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Bram Stoker's Influence On Dracula

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Bram Stoker: An Irish author born in the late nineteenth century who changed the face of Gothic literature forever. Bram Stoker published more than a dozen novels during his career, but oddly enough, most of his life remains a mystery. Majority of biographers rely heavily on public records to determine the interests and life of Bram Stoker. Stoker’s grandnephew, Daniel Farson, once stated, “Stoker has long remained one of the least known authors of one of the best-known books ever written.” (“Bram Stoker Biography”). Stoker’s most famous work, Dracula, was a worldwide phenomenon that took the horror world by storm.

Abraham “Bram” Stoker was born on November 8, 1897 at 15 Marino Crescent, Clontarf, on the northside of Dublin, Ireland. Stoker was the son of Abraham Stoker …show more content…

It is believed that the novel emerged from Vambery’s dark stories of the Carpathian Mountains. Stoker spent several years researching European folklore and mythological stories of vampires. In 1890, Stoker visited the English coastal town of Whitby. This visit is said to be part of the inspiration for his most famous novel, Dracula. Stoker’s inspirations for the novel, in addition to Whitby, may have included Vlad the Impaler, a visit to Slains’ Castle in Aberdeenshire, a visit to the crypts of St. Michans’s Church in Dublin, and the novella Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu. The original manuscript was believed to have been lost until it was found in a barn in northwestern Pennsylvania in the early 1980s. It consisted of typed sheets with many emendations, plus handwritten on the title page was the words, THE UN-DEAD. The author’s name shown at the bottom was Bram Stoker. The author, Robert Latham, once said, “The most famous horror novel ever published, its title changed at the last minute.” (Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review Annual). The manuscript was purchased by Microsoft co-founder, Paul

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