October 2011 - Dracula by Bram Stoker

Meeting Details:
     We are meeting on Thursday October 6th at Kate's house.  Meeting to begin at 7:30 with discussion to start at 8:00.

Menu: Frightfully Good Desserts
    Have a dessert that is so good its terrifying?  Bring it along to share!
    coffe/tea - Kate

Reminder - we will be choosing books for the next while at the October meeting, so if you cannot make the meeting, please pass along your two cents via a friend or a blog comment.  :-)



Discussion Questions

1. Did you enjoy the book?  Why or why not?  
2. Did the book surprise you in any way?
3. Dracula is considered "gothic romance."  What do you think that means?  Can you think of any other books that meet that description too?
4. What personality traits to you think an author must possess in order to create characters and scenarios such as Stoker did in Dracula?
5. Why do you think Stoker wrote the novel as a collection of journal entries, a ship's log, letters and newspaper clippings rather than in a straighforward fashion?  What effect does this format have on how the novel reads?
6. What is the historical significance of Dracula's many references to Christianity?
7. Why did Stoker make Dracula a member of the aristocracy?  What if Dracula were just a common man?
8. Why do you think Dracula seems to prey only on women?
9. What scenic elements add to the eeriness of the novel?  Would it be as scary if it were set in modern times?
10. What is the significance of Renfield's character?
11. Why didn't Jonathan Harker become a vampire even though he was locked in Dracula's castle?  Why was he spared?
12. Name as many contemporary references to Dracula as you can.  Why do you think this book has remained so popular?   (It has never been out of print!)