Reading of the Month -Dracula

Here is one of the most well-known myths ever created by literature. The nightmare that an Irish author had one night after a heavy dinner, turned into one of the best works in English literature, that has gone beyond the mere horror genre.

Dracula was written by Bram Stocker and published in 1897. It deals with the famous story of a group of pure and white souls facing the dark presence of devil, dressed here in the myth of the vampire. Stoker didn’t invent this myth, but he was responsible for the spread of this creature in almost all artistic fields, including theatre and cinema.

If you think you know everything about the old Count because you’ve seen lots and lots of film and TV adaptations, you are wrong. The novel is not only quite different from most adaptations, but it is also beautifully written, it creates an eery atmosphere that has not been exceeded in the horror genre, and it shows the true face of Dracula, so often distorted by cinema adaptations.

If I had to recommend one of this adaptations I would choose «Bram Stroker’s Dracula». I don’t know if it is the best version ever done, probably not, buy it shocked a whole generation (my generation), perhaps because we hadn’t never seen this story told in such a powerful, colourful and frightful way.

My only objection to the movie: the love story between Mina and Dracula, which of course, doesn’t come from the novel.

Reading of the month-R.L. Stevenson

In 1883 R.L. Stevenson published one of the most important adventure novels in history: «Treasure Island».

This is the well-known story of  young Jim, the pirate John Long Silver and the finding of  buried gold. You might have seen lots of film adaptations of this famous work. It has been a success since the moment it was published and it still traps millions of readers every year, specially among young readers all over the world. Stevenson was responsible for the creation of the iconoclastic pirate with wooden leg and parrot that has spread all over adventure literature and cinema.

Curiously enough, Stevenson is also the author of one of he most popular horror tales in the Victorian period: «Stange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde» (1886). Here you won’t find exotic travels and islands, but a dark and urban gothic tale about the good and evil that coexist in man and the hidden sins of a whole time. This famous story has been adapted for the cinema almost as many times as «Treaure Island». In fact, the 1931 version won an Academy award for best actor (the first time it was won by an actor playing a «monster»).

These two are clear examples of Stevenson’s genius and classic books. Give a chance to any of them and you will get an idea why they are so popular more than 100 years afterwards.

Reading of the month-Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie, better known as the Dame of Crime, was born 15 September 1890 and died 12 January 1976. She is one of the most popular British writer and she is the best-selling novelist of all time.
She was famous for his murder stories and her two detectives: Hercule Poirot, an eccentric Belgian detective and the old spinster Mrs. Marple.Like Conan Doyle, Christie didn’t seem to like her great detective very much. «Curtain», last Poirot’s novel,was written in the early 40s, although it was published in 1975.
«Murder in the Orient Express» and «The Murder of Roger Ackroyd» are perhaps the best black novels written by Christie. In them, she deconstructs some of the conventions of the genre, as she used to do in most of her works.
Christie also wrote one of the most successful plays in London: «The Mousetrap» where a group of people get trapped in the only company of a murderer.
Christie’s works are highly-enjoyable: they are full of plot twists, shocking deaths, red herrings and, at the end, of course, the meeting with all the suspects, gathered by the detective to deliver the final explanation and solution to the case.
If you like her novels, you can also watch the BBC series starring David Suchet as Poirot.

Reading of the mohth-Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England, 7th February1812, that is, exactly two hundred years ago.
Next 21st February our High School will begin the so called «Semana Cultural». The English Department will organize for this reason a showing based on the best Victorian author. Our students will desing some posters which must include biographical data, famous works or famous cinema and TV adaptations. The best poster will be exposed in this site.
It’s not the first time we talk about Dickens in this blog. Remember «A Christmas Carol»?
Well, that’s not the only famour works by Dickens: you may have heard about «Oliver Twist». «David Copperfield» or «A Tale Of Two Cities». Dickens was well-known by his portray of the working classes in the Victorian period. His characters were at first too simple but his works were growing in depth until he became one of the most critical and serious writers in the English literarature. Nevertheless, his books were always highly enjoyable and full of exciting incidents.
We hope this showing will be useful to get closer to this big author and to his work.

Reading of the month-Mark Twