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Week 4 of Dracula... including Halloween. I'm going to do a lot of reading over the next few days. It will be fun to be reading Dracula on Halloween!

How does the dialogue between Seward and Van Helsing in this week's read relate to the theme of science versus the irrational?

One common theme in horror and science fiction concerns the limits of what man can �� or should �� know. Typically, variations on this legend have a scientist or philosopher who makes a pact with the devil to get secret, forbidden knowledge in exchange for his soul. Do we see that here?

There is a definite undertone of necrophilia here. Notice also the kiss motif here and elsewhere in the novel. Remember when Dracula’s women wanted to “kiss�� Harker?

So this novel continues to creep me out! I'm trying to read it as though I had never heard of vampires before, which is hard to do. The story really is horrifying.

I do love the style of writing as the story passes from one viewpoint to another. As you pointed out in our questions, Gem, there is some tension between the scientific viewpoint of Dr. Seward and the "irrational" viewpoint of Van Helsing. Interesting that Van Helsing took the approach of showing Dr. Seward and the others caught up in this horrible situation Lucy's grave. They all had to see the situation with their own eyes because they could never have accepted the truth otherwise.

I have to assume that I did not see the point in making the husband to "kill" Lucy, I understood the reason that Van Helsing gave. but if it was me I probably would not be able to handle this burden.

Addressing Karol's comment about trying to read this as if she had no prior knowledge of vampires, I'm trying to do the same thing.

Maybe someone already posted this in the background section, but how much of the vampire myth was already developed before Dracula? How much did Stoker develop himself?

Vampires were ruined for me after Twilight. Reading Dracula makes them terrifying again.

❀�� Gem ✿❀ wrote: "One common theme in horror and science fiction concerns the limits of what man can �� or should �� know. Typically, variations on this legend have a scientist or philosopher who makes a pact with the devil to get secret, forbidden knowledge in exchange for his soul. Do we see that here?..."

It's not clear yet where Van Helsing gained his knowledge about vampires.

It also hasn't been revealed how Dracula became a vampire in the first place.

It's a good question though and one I'll keep in mind as I read.

It's just me that if I have to take Van helsing as my doctor would be greatly insecure? His ways of handle with the problems is so heterodox.

Does anyone know how old Dracula is?

Rosemarie wrote: "Does anyone know how old Dracula is?"

For some decades it has been argued that Stoker based the character on the historical Vlad III of Wallachia, notorious as Tepes (the Impaler), but also known as Vlad Dracula, who died in 1476 or '77.

If so, Stoker may have confused Vlad the Impaler with his father, Vlad II Dracul (the Dragon). It has been speculated that the "Dracul" nickname referred to a medallion of St. Michael thrusting Satan -- as a serpent -- out of heaven, viewed unfavorably by some of his more reluctant subjects. (I think there was some Catholic-versus-Orthodox element involved, too)

In any case, Stoker's character would have been a vampire for about 400 years. (But at that age, who bothers to keep track?)