Christopher Lee as Count Dracula. One of the many adaptations of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel
It is a novel that has spawned multiple adaptations, spin-offs, and a whole industry, but would Bram Stoker's Dracula be to the taste of Tyneside Book Club members?
The verdict was mixed. While some enjoyed sinking their teeth into a classic; others felt it tasted rather stale, with time not being kind to the Count.
The critics in the group felt the pace was flabby, and the writing undistinguished. Members struggled to differentiate between the different voices as they seemed so similar, with characters underwritten and underdeveloped.
There was also criticism of plot holes and a failure to build enough tension and horror.
Members generally agreed that the book opened well, and the strongest and creepiest moments came early on when Jonathan Harker was trapped in Castle Dracula. Some members would have liked that section, and the account of Dracula's journey by ship to Whitby expanded.
Some members thought the momentum was then lost, but others felt the use of diary entries, and even newspaper cuttings kept the pace up, and felt Stoker was being innovative at the time he wrote the novel.
There was some discussion about whether the book could be seen as misogynist, racist or antisemitic. It was certainly possible to pick up some of those themes, and members certainly felt that the women in the novel lacked agency. Stoker got some credit though for at least stitching Mina into the action as the novel reached its conclusion.
There was some debate about deeper themes in the book - from homoeroticism, to the fear of the foreigner - and which elements might have been consciously included, and which emerge from Stoker's subconscious.
Members did find that Dracula had something to say about mortality, and the (forlorn) battle against death and decay. There was also evidence that Stoker was using the technology of the day - speedier travel, phonographs - to bolt on to the more traditional Gothic novel.
By the end of the evening though, opinion was still divided. Some members felt they could see why so many adaptations departed dramatically from a deeply flawed novel, but for others, although perhaps not technically perfect, Dracula, had set the bar and template for horror, and had more than stood the test of time.
Some felt that they would not be revisiting Dracula, but supporters felt they had seen enough to understand why it was still ranked as a classic after 125 years, and could see people returning to Dracula well into the future.
The verdict was mixed. While some enjoyed sinking their teeth into a classic; others felt it tasted rather stale, with time not being kind to the Count.
The critics in the group felt the pace was flabby, and the writing undistinguished. Members struggled to differentiate between the different voices as they seemed so similar, with characters underwritten and underdeveloped.
There was also criticism of plot holes and a failure to build enough tension and horror.
Members generally agreed that the book opened well, and the strongest and creepiest moments came early on when Jonathan Harker was trapped in Castle Dracula. Some members would have liked that section, and the account of Dracula's journey by ship to Whitby expanded.
Some members thought the momentum was then lost, but others felt the use of diary entries, and even newspaper cuttings kept the pace up, and felt Stoker was being innovative at the time he wrote the novel.
There was some discussion about whether the book could be seen as misogynist, racist or antisemitic. It was certainly possible to pick up some of those themes, and members certainly felt that the women in the novel lacked agency. Stoker got some credit though for at least stitching Mina into the action as the novel reached its conclusion.
There was some debate about deeper themes in the book - from homoeroticism, to the fear of the foreigner - and which elements might have been consciously included, and which emerge from Stoker's subconscious.
Members did find that Dracula had something to say about mortality, and the (forlorn) battle against death and decay. There was also evidence that Stoker was using the technology of the day - speedier travel, phonographs - to bolt on to the more traditional Gothic novel.
By the end of the evening though, opinion was still divided. Some members felt they could see why so many adaptations departed dramatically from a deeply flawed novel, but for others, although perhaps not technically perfect, Dracula, had set the bar and template for horror, and had more than stood the test of time.
Some felt that they would not be revisiting Dracula, but supporters felt they had seen enough to understand why it was still ranked as a classic after 125 years, and could see people returning to Dracula well into the future.
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