Dracula (Norton Critical Editions) (original 1897; edition 1997)

Renfield appears in many adaptations of Stoker's work, often in an expanded role. In "Nosferatu," by F.W Murnau, 1922, he’s the real estate agent who employs Harker. In "Dracula," by T.Browning, 1931, he’s sent to Dracula’s castle as the agent. In "Bram Stoker’s Dracula," by F.F.Coppola, 1992, he’s Harker’s predecessor in the London agency.

Why is Renfield so important?

Renfield is a powerful key character through which Stoker’s book can be read.

Seemingly, Renfield is raving mad. He's certainly insane, but he’s also capable of lucidity and property of language—as when he confronts Van Helsing’s squad. Through Seward’s notes, Renfield explains his theory about life, which—as in most intelligent lunatics—tends to evolve. Renfield is obsessed with hoarding lives. He starts catching and eating lesser beings—flies and spiders—then he lures the former with sugar, feeding them to the latter in an awful escalation of increasingly larger animals (possibly topping with humans?)

When Seward forbids Renfield to keep a cat (and, incidentally, Dracula arrives) he changes his mind and eats up all his creatures. It is Dracula who offers the next installment to Renfiels’ ravings; Such master, who has found in his victims’ blood the ultimate blessing of (half) life represents the new model to follow. Renfield enters this new stage of insanity expectantly—is Dracula passing on his powerful gift?

But there is one final stage into which Renfield’s madness evolves. It’s unexpected, deeply human and moving:

Renfield meets Mina—a woman. In this fatal introduction, Renfield’s lunacy comes to completion and delivers him to gruesome death... At some point, probably because Renfield detects the shadow of his master upon Mina, he turns against Dracula, and succumbs. What is the fatal glow of truth that enlightens Renfield? Who is, in fact, the supreme perpetuator of life, if not Mina herself?

It is in Renfield’s realization that lies his salvation and Dracula’s destruction. ( )

If I could have given half stars, it would have gotten 3.5 stars this time. It reads like a history book - I had forgotten! And the language is old, and it's a very slow read.
However, it's always interesting to read the beginning of vampire novels. And very funny the way the men felt about women at those times. ( )

I've always loved Dracula in itself. This edition which I read for class is very useful and illuminating, containing a lot of supporting material that's really good for essays or gaining a deeper insight into the novel. There's also some contextual stuff and extracts from Stoker's working notes. ( )

Curse this five-star system - this fell between "liked" and "really liked". Anyway it was very good, though scarier, I imagine, when it came out. ( )

a chilling Victorian read ( )