

The mentioned traits, with exception of one or two, are rare and unusual additions to vampire lit. and film. All of these are without argument, great plot devices which never cease to thrill vampire movie and book geeks the world over.

Keep your pen bleeding.

Akpan

Thursday, February 14, 2013

10 Most Common Vampire Traits

CHRISTOPHER LEE AS COUNT DRACULA

Updated on June.16.2015

Vampires are forever.

Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person. -— Wikipedia

The horror world's favorite undead species seem to have it all. Favored above zombies and werewolves, these bloodsuckers almost take it all in their stride. I didn't want to wander too far out from the facts so, I made myself sit and watch/re-watch several fine vampire movies and series. And of course, I sourced for online info to boot.

Some traits, fans believe, make vampires what they are. These traits are regarded as prerequisites for identifying bloodsuckers. And although, there have been drastic modifications in the field these characteristics remain seemingly untouched and well-preserved.

1. Thirst For Blood

What else is new? Thirst for blood is the definitive vampire characteristic. The idea is really pronounced in the movie Daybreaker. I'm yet to see a movie which refutes this fact. After all, it's the reason vampires are called bloodsuckers which is a synonym of the word vampire. But I might be wrong, you know. I'm judging from the point of view of someone who's watched only over 30 vampire movies/series. They feed both on human and animal blood.

2. Immortality

These guys are not called undead for nothing, are they? They've been dead and back, not back as humans but in a twisted form and this realm permits the abomination they became. In movies like Underworld vampires develop a technique which allows them to travel through time something called HIBERNATION. They stay frozen in a grave for a couple 100 years until the Elders activate or awaken them.

3. Hypersensitive to Sunlight

Generally, vampires avoid contact with direct sunlight. Those who risk it bust into flames or turn to ash. In Salem's Lot however, sunlight only hurts the night crawlers, it isn't fatal. The character Selene in Underworld is no longer irritated by sunlight when she gains special powers after drinking blood of the vampire forefather, Alexander Corvinus. Dracula is only weakened by sunlight.

4. Extraordinary Healing Ability

Vampires heal fast. In Blade Wesley Snipes acting as the eponymous character slices off a vampires arm and in the next scene, regeneration of the lost arm occurs. In other movies, the regeneration occurs faster, almost instantly to a point the vampire appears immune to weapons. These night crawlers also seem to heal faster in moonlight or to regenerate quicker after drinking blood.

5. Reproduction by Biting

Vampires bite to gain access to the human veins because they feed on blood. When a vampire bites, the venom is transmitted into the victim's blood stream and s/he turns. Even though, there are instances of vampire bites killing the victim outright, the fastest method of reproducing vampires is via biting. And most films and books seem to follow this idea.

6. Superhuman Ability

All works of film and literature seem to agree that vampires acquire enhanced strength when they turn. From Blade to Underworld to the more recent film Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, people do extraordinary stuff when they become vampires. And sometimes, they learn combat skills pretty fast.

7. Speed

Since Bram Stoker said, The dead ride fast, it seems every vampire book and movie has been trying too hard to live up to the very last letter of those words. Watch The Saga of Darren Shan and get a taste of what I'm getting at. But then, any vampire flick features fast bloodsuckers. Why not, no rational human is gonna wait around for one slow vermin to have a go at them. The adrenaline in a vamp's blood is always rushing to overflowing like a shot of morphine straight to the head.

8. Stakes

Every vampire is susceptible to stakes. The stake might be of oak or some other exotic tree, it might be ash stake or it might be a metal of any kind, silver, steel, whatever. Thing is once the stake goes through the heart of a bloodsucker, it dies. Another thing is if the stake is pulled out before the monster either busts into flames or turns to ashes, the wound heals and the vamp lives to fight another day.

9. Fangs

All the vampires I have read about or watched on TV have fangs. In certain situations, the canine teeth are retractable. They need these to pierce the flesh so they can suck out the juice.

10. Fire

All the guys with twisted lust for blood have an intense aversion for fire. Generally, flame destroys vampires of all power levels and many of their opponents wield it as a weapon when combating them. Even in the age of mass cleansing in European folklore, fire was considered a potent weapon of annihilation for vampires.

The traits listed here are true at least, eight out of ten times for all vampires in film and literature.

Keep your pen bleeding.

Akpan

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

10 Writers Whose Fiction Reflect Their Life Stories II

It’s amazing what we can learn when we study the lives of those who have excelled and made their mark in their chosen field. There are lots of facts about the life stories of the authors presented here I wasn’t even aware of before I did research for this article. But these experiences came to be the striking peculiarities that preserves their work in the hearts of readers of every generation.

