"The castle is on the very edge of a terrific precipice. As far as the eye can reach is a sea of green tree tops, with occasionally a deep rift where there is a chasm. But I am not in heart to describe beauty, for when I had seen the view I explored further. Doors, doors, doors everywhere, and all locked and bolted." (Bram Stoker, Dracula pg. 14)
This reminds me of an article that I read about Bran Castle, which was the inspiration for Dracula's castle. The article talks about the history of the castle, and how it is currently on sale for $100 million. The castle is Romania's biggest tourist attraction, buttheMinistry of Culture in Romania fears that the new owners will transform it into a tacky Dracula theme park.The descriptions in the article are very similar to the description that Jonathan Harker gives in the book. It explains the incredible view from the towers of the castle, and how there's 57 rooms in total, along with a secret passageway leading to the towers. This is one of the text - to - world connections that I made while reading Dracula.
"But there was no reflection of him in the mirror! The whole room behind me was displayed; but there was no sign of a man it it, except myself. This was startling, and, coming on top of so many strange things, was beginning to increase that vague feeling of uneasiness that I always have when the Count is near; but at that instant I saw that the cut had bled a little, and the blood was trickling over my chin. I laid down the razor, turning as I did so half-round to look for some sticking-plaster. When the Count saw my face, his eyes blazed with a sort of demoniac fury, and he suddenly made a grab at my throat. I drew away, and his hand touched the string of beads which held the crucifix. It made an instant change in him, for the fury passed so quickly I could hardly believe that it was ever there." (Bram Stoker, Dracula page #34)
I feel that this quotation describes Count Dracula very well because it's one of the first times that he shows what he truly is. He's usually very composed and he's careful not to act abnormally around his house guest Jonathan Harker. In this part of the book, however, he loses control and actually behaves like a vampire. The moment only lasts until he touches the beads that hold the crucifix that Jonathan wears around his neck. It's shortly after this part that Jonathan puts together the strange habits of the Count, and realizes that he's more than just a very peculiar man.
From what I've read of the book, I predict that Count Dracula will move to his new house in England as he said he would. He wants to get out of Transylvania, where his legend scares away all living people. I think that Jonathan will try to stop him at any cost, so he doesn't have the opportunity to kill everybody. Jonathan doesn't know anything about vampires, though, so he will most likely have to enlist the help of somebody who does.
I chose Dracula's theme song because it's very dark and mysterious, like Count Dracula himself. It truly represents the Count's menacing side.
To seventeen-year-old Kelley Winslow, faeries are just make believe. Then she meets Sonny Flannery, one of the guards of the Samhain Gate, which connects our world with the Faerie’s magical Otherworld. The Gate is usually kept shut by the faerie king Auberon, but it stands open once a year, exposing the mortal realm to malicious faeries. Now Kelley must come to terms with her powerful heritage in order to save herself and her beloved world.
Wondrous Strange is a captivating story that merges the realm of Faerie with the mortal world. The book is told from the perspective of both Kelley Winslow and Sonny Flannery so the reader gets a feel as to who the characters really are. Another amazing aspect of this book is the mixture of factual and fictional Faerie history. The author included many different mythical creatures along with myths and folklore associated with the Fey. Any person that enjoys Faerie, Shakespeare, or just plain fantasy will enjoy this book.
