Publisher's Synopsis
The name 'Dracula' elicits universal recognition. Some know it from having read Bram Stoker's classic gothic novel of the same name, continuously in print since its first publication in 1897; far more are familiar with the vampire Count Dracula of Western popular culture; a few recognise the sobriquet used by a fifteenth-century Wallachian warlord, better known as Vlad the Impaler. Whatever the association, the phenomenon of Dracula has crossed not only geographical borders but the boundaries of academic disciplines -- from literature to film studies, from history to anthropology, from folklore to religious studies. A Dracula Handbook makes a serious effort to sort out the various threads that comprise this phenomenal fabric. Included in the question/answer format is fully researched information about Bram Stoker, the genesis of his novel Dracula in folklore and literature, and the impact of the novel on all aspects of Western culture. The author addresses in detail the confusion that has resulted from the unfounded claim that Vlad the Impaler was the inspiration for Stoker's novel.
