72 pages • 2 hours read
Bram StokerDracula
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1897A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 1-4Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary
The book comprises the journal entries, letters, and telegrams written by its characters. Jonathan Harker recounts his trip to Castle Dracula in his journal. He stays at the Golden Kronte Hotel in the village of Bistritz. That night he receives a letter from Dracula welcoming him to the Carpathians.
The next morning, Harker asks the landlord and his wife if they know anything about Dracula. They refuse to answer, but before he leaves, the landlord’s wife begs him to stay. She warns him that it is the eve of St. George’s Day, and at midnight, “All the evil things in the world will have full sway” (5). When he refuses, she gives him a crucifix.
Before he leaves on the coach, he sees people talking about him. He translates their words with a dictionary: vampire, Satan, and hell. They make the sign of the cross and point at him, their charm against the evil eye. The passengers on the coach look at him with pity and give him gifts, more objects that will protect him from evil.
