Dracula: A Norton Critical Edition

by Bram Stoker, David J. Skal (Editor), John Edgar Browning (Editor)

Overview

“In Dracula, we find a monster who takes away our agency, our choice—even as he consumes us. The fantasy of becoming a vampire is a myth of exceptionalism— nobody fantasizes about being the random peasant whom the titular Count devours. Instead, people are thrilled by the thought of turning into vampires themselves—becoming the most powerful consumer, the apex predator. And until we recognize that we have far more in common with prey than predator, we will always feel the vampire's pull. I hope Norton's vital new addition to the conversation about Stoker’s work will cause readers to look at this old story with new eyes: to question our preconceptions and refocus our own narrative lenses. Dracula remains evergreen, I'm afraid—because within our monsters... we may find ourselves.” —Kate Hamill (playwright/actor) 

This Norton Critical Edition includes:  

The first edition of the novel, published by Archibald Constable in London in 1897 and chosen by the editors in order to give readers—insofar as such a thing is possible—a more historically authentic reading experience than has been generally available. Arcane words and usages are footnoted at first appearance.  

Editorial matter by John Edgar Browning and David J. Skal.  

Eight background pieces, five of them new to the Second Edition, on Count Dracula specifically and vampires more generally; seven reviews and reactions to Dracula’s publication, five of them new to the Second Edition; and six selections, two of them new to and two others updated for the Second Edition, on Dracula’s many dramatic and filmic variations.  

Eleven critical essays on Dracula’s central themes, six of them new to the Second Edition.  

A selected bibliography.  

About the Series 

Read by more than 12 million students over fifty-five years, Norton Critical Editions set the standard for apparatus that is right for undergraduate readers. The three-part format—annotated text, contexts, and criticism—helps students to better understand, analyze, and appreciate the literature, while opening a wide range of teaching possibilities for instructors. Whether in print or in digital format, Norton Critical Editions provide all the resources students need.   

“The notes in Dracula are exactly at the right level for students. The headnotes are extremely helpful. It really does [meet the needs of today's students]. It is my favorite NCE to teach.” —Carrie D. Shanafelt, Fairleigh Dickinson University 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393679205
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	07/14/2021
Series:	Norton Critical Editions Series
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	600
Sales rank:	361,696
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Bram Stoker (1847-1912), an Irish novelist and short story writer, was known during his lifetime as the personal assistant of actor Henry Irving and business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned, but is best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula.

David J. Skal was one of the world’s preeminent authorities on Bram Stoker, Dracula, and monsters in popular culture. His book Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen (Norton, 1990) was hailed as “the ultimate book on Dracula” by Newsweek; The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror (Norton, 1993) has had multiple translations and is widely considered the standard historical and critical survey. As a filmmaker, he wrote, produced, and directed a dozen DVD and Blu-ray documentaries on Universal’s classic horror and science fiction films, as well as a behind-the-scenes chronicle of the Academy Award–winning film Gods and Monsters. Skal guest-lectured extensively at major colleges, universities, and cultural organizations in North America and Europe, with speaking engagements at sites such as the Huntington Library, the British Library, and the Musée du Louvre. He additionally taught courses based on his books at the University of Victoria and Trinity College Dublin, where he was also appointed a Long Room Hub Visiting Research Fellow for Something in the Blood: The Untold Story of Bram Stoker (Liveright, 2016), chosen by the Mystery Writers of America as a 2017 Edgar Award finalist for biography and criticism. His official website was monstershow.net.

John Edgar Browning is Professor of Liberal Arts at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Browning has written, co-written, and co-edited over a dozen books and 75 shorter works focusing on Stoker/Dracula, vampires, zombies, horror, monstrosity, and the Gothic. His works as an editor include The Forgotten Writings of Bram Stoker (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), and Dracula—An Anthology: Critical Reviews and Reactions, 1897–1920 (Edinburgh University Press) as well as acclaimed critical editions of Montague Summers’s The Vampire: His Kith and Kin and The Vampire in Europe (Apocryphile Press, 2011, 2014). With Caroline Joan S. Picart, he co-edited Speaking of Monsters: A Teratological Anthology (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012) and co-wrote Dracula in Visual Media (McFarland, 2010); with David R. Castillo, David Schmid, and David A. Reilly he co-wrote Zombie Talk: Culture, History, Politics (Palgrave Pivot, 2016); and, with Darren Elliott-Smith, co-edited New Queer Horror Film and Television (Horror Studies) (University of Wales Press).