See for yourselves.

5. Stephenie Meyer (1973- )

Four years after her birth, Meyer’s family relocated to Phoenix, Arizona and she thinks herself a native since she moved there at such a young age.

Meyer felt out of place among the otherwise wealthy population of Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, where she received her secondary education. She also married her childhood sweetheart. (Well, not really. They barely if ever, exchanged words as kids though, they attended the same church and social activities.)

Most of the students at school rode Porsches but Meyer never had a ride until she was in her twenties. Bella Swan of the Twilight series readily comes to mind when we think of a fictional character who’s had a similar experience. Almost everything about Meyer’s childhood fits perfectly into Bella’s profile.

6. Ian Fleming (1908-1964)

Ian Fleming worked in the British naval intelligence during World War II and was involved in the planning of high profile intelligence operations.

Fleming proved himself resourceful during the war. He plotted and carried out dangerous missions often involving rescue operations.

Fleming’s traits including golf handicap, his taste for scrambled eggs, his love of gambling, and brand of toiletries became Bond’s as soon as the character was created.

Fleming admitted that Bond “was a compound of all the secret agents and commando types I met during the war.” – Wikipedia.

7. Maya Angelou (1928- )

Some will argue that her life story which Angelou has published in six volumes should be termed autobiographical fiction and not autobiography. Whichever side of the wall you pick, we can still appreciate the fact she has taken pains to gather her life story into books which are no doubt, works of great literary worth.

Before becoming a writer, Maya Angelou had tried her hands on several other items including dancing in nightclubs. She eventually, produced a Calypso album, which she titled Miss Calypso.

Maya sometimes slept in the same bed as her mother and her mother's lover, Mr. Freeman, who eventually, raped her. They found him kicked to death three days later after the court failed to sentence him. For five years, Maya was a mute because she believed her telling on Mr. Freeman had killed him. Her muteness was cured when recited one of her poems to a family friend and since then, she’d discovered the power of poetry.

8. Bram Stoker (1847-1912)

Stoker was bed-ridden until he was seven. His mother was a writer and told him tales of the macabre while he lay sick and worn in bed and this probably influenced his choice of genre in later years.

He was dedicated to Henry Irving who he worked for as personal assistant while also managing the Lyceum Theater.

Henry Irving was a real-life inspiration for the character of Dracula, tailor-made to his dramatic presence, gentlemanly mannerisms and affinity for playing villain roles. – Wikipedia

Stoker may also have used the battle for his wife, former Florence Balcombe, whom he fought over with Oscar Wilde, in a scene where some men battle for the hand of the female character, Lucy Westenra who receives three marriage proposals in one day. And also, his son Irving Noel Thornley Stoker, who is named after three different personalities, in the naming of the son of the character Jonathan Harker, whose son is named after the men (about four in all) who helped him to destroy Dracula and rescue his wife from the villain’s spell.

9. Tananarive Due (1966- )

Tananarive Due is one of a handful of black science fiction and fantasy writers. Due at one time worked as a journalist and columnist for the Miami Herald. She had at some point in time been in a relationship with a guy who she said, “turned out to be different.” She believed this man was out to deceive her.

A few years after the relationship between Due and this strange fellow ended, she reworked her personal experience and created a character she called her ‘perfect guy’ by re-inventing her former boyfriend.

The novel conceived by this idea is called My Soul to Keep. And the plot revolves around the life of a young newspaper reporter who is still in her twenties. The woman later discovers her husband is a 500-year old immortal from a culture of immortals.

10. J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973)

Tolkien grew up around the Sarehole Mill and Moseley Bog in England and loved exploring these places. As a child, Tolkien was bitten by a large baboon spider in the garden, an event which later had echoes in his stories. His adventurous mind led him to his Aunt Jane’s farm of Bag End. The name occurs in his fiction. Frodo Baggins, Samwise "Sam" Gamgee, Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck and Peregrin “Pippin”–the characters from his books may have been the fictionalized Tolkien and three of his childhood friends, Rob Gilson, Geoffrey Smith and Christopher Wiseman, with whom he formed a semi-secret society which they called the “T.C.B.S.” (Tea Club and Barrovian Society).

In a 1968 letter, Tolkien details his trip to Switzerland on a summer holiday. A trip, which called to mind Bilbo's journey across the Misty Mountains in his The Lord of The Rings book. A scene from the book, which includes “the glissade down the slithering stones into the pine woods”, is directly based on his adventures as their party of 12 hiked from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen. – Wikipedia.

