Bram Stoker's Personal Life
Do You Know Bram Stoker?
Abraham or 'Bram' Stoker was born on November 8, 1847 in Dublin, Ireland to mother, Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornley and father, Abraham Stoker. Bram Stoker was a very sickly child and was bedridden in his early years. His mother often recited horror stories to him which later possibly formed his interest in such cruel tales. Growing up, Stoker attended Trinity College where he excelled in academics as well as athletics. In addition to earning a degree in mathematics, Stoker worked for ten years in Civil Service, similar to his father. During this time, he also worked as an unpaid drama critic for Evening Mail where he ended up meeting Sir Henry Irving, his idol and famous actor, and eventually worked as Irving's manager for twenty seven years.
Early Writing's of Stoker
Stoker had about twelve novels published and later many other short stories. Some of his first publishing's were The Primrose Path in 1875, Under the Sunset in 1882, and The Snake's Pass in 1890. Although many of stoker's books had favorable reviews, today they are dated and rarely read because of their stereotyped characters and romanticized plots. Stoker's most famous work, Dracula, appeared in 1897. This novel is written solely in diary and journal entries which were kept by the main characters: Johnathan, Mina, Dr. Seward, and Lucy. Many critics raved about this work being too vicious for children and nervous adults but others praised Dracula for its several different view points such as religious, political, and psychosexual. This immensely popular novel, still highly enjoyed today, has had success in plays, films, and other forms of entertainment. Perhaps, Dracula is most commonly promoted during Halloween, when children dress up as vampires and pretend to reenact some scenes from Stoker's novel. 
The 'Un-Dead' Bram Stoker
Stoker died on April 20 1912 at age sixty four but it is unclear how exactly he passed. Many reports say he suffered from suffered from a stroke, poor health, exhaustion, or possibly syphilis. Bram Stoker has created a legacy for himself which lives on today through Dracula and the many interpretations of this novel.In 2009, the authors, great-grand nephew, Dacre Stoker, made his entry into the field with the publication of Dracula: The Un-Dead,with collaborator Ian Holt. They have said to base their book on Bram Stoker's handwritten notes and even included Bram Stoker in their story as a nod to the original source. Two years after Stoker's death, his widow, Florence Stoker, published as part of a posthumous collection of short stories Dracula's Guest, which many believe, text editors had exercised from the original Dracula manuscript.
Works Cited
“Bram Stoker.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 2 Jan. 2018, www.biography.com/people/bram-stoker-9495731.
Chilton, Martin. “Bram Stoker: 10 Facts about Dracula Author.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 18 Sept. 2015, www.telegraph.co.uk/books/authors/10-facts-about-Bram-Stoker/.
“The Primrose Path.” Bram Stoker - The Primrose Path,
www.bramstoker.org/novels/01path.html.
Bram Stoker. The Snake's Pass. n.d, United Kingdom.
"Bram Stoker." Encyclopedia of World Biography. . Encyclopedia.com. 13 Oct. 2018 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Bram Stoker.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 13 Apr. 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/Bram-Stoker.
“Bram Stoker.” History TV, www.history.co.uk/biographies/bram-stoker.
“Bram Stoker Biography.” Encyclopedia of World Biography, www.notablebiographies.com/Sc-St/Stoker-Bram.html.
It's interesting to see that Stoker had written 12 novels and bunch of short stories considering I've only ever seen his name in reference to Dracula. Also, a mathematics degree is not usually expected of famous authors so that's kind of cool. It's fun that he got his horror storytelling from his mother as well. One thing that struck me as pretty ironic was his death. One of the possible causes was syphilis. Considering how he scorns women for their sexuality in Dracula, it would be pretty hypocritical if he died from an std.
ReplyDeleteI loved how you included the part about his mother telling him scary bed time stories, and that maybe playing a part in the stories he would later write. I also think it is interesting that Stoker has so many other stories that did not quite stand the test of time that Dracula has. I wonder what Stoker would think if he knew the timelessness of his vampire story and how much it has impacted pop culture.
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