"Alas, But That Sentence Is A Puddle; Is It Not?"

"Alas, but that sentence is a puddle; is it not?"

Even Van Helsing can't make sense of his own speech. 🤦

"He has chosen this earth because it has been holy."

Interesting.

I stopped reading to write this so forgive me if this is later explained in the October 3 email.

I had noticed before now that Dracula seemed drawn to holy--or formerly holy--places. The unconsecrated grave, the ruined chapel. One of the movers they consulted said he delivered boxes near a church.

I was mildly puzzled by this last example. It felt like Stoker was being deliberate. But like, why would a vampire seek out close proximity to a church? I don't think it said anything about it being ruined?

It seems that the answer is something I didn't expect. Dracula does seek out holy things. That's why he's after Mina, no doubt. He wants holy things, pure things.

Why? To corrupt them?

"and one of them Keeps Shooting At You With A Gun Every Time You're In Bat Form" made me snort-laugh so loud I woke up my kids

okay but dracula thinking that the random mild mannered solicitor who had the unfortunate pleasure of dealing with him had died,, after all he disappeared at exactly the time he would have been disposed of

and then coming back to your new home in england (the one he set you up with) only to find some dudes Absolutely Ready To Kill You

and one of them you know hung around renfield

and one of them you might have heard of (if you had any awareness of vampire hunters)

and one of them you know hung around lucy

and one of them Keeps Shooting At You With A Gun Every Time You're In Bat Form

and then one of them comes at you with a knife and youre like wtfwtfwtf whompst and he got a new hairstyle and a new depressive state but Mr. Solicitor?? The Blorbo from my Real Estate Company??

Well it makes more sense than anything I was coming up with

"Whereupon the captain tell him that he had better be quick—with blood—for that his ship will leave the place—of blood—before the turn of the tide—with blood."

What

Why garlic? I asked a while back and today I read this:

“Straining the Limits of Interpretation: Bram Stoker's Dracula and Its Eastern European Contexts” by Ludmilla Kostova, published 2007

So...yeah. I did not see the phallic aspect at all, but now that you mention it...

In the article, Kostova argues that part of what's unsettling about Dracula is that he is both masculine and feminine. The efforts to defeat him ultimately force him into full feminization through staking (I hope that's not a spoiler at this point but I'll tag for it just in case).

Also fyi if you want to read the article, be warned, it does spoil something we haven't run into yet reading Dracula Daily.

Some have requested a source. Here is an article from Smithsonian Magazine that backs up the claim.

Smithsonian Magazine

Maybe the World's Loneliest Whale Isn't So Isolated, After All

Some evidence indicates that the singer of a higher-pitched whale song may not be alone

REALLY IMPORTANT PSA

THE 52 HERTZ WHALE HAS A FRIEND.

HE IS NOT THE LONELIEST WHALE IN THE WORLD.

MARINE SCIENTISTS HEARD TWO 52 HERTZ CALLS WITHIN TEN MINUTES OF ONE ANOTHER OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA.

I REPEAT: HE HAS A FRIEND. SOMEONE CALLED BACK.