Dracula (Norton Critical Editions)

pstrongThis Norton Critical Edition presents fully annotated the text of the 1897 First Edition./strong/ppA rich selection of background and source materials is provided in three areas: Contexts includes probable inspirations for emDracula/em in the earlier works of James Malcolm Rymer and Emily Gerard. Also included are a discussion of Stoker's working notes for the novel and "Dracula's Guest," the original opening chapter to emDracula/em. Reviews and Reactions reprints five early reviews of the novel. "Dramatic and Film Variations" focuses on theater and film adaptations of emDracula/em, two indications of the novel's unwavering appeal. David J. Skal, Gregory A. Waller, and Nina Auerbach offer their varied perspectives. Checklists of both dramatic and film adaptations are included. /p pCriticism collects seven theoretical interpretations of emDracula/em by Phyllis A. Roth, Carol A. Senf, Franco Moretti, Christopher Craft, Bram Dijsktra, Stephen D. Arata, and Talia Schaffer. /p pA Chronology and a Selected Bibliography are included. /p

iDracula/i is one of the few horror books to be honored by inclusion in the Norton Critical Edition series. (The others are iFrankenstein,/i iThe Turn of the Screw,/i iHeart of Darkness,/i iThe Picture of Dorian Gray,/i and iThe Metamorphosis./i) This 100th-anniversary edition includes not only the complete authoritative text of the novel with illuminating footnotes, but also four contextual essays, five reviews from the time of publication, five articles on dramatic and film variations, and seven selections from literary and academic criticism. Nina Auerbach of the University of Pennsylvania (author of iOur Vampires, Ourselves/i) and horror scholar David J. Skal (author of iHollywood Gothic/i, iThe Monster Show/i, and iScreams of Reason/i) are the editors of the volume. Especially fascinating are excerpts from materials that Bram Stoker consulted in his research for the book, and his working papers over the several years he was composing it. The selection of criticism includes essays on how iDracula/i deals with female sexuality, gender inversion, homoerotic elements, and Victorian fears of "reverse colonization" by politically turbulent Transylvania.