Dracula

I've started the year with a hyper-fixation on gothic stories/vampires thanks to the release of Nosferatu, and thought it was about time I read Dracula. This classic is surprisingly easy to read and I enjoyed it so much more than I expected! Nothing was super scary to me but there were some genuinely creepy things that I couldn't stop thinking about after reading the book. 

• I think this needs a reread for me to fully appreciate the ending because on first read, it felt like a fizzle after a strong start. My initial reaction was: Dracula is monster, cunning and ruthless and with such means that he's survived for centuries (and is able to migrate from country to country!). You're telling me he doesn't even put up a fight and our boy band just kills him in his sleep?? But it IS more logical than the idea of a conscious Dracula being defeated by the group. It makes sense that the true climax was the group's race against the sun and the fight with the Romani group, even though my conditioned brain was expecting more of an action movie Dracula vs Van Helsing & co. 
•  I know this was written in 1897 (therefore, sexism) but still couldn't hold in some of the eyerolls while reading this. That said, I loved the two women and the book's reflections on sexuality and gender (in my head at least half the characters here are queer). Loved the portrayal of Mina as a powerful heroine and example of the New Woman, even if she didn't consider herself so. She was a key player and the main reason they were able to defeat Dracula. Thank goodness for her ‘man brain'.
  
  

• Dracula throwing a tantrum after losing his cool when Jonathan cuts himself shaving. The transition from reaching for Jonathan's throat to reigning his fury in, to blaming the ‘wretched' shaving glass (‘“Away with it!” And opening the window with one wrench of his terrible hand, he flung out the glass,'). Bit dramatic.
• Jonathan describing this interaction as ‘very annoying' because he can't see himself shave now without the mirror. Diva.
• Jonathan's realisation that he was alone and there were no servants around after he catches Dracula making his bed. This weirdly made Dracula endearing to me and I couldn't shake this image of him as a lonely boy just wanting to play house, making the bed and scuttling off to make Jonathan's next meal. No wonder he got mad at the three brides for their attempts at Jonathan. It wasn't their turn yet!