After his mother’s demise at age 34, Tolkien lived in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham in the shadow of the Victorian tower of Edgbaston Waterworks which is believed to have influenced the images of the Dark Towers within his works.

These are writers who have endeared themselves to our hearts by creating masterpieces from their personal experiences in life. Writers who we, no doubt perceive as geniuses. No wonder they say it’s the ordinary things of life that are the real miracles.

Keep your pen bleeding!

Akpan

Thursday, November 8, 2012

20 Facts About Bram Stoker

He Created the Greatest Anti-Hero

Stoker’s Dracula is the most adapted villain in a work of fiction. There are more than 217 Dracula films and 1,000 plus books featuring this famous (or infamous) character.

He Spent More Time Writing Dracula than on Any of his Other Books

Bram Stoker spent 7 years researching European folklore and superstitions before writing Dracula.

He Never Stood Up Without Help Until Age 7

The legendary writer was bed-ridden until the age of seven and needed a little assistance to walk.

His Mother Was a Writer and Told Him Tales of Horror

Stoker’s mom was a writer and she read horror stories to him while he lay sick in bed. This would later influence his interest in the supernatural and occult many years after.

He Was the Business Manager of a Theatre

Stoker became the business manager of the Lyceum theatre (owned by Irving) and actor-manager to Henry Irving (one of the most prominent actors of his time) after a favorable review of the latter’s performance in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Dracula Was Inspired by…

Stoker made no trips to research for his novel, Dracula. His work was mostly inspired by Emily Gerard’s Transylvania Superstitions.

He Wrote 12 Novels

Stoker authored 12 novels and published several short story collections. He wrote about 18 books during his lifetime.

He Had Only One Kid

Irving Noel Thornley was the only son of Stoker and Florence. Both father and son’s cremated remains are joined in one urn. Visitors to the Golders Green Crematorium in London must be escorted to a room where the urn is housed for fear of vandalism.

His Original Title for Dracula was The Un-Dead

It has been suggested that Stoker coined the term, undead. His novel, Dracula was formerly titled The Undead. The original 541-page manuscript was discovered in a barn in Pennsylvania. The title page was handwritten. It included the title ‘The Un-Dead’ and the author’s name, Bram Stoker appeared at the bottom. The co-founder of Microsoft, Paul Allen, bought the manuscript.

He Worked as a Journalist

Bram Stoker was a theater critic, an accomplished athlete, author, biographer, theater manager and a journalist.

His Friend Was Inspiration for His Famous Character

Henry Irving (Stoker’s friend who owned the Lyceum Theater that Stoker managed) was the physical inspiration for the author’s famous character, Count Dracula. Henry Irving was an important model for Dracula.

Published First Fiction Book in 1881

Bram Stoker published his first fiction book, Under the Sunset in 1881.

The Dracula Story Was Inspired By a Real Historical Figure

Vlad the Impaler, a real historical figure, infamous for impaling his enemies on stakes and watching them die in slow agony was the inspiration for Stoker’s book, Dracula. He was also known as Vlad III Dracula of Wallachia.

He Published His First Horror Story in Installments

Stoker’s first horror story, The Chain of Destiny was published in four parts in ‘The Shamrock.’

He Was an Art Lover

Stoker loved art and was the founder of The Dublin Sketching Club in 1874.

Competed with Oscar Wilde for a Lady

He fought Oscar wild for the hand of actress, Florence Balcombe who was the daughter of a lieutenant-Colonel. And won. The two stayed together until his death in 1912.

He Met Two American Presidents

Stoker did a lot of traveling with Henry Irving and visited the US frequently. He met two American Presidents, William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.

He was the third of 7 children

Stoker was the third child of Abraham Stoker and Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornley in a family of seven.

His wife survived him by twenty-five years

His wife Florence survived him by twenty-five years. She was his literary executor and published Dracula’s Guest and Other Weird Stories in 1922. There are speculations that the eponymous story, ‘Dracula's Guest’ may have been intended as the first chapter for his novel, ‘Dracula.’

Cause of Death is Controversial

Stoker passed on at No. 26 St George's Square in London on April 20 1912 of exhaustion/overwork or tertiary syphilis or stroke (depending on whose report you believe).

Bram Stoker would probably be remembered as the man who took Eastern European folklore and superstitions and invented fiction’s most popular and probably most dreaded anti-hero, Dracula.

Akpan