Published in 1897 by Irish writer Bram Stoker, the novel Dracula, translated
into many languages including Irish, has never been out of print. The
figure of Count Dracula has dominated twentieth-century culture, and the
novel has inspired over 700 films. It is astonishing that a single novel
should have become such a phenomenon.
Bram Stoker did not invent the vampire. Vampires appear in the folklore
and legends of many cultures dating back to ancient times. Interest in
vampires within the English-speaking world can be traced back to 1732,
when the word vampyre first appeared in this language. The occasion
was a wave of vampire sightings reported and documented in several parts
of Central and Eastern Europe and eventually reported in the British press.
The attention given to vampirism coincided with a rising interest in
Gothic literature, first in Germany and later (during the last decades
of the eighteenth century) in England, where Gothic writers soon adopted
the vampire. The first in English literature to do so were poets, but
the most important contribution came from an unlikely source: Lord Byron's
personal physician, John Polidori. He wrote the first piece of vampire
fiction in the English language.
Interest in vampire literature continued through the nineteenth century
with the appearance of several short stories and novels, but it was Dracula
that became the yardstick for future vampires. Bram Stoker combined several
of the elements of early vampire fiction with the results of research
into vampire folklore and added a few of his own. Although Stoker
had never visited Transylvania, his descriptions of that enchantingly
beautiful Eastem European region are astonishingly vivid. Because of his
novel and the proliferation of Dracula movies, the Dracula myth became
firmly established.
What about the name Dracula! Contrary to popular opinion, Bram
Stoker knew very little about the real Dracula. All we know for sure is
that he found the name Dracula in an obscure history book he borrowed
from the public library in the English seaside resort of Whitby where
he was spending a summer vacation in 1890. He was already working on a
vampire novel, and had even selected a name for his Count: Vampyr.
Then he saw the name Dracula with a footnote that suggested it
came from a Romanian word for devil. As this suited Stoker's conception
of his vampire, he appropriated the name, and Dracula became a vampire.
However, Stoker did not live long enough to see the tremendous success
of his novel. The book that made Bram Stoker famous has eclipsed Stoker
himself and become undisputedly the world's eternal Gothic novel.
What is it about the vampire in general and about Count Dracula in particular
that continues to fascinate? There is no simple answer, as the appeal
goes across the whole spectrum of human interest. For some it is the seductive
element, for others it is the connection with the dark side of our natures.
The vampire symbolizes for many the breaking of taboos, the challenge
of authority, the fine line between power and passion, and the search
for immortality and eternal youth. While Stoker's Dracula was the
embodiment of evil, late 20th century vampires have become more ambivalent
creatures, a clear reflection of the disappearing line between good and
evil in our increasingly secularized world.
(Adapted from several sources.)
sighting: observació, vista
yardstick: model, patró
Gothic novel: novel·la gótica (novel-la que
conté elements romántics i de terror)
embodiment: encarnació, representació concreta d'una
cosa.
PART ONE: READING COMPREHENSION
1. Choose the best answer.
1. Dracula, the novel, was first written in...
a) English.
b) Romanian.
c) Irish.
2. Who brought interest in vampires to England?
a) Lord Byron's physician.
b) Ireland's politicians travelling to the continent.
c) British popular newspapers.
3. Who wrote the first vampire novel in English?
a) Lord Byron.
b) Bram Stoker.
c) John Polidori.
4. Only one of the following statements is true according to the text.
Which one?
a) Stoker became very rich after publishing Dracula.
b) Stoker wrote three other famous Gothic novels.
c) Stoker was unfamiliar with the actual details of a vampire's real life.
5. Only one of the following statements is true according to the text.
Which one?
a) The novel combines ancient vampire stories with other components.
b) The novel has inspired many film directors and song composers.
c) Transylvania was a legendary country in the South of Europe.
6. Where did Bram Stoker find the name Dracula1?
a) He looked it up in a Romanian encyclopedia.
b) He found it in a poem by chance.
c) He found it in an old history book.
7. What is the main reason why Dracula still attracts so many people?
a) Because of a whole combination of elements, each of which fascinates
humans.
b) Mainly because of the seductive nature of the main character in the
book.
c) One reason predominates: the myth of eternal youth that Dracula so
well represents.
8. Which of these options is true according to the text?
a) Dracula is the biggest selling novel in the world and is the only novel
that has always been constantly reprinted.
b) Dracula's phenomenal influence on the world of the arts and the performing
arts is simply incalculable.
c) Although it has inspired (and continues to inspire) countless creative
works, critics consider Dracula poor writing.
PART TWO: WRITING
Choose ONE topic. Write about either 1 or 2.
1. Write a review (summary and opinion) of a horror film you have seen
or a horror story you have read recently.
2. Imagine you are a novelist working on a vampire novel. Write a letter
to a friend explaining your ideas.
3. Vocabulary
Explain next words in English, write the phonetics and also an example:
vampire, astonishing, to trace, eventually, wave, physician, yardstick,
footnote, to borrow, challenge, whole, evil.
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