Plot Summary
The novel is structured in journal form. This is to reveal the stories in the point of view of many characters in the Victorian Era (1800's). This Gothic horror novel is about Jonathan Harker, the main character, who travels to Transylvania, Romania to visit Count Dracula, his client, to discuss the settlement plans for Dracula's new property in England. Dracula insists that Harker stays in his castle until the settlement plans are done. Harker agrees, however, he finds himself in situations that he can not explain. Harker finds Dracula's behaviour to be odd, and soon finds out that Dracula is not behaving like a human, but rather almost animal-like. He soon learns that Dracula is a vampire and needs to escape his prison. After a few days of trying, he ends up in the hospital for reasons unknown. Back home in England, Harker's fiancée, Mina Murray, visits her friend Lucy Westerna. Lucy was proposed to three men, Dr. Seward, Arthur Holmwood, and Quincey Morris. Out of the three, she agrees to marry Holmwood. However, Mina find Lucy's behaviour to be odd. She sleepwalks and is pale and one day, Mina sees her neck with two bite marks. Dr. Seward and Quincey Morris helps Holmwood take care of Lucy. Dr. Seward enlists the help of Van Helsing when Lucy's condition worsens. Helsing realizes that Lucy is transforming into a vampire and if she dies, then she will become a complete vampire. Lucy shortly "dies" and Helsing convinces Holmwood to behead her. Mina receives news about Harker's hospitalization and travels to see him. When they returned to London, Helsing reads Harker's journal and reveals to everyone about Dracula's true form-a vampire. He travels from Transylvania to London and drinks people's blood; transforming the victims into vampire slaves. The group meets Renfield, Dr. Seward's patient who is diagnosed with zoophagus, a disease where he eats living animals. Renfield explains his connection to Dracula, helpful information about how he attacks and his weaknesses, such as sunlight, wooden stakes, and holy objects. After their meeting with Renfield, Mina becomes Dracula's next victim. To prevent Mina from transforming into a vampire, the men destroys Dracula's supply of coffins in England (since the coffins provide him protection from the sun) and travels to Romania with Mina to destroy the rest of his coffin supply. The group splits up and Helsing finds the other coffins, however one is missing. The group reunite and sees a group of Gypsies travelling with Dracula's final coffin. The men obtain the coffin and kills Dracula, but Quincey is killed in the process. Mina's transforms back into a human, and they all live happily in peace.