Holy cow! This is my new favorite book! I dare say that this text was the first multi-genre novel ever written because this book included journal entries, newspaper articles, memos, doctors notes, letters to others, captains logs, etc. It was really exciting to see what would happen next and in what context I would gain information.
One thing I found to be so intriguing was the fact that this type of writing really allowed me as a reader to identify with and understand the characters. And because the author seems to switch back and forth between characters rapidly, I never lost that connection to characters.
One small criticism that I may have for this text is Stoker's description of women. I am no feminist, but at times I even got offended by the way Stoker portrayed women as being weak, helpless, and dainty. I found that the women seemed to lack a sense of agency as a whole. In fact, when Mina would rise to the occasion and organize work, discover the plans of Dracula, or even speak of something that must be done, Stoker always seemed to follow that up with a comment from a character in which she was described as "having the brain and wit of a man". Also, did she only have to do secretarial work? Like I said before, I'm no feminist and I totally understand that this is a text that was written in a time period where women were deemed inferior, but I was shocked by this revelation nonetheless.
The plot of the story seemed to drag on and on in some parts, like when Lucy was sick after being bitten by a vampire. Others caught and kept my attention so rapidly that I forgot where I was, like when they finally started to hunt Dracula. As a result, I would recommend this book to any reader, with modern or classic interests in literature, as it was truly an enjoyable read.
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