Rape and Blood and Dracula

What was it about Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice that inspired the folks at Quirk Publishing to think, “This would be so much better with zombies?” Given that the mash-up spawned imitators and graphic novels and prequels and sequels, it obviously struck a public nerve. I think it is because the Quirk folks hit on the same idea as … Continue reading

Dracula, the great epistolary novel

Here is how the most famous (sorry, Frankenstein) horror novel ever written begins: 3 May. Bistritz.–Left Munich at 8:35 P.M., on 1st May, arriving at Vienna early next morning; should have arrived at 6:46, but train was an hour late. Buda-Pesth seems a wonderful place, from the glimpse which I got of it from the train … Continue reading

Excuse Me… What Does “Making Love” Mean?

The phrase of the post’s title pops up in If on a winter’s night a traveler on page 191. How did we get to the point that a woman named Ludmilla is blithely saying she’d make love to a Mr. Flannery? To try giving a plot roundup is not worth the time; it is clear by now … Continue reading