Dracula blog 2

In this reading we conitnue to follow Jonathan Harker as he awaits his certain death imprisoned in Count Dracula's Castle. He is told by the Count to write three letters dated on three different dates that will inform his boss of his return to England. The dates are June 12th, 19th, and 29th. Jon believes that his final day alive will be the 29th. After Jonathan attempts to send two letters home with a gypsy he sees outside of his window and the letters are given to Dracula instead, Dracula takes all of Harker's writing materials and traveling clothes. He later sees Dracula wearing his traveling clothes with the letters in his hand so that he can have witnesses see "jonathan" mailing the letters himself when it is actually the Count. Jonathan is able to reach Dracula's room in the daytime by scaling the wall outside his window. He finds a passage down to a basement and finds Dracula lying in a coffin. This scares him so much that he sprints rapidly back to his room. A few days later, on the 30th, Dracula informs Harker that he will be returning home the next day. Jonathan tests him by saying that he wants to leave tonight. The count allows him to and opens the door, but the howling of wolves and their snarling scare Jon back inside. He tells the count that he would rather leave in the morning. Later that evening Jon hears something outsdie of his door and opens it to see the three women laughing at him as they walk away. In the morning the front door to the castle is locked when Jon awakes and in a desperate attempt to escape, he scales the wall again to get into Dracula's room. He goes back down tothe basement and opens dracula's coffin to find him looking much younger and fresh blood on his lips. Jonathan searches im for a key, but finds nothing. He sees a shovel and smashes the Count with it on the forehead. He is scared back to his room by the sound of the slovaks whip and heavy footsteps. When he gets inside the slovak and gypsy loch him inside with heavy boxes in front of the door. He is sure of his death. We now meet some new characters: Dr. Seward, Mina, Lucy, Arthur, a texan, and an old sailor. Dr. Seward is an Asylum owner and doctor who works with the mentally ill. He proposes to Lucy, but is denied. The Texan also proposes to Lucy but is also rejected, leaving only after he receives a kiss from her. Arthur and Lucy get engaged. Lucy and Mina are best friends and join together when mina comes to visit in July. She is upset that she hasn't heard from Jonathan in over a month. She watches the sea by a graveyard and listens to an old sailor tell of dead men who have been dishonored by their tombstones.

This reading was very interesting, and I'm really starting to enjoy the novel. I'm more interested in Jonathan Harker's story than that of Lucy and Mina, but I'm sure that they will come together soon. I don't really like Lucy, she seems fairly artificial and self absorbed. Dr. Seward kind of gives me the chills and I have a feeling that he will becoma a villain later in the novel. I wasn't able to understand too much of what the old sailor had to say, but he is definitely an interesting fellow who is quite old. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Dracula blog 1

Dracula begins from the vantage point of Jonathan Harker. The text in the book is read as if it was written directly from his journal. We quickly learn that Jonathan is a solicitor (or a lawyer) from England that has been sent in the place of his boss to assist Count Dracula, a peculiar client, in anything he may need prior to his move to England. The Count lives in a castle in Transylvania (somewhere in eastern Europe near Turkey) that is far from Great Britain and very hard to find. As we follow Jonathan Harker in his travels, he comments on how the citizens that see him go by act strangely towards him. The all make the sign of the cross to him, hold crosses in there hands, as well as garlic. One woman even puts a cross necklace around his head. He speaks with some of the locals using the little German he knows. The Count's house is very strange and enormous. Dracula is a tall, slender man with pointy ears, sharp teeth, pale skin and a white mustache. He is able to recall events from the distant past with vivid details and imagery. He keeps Jonathan up late at night asking him questions until sunrise. He never eats with Mr. Harker and is always gone in the daytime. There are no mirrors in the house, and when Jonathan cuts himself shaving, Dracula almost chokes him, but plays it off nicely and throws Jonathan's shaving mirror out the window. Things get very sketchy in the castle and we find that Mr. Harker has become a prisoner at Dracula's Castle and won't be leaving anytime soon.

We will see how things play out in the coming chapters, but I don't feel to good for Jonathan. It's a sticky situation for him to be in and it doesn't look hopeful. After reading the first few chapters I've really noticed where all of the vampire characteristics and myths come from. It has been a good read so far and I'm interested in what will happen in the rest of the book. The writing style is a little hard to understand, but I am able to comprehend most of what Stoker has composed. 

Frankenstein chapters 8 through 12

In chapter 8 we observe Justine's trial and how Elizabeth defends her harshly. It seemed as though Justine was able to remain quite calm during the trial, which I found unusually hard for a child to accomplish in such a trial. Later in the prison, we find that Justine's testimony was false. Regardless, she still faces her death the same way she faced the trial, with a peace of mind and calmness I don't understand. This results in pandemonium for Victor, since he is now left with another innocent death to deal with. He can't seem to find any peace or happiness and loses much sleep over the deaths. Victor makes his way into the Swiss Alps to get away from the depression that his overtaking him. While Victor is on a glacier in the mountains, he sees the monster he created and his ready to engage in mortal combat. After a lengthy argument between the two, finally Victor gives in to the monster's persuasion and decides he will listen to tale his creation has to tell. The monster begins his story by recallin ghis earliest memories and how he was created. He was forced to flee the cities where he was unwanted and driven out of, but he managed to take care of himself in the forest. He finds a small hovel attatched to a home in the wilderness. From the hovel, he is is able to observe the De Lacey family. The monster is introduced to the compassion that the 3 in the family share for each other, and he is able to sense despir in the brother and sister. After learning to speak French and seeing that the family is poor, the monster finds sympathy for the family in his heart. He decides to secretly help the family out by cutting wood for them and fixing things for them throughout the winter.

So much is going on in the book, and I am able to see so much foreshadowing. It seems almost impossible for me to believe that Mary Sheelley came up with this story one day by just sharing scary stories with some friends. This story is way to clever for someone to just tell off the top of their head. I am really liking the creature. I think he is much more of a man than Victor.