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Dracula in English

Bram Stoker
originalC1.8languageBritish English · late Victorian · 1897genreGothic & mysteryvibeDarkPowerIdentityaudioUSUK

A lawyer travels to Transylvania to meet a count and finds out his host is not what he seems. When the count follows him to England, a small group of friends tries to stop him.

Dracula has no single narrator. It is built from Jonathan Harker's journal, Dr Seward's recorded diary, letters between two young women, telegrams and newspaper cuttings, arranged in the order the events happened. It has three clear parts: Harker's stay in the castle, the Count's arrival in England, and the journey back to Transylvania. Because each writer sees only part of the story, the reader puts the pieces together at the same speed as the characters. The language changes with the writer: a lawyer's notes, a doctor's clinical record and affectionate letters sound very different. Most of the English is standard and educated, with a few old forms and several strongly marked speakers.

You will like it if
  • you like stories told through diaries, letters and documents
  • you want to hear many kinds of English in one book
  • you enjoy slow-building, atmospheric horror
  • you want to see where the familiar vampire story comes from
You will not if
  • the Count is absent from the page for long stretches
  • a few speakers (Swales, Van Helsing) are slow to read
  • the middle is slow, with long discussions and records
  • some attitudes towards women feel very Victorian

What kind of book“Dracula” is

Versions of “Dracula” in English: B1

Same book, adapted to a level you can read without stopping

Pick a version. The bar at the foot of the page opens the one you pick.

levelA1–A2B1–B2C1–C2unbandedunique wordswords per sentencepagesaudiobook

Vocabulary by level

  • A1 65%
  • A2 17%
  • B1 7%
  • B2 6%
  • not in dictionary 2%

A sample from “Dracula” in English

One passage, the way each version writes it.

Tap any word — we will show the translation

B2.9201 words

“I am glad you found your way in here, for I am sure there is much that will interest you. These companions”—and he laid his hand on some of the books—“have been good friends to me. For some years past, ever since I had the idea of going to London, they have given me many, many hours of pleasure. Through them I have come to know your great England; and to know her is to love her. I want so much to go through the crowded streets of your great London, to be among the swirling, rushing crowds of people. I want to share its life, its change, its death, and all that makes it what it is. But sadly, so far I only know your language through books. I look to you, my friend, to help me learn to speak it.”

“But, Count,” I said, “you know and speak English thoroughly!” He bowed seriously.

“I thank you, my friend, for your far too flattering opinion. But I fear that I am only a little way along the road I would travel. True, I know the grammar and the words, but I do not know how to speak them.”

B1.7214 words

“I am glad you found your way in here. I am sure there is much that will interest you. These companions were good friends to me.” He laid his hand on some of the books. “Some years ago I first thought of going to London. Since then they gave me many, many hours of pleasure.

“Through them I know your great England. To know her is to love her. I long to go through the crowded streets of your mighty London. I want to stand in the middle of its hurry. I want to stand in the rush of people. I want to share its life, its change and its death. I want to share all that makes it what it is.

“But alas! So far I only know your language through books. I look to you, my friend, so that I may learn to speak it.”

“But, Count,” I said, “you know and speak English very well!” He gave a slow, serious bow.

“I thank you, my friend, for your much too kind opinion. But I fear this. I am only a little way on the road. It is the road I want to travel. True, I know the grammar and the words. But I do not yet know how to speak them.”

The same passage at different levelsContinue in the reader

The original language of “Dracula” and what it gives you

How hard the language is C1.8

The measured numbers say the vocabulary is plain: 82% of the words are in the A1-A2 bands, only 4% are beyond the 5,000 most frequent words, and the average sentence is 18.2 words. Our measurement still puts the original at C1.8, because the difficulty is not in the word list but in the voices. Late Victorian prose, a few old forms and several characters who do not speak standard English mean you meet many styles, and some pages need a second look.

What this means in practice: The words are mostly simple but the voices are many; a good book for a learner who can skim a dialect passage and keep going.

What to be ready for

Many voices. Diaries, letters, telegrams and newspaper reports each have their own style, from a lawyer's travel notes to two young women's affectionate letters.
Van Helsing's English. The Dutch doctor speaks with unusual syntax, wrong verb agreement and emphatic repetition (moderate).
Whitby dialect. Swales speaks heavy Yorkshire dialect full of old seafaring words.
Workmen's speech. London carters and zookeeper use Cockney speech, and Donelson and the dock workers use Scots and dockside speech (both moderate).
Light archaisms. Words like whilst and nay appear, and Morris and the Count each have light touches of Texan slang and formal foreign English.

How to read it and not quit

  • Do not copy Van Helsing's grammar. His strange word order and wrong verb endings belong to the character, and the narrators around him write standard English.
  • Read Swales's Whitby scenes for the general sense, not word by word. The dialect is heavy but short, and the plot does not depend on understanding every word.
  • Check the heading of each entry (date, place, writer) before reading: it tells you whose English you are about to read.
  • Old forms are easy once you know them: whilst means while, and nay means no.

Contents of “Dracula” · 30 chapters

  1. Dedicationpage 1
  2. Prefacepage 1
  3. Ipage 1
  4. I (continued)page 15
  5. IIpage 23
  6. II (continued)page 38
All 30 chapters
  1. IIIpage 45
  2. III (continued)page 59
  3. IVpage 66
  4. IV (continued)page 80
  5. Vpage 87
  6. V (continued)page 98
  7. VIpage 100
  8. VI (continued)page 110
  9. VIIpage 121
  10. VII (continued)page 135
  11. VII (continued)page 139
  12. VIIIpage 142
  13. VIII (continued)page 154
  14. IXpage 165
  15. IX (continued)page 175
  16. Xpage 186
  17. X (continued)page 195
  18. XIpage 206
  19. XI (continued)page 212
  20. XI (continued)page 221
  21. XIIpage 225
  22. XII (continued)page 238
  23. XII (continued)page 244
  24. XIIIpage 251
  25. XIII (continued)page 264
  26. XIVpage 275
  27. XIV (continued)page 287
  28. XVpage 298
  29. XV (continued)page 312
  30. XVIpage 319
  31. XVI (continued)page 333
  32. XVIIpage 336
  33. XVII (continued)page 347
  34. XVIIIpage 354
  35. XVIII (continued)page 361
  36. XVIII (continued)page 371
  37. XIXpage 378
  38. XIX (continued)page 389
  39. XXpage 398
  40. XX (continued)page 409
  41. XXIpage 418
  42. XXI (continued)page 432
  43. XXIIpage 440
  44. XXII (continued)page 454
  45. XXIIIpage 459
  46. XXIII (continued)page 473
  47. XXIVpage 480
  48. XXIV (continued)page 491
  49. XXVpage 502
  50. XXV (continued)page 512
  51. XXV (continued)page 515
  52. XXVIpage 525
  53. XXVI (continued)page 535
  54. XXVI (continued)page 545
  55. XXVIIpage 550
  56. XXVII (continued)page 563
  57. XXVII (continued)page 569
  58. Notepage 578

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The story of “Dracula”

  1. Publicación de Drácula

    La novela de Bram Stoker fue publicada en Londres por Archibald Constable and Company el 26 de mayo de 1897.

    Bram Stoker's biography and publishing records

  2. Primeras reseñas

    Las reseñas contemporáneas fueron mixtas; algunas elogiaron la atmósfera de la novela, mientras que otras la consideraron sensacionalista e inverosímil.

    Victorian periodical reviews

  3. Película Nosferatu

    Se estrenó la adaptación cinematográfica alemana no autorizada de F. W. Murnau, Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens; un tribunal ordenó posteriormente la destrucción de todas las copias, pero algunas sobrevivieron.

    Film history records

  4. Drácula de Universal

    La película estadounidense protagonizada por Bela Lugosi como el conde Drácula fue estrenada por Universal Pictures, consolidando la imagen icónica del personaje.

    Universal Pictures archives

  5. Drácula de Bram Stoker

    Se estrenó la adaptación cinematográfica de Francis Ford Coppola, titulada Drácula de Bram Stoker, que ganó tres premios Óscar.

    Academy Awards records

In culture “Dracula”

10 adaptations and mentions, 1922–2020

  1. Film Nosferatu

    La película muda de F. W. Murnau fue una adaptación no autorizada que se convirtió en un hito del cine expresionista alemán.

  2. Stage Drácula (obra de teatro)

    La adaptación teatral de Hamilton Deane se estrenó en Derby y posteriormente se representó en Londres y en Broadway, protagonizada por Bela Lugosi.

  3. Film Drácula (Universal)

    La interpretación de Bela Lugosi estableció al vampiro aristocrático en la cultura popular y dio origen a una franquicia.

  4. Music Drácula (ballet)

    Una adaptación de ballet con música de Franz Liszt fue coreografiada por Lawrence Rhodes para el Houston Ballet.

  5. Game Castlevania

    La serie de videojuegos de Konami, que comenzó con Castlevania, presenta al conde Drácula como el antagonista recurrente.

  6. Film Drácula de Bram Stoker

    La lujosa adaptación de Francis Ford Coppola renovó el interés por la novela y ganó tres premios Óscar.

  7. Art Ilustraciones de Drácula

    Numerosos artistas han ilustrado la novela, incluida una notable edición con ilustraciones de Jae Lee y una adaptación a novela gráfica de Roy Thomas.

  8. Series Drácula (Netflix/BBC)

    Una miniserie creada por Mark Gatiss y Steven Moffat ofreció una versión moderna de la historia.

  9. In the language Drácula

    El nombre 'Drácula' se ha convertido en sinónimo de tirano sediento de sangre o monstruo seductor, y 'vampiro' en la cultura popular a menudo evoca el arquetipo de Stoker.

  10. In the language Nosferatu

    El término 'Nosferatu' entró en inglés como sinónimo de vampiro, en gran parte debido a la película, aunque se usó en la novela de Stoker como una palabra rumana para vampiro.

Questions and answers about “Dracula” in English

Is Dracula based on a real person?

Only the name is. Stoker took the name Dracula from a historical prince of Wallachia, but the Count's character, castle and powers are invented. The real man has very little in common with him.

Is Dracula the first vampire story?

No. John Polidori's The Vampyre (1819) and Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla (1872) came earlier. Dracula is the book that made the vampire the main figure of horror fiction.

Why is Dracula told in diaries and letters?

Stoker wanted the story to read like a collection of real documents. Each writer sees only part of events, so the reader builds the full picture slowly, and the format lets him change voice from lawyer to doctor to young woman.

Does Dracula die in sunlight in the book?

No. In the book he can walk about in daylight, though his powers are weaker. The idea that sunlight kills him comes from later films, starting with Nosferatu (1922).

How different are the films from the book?

Most are quite different. Films usually cut characters and add things, such as the love story between Dracula and Mina in Coppola's 1992 film, which is not in the book. If you know the film, expect a slower and stranger book.

Does Dracula appear a lot in the book?

No. He appears directly in the first castle chapters and in a few later scenes. For the rest of the book, you see what he does through other people's diaries.

Why does Van Helsing talk so strangely?

He is a Dutch professor speaking English as a foreign language, and Stoker writes this with unusual word order, wrong verb endings and repeated words. Other characters speak standard English, so you can use their entries to check what he means.

What makes Dracula hard to read in English?

The vocabulary is mostly simple, but the voices change. Swales's Yorkshire dialect, Van Helsing's English and the Cockney workmen are the parts that slow people down, together with some long Victorian sentences.

Do I need to read anything before Dracula?

No. It stands alone and you can start at the first entry of Harker's journal. There is no required reading before it.

Which part of Dracula do people give up on?

The long middle in England, with doctors' diaries and long planning conversations. Readers who keep going reach a fast final chase.

In brief about “Dracula”

17 fields of imprint data and measured text characteristics. All of it checkable.

Original title
Dracula
Author
Bram Stoker
First published
1897
Original language
English
Genre
Gothic & mystery · Classics
Mood
Dark
Themes
Power · Identity · Science
Setting
Transylvania, the seaside town of Whitby in Yorkshire, and London · The 1890s, late Victorian England
Distinct words
9,080
Words per sentence
18 words
Level of the original
C1.8
Versions
C1.8, B2.9, B1.7
Length of the original
55 ch. · 160,455 words
Reading time
~14 h 50 min
Source text
Standard Ebooks
Rights
CC0 1.0 Universal (Public Domain Dedication)
Download
EPUB

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