Dracula 2

Today we began our read through and read from Chapter 1 to Chapter 9, pausing at the end of each chapter to discuss what we made of it.

Chapter 1: 

Lucy and Mina reminded some members of the group a little of Mrs Marshall and Mrs Farley. Lucy is flirtatious and childish, teasing and giggling and enjoying the fact that men enjoy her. Mina is more solemn however still beautiful and fully aware of it. They instantly set of the idea of temptation. Lucy teasing Mina about tempting her fiance by letting him catch her in her under garments. This scene may strike one as relatively trivial however if you keep in mind the theme of "Temptation" then I think it's of vital importance.

Chapter 2:

Introduces the character of Renfield, a madman. Also introduces the idea of something else, otherworldly, out of the current plot of the book. Introduces the theme of murder and flesh eating with Renfield catching a fly and eating it. 

Chapter 3:

Seward and Jonathan were in private school together, with Seward being Jonathan's senior and the latter being the former's "Fag", otherwise known as an errand boy. Now, the dynamic is switched with Seward working in an asylum, successful but lonely with Jonathan engaged to a beautiful woman with a good inheritance. There is an underlying sense of tension between the two to do with these switched roles. Yet again temptation and lust is hinted at when the two men discuss Jonathan's secretary, and Jonathan invited Seward to Mina and Lucy's home for a holiday.

Chapter 4:

Nurse Grice is abusing Renfield, treating him as a dog and an animal, Renfield also mentions his "Master" for the first time.

Chapter 5:

Lust, Jonathan cops a feel of Mina. Lucy has an emotional outburst and hints at mental illness/tendancies, Mina mentions her nervous disposition however Seward declines medical opinion before announcing he and Lucy are in fact engaged. Jonathan comforts Mina before begging they get married the next day and asking to "Come to her" that night, once again lust and temptation! 

Chapter 6:

Nurse Nisbett is abusing Renfield in the same way as Nurse Grice did. Once again there is a motif of animals, treating him like a dog and abusing him, taunting him. 

Scene 7:

Dracula is seen for the first time in Transylvania where Jonathan has traveled to. Jonathan and Dracula discuss Mina and Lucy with Jonathan showing Dracula a photograph of the two and Dracula commenting on how similar Lucy looks to the girls of his own country. Moving onto their country Dracula calls it a "Whirlpool of blood", however he does not talk in a negative way, indeed he seems almost reverent of the country's bloody history. Jonathan comments on how Dracula talks of war as if he had actually been there, well of course Dracula HAS been! Dracula enticed Jonathan to stay a month longer than intended and wolves are heard howling as the night gets on. Jonathan seems almost hypnotised by them. 

Scene 8:

Florrie is a maid at Lucy and Mina's home, however she does not appear in Bram Stoker's original book. She reminds me a lot of Doll in Playhouse Creatures, she is not significant in such a way as other characters are, however she is there to make a social point. In this case it's to show up the hypocrisy of Mina and Lucy and of their class in general. 

Scene 9:

TEMPTATION! Dracula's wives enotice and terrify Jonathan, sexual predators, Jonathan is in thrall. However Dracula drags them back. They exchange heated words about love, all as cold as each other, before Dracula tosses them a bag in which the squalls of a baby can be heard and they hurry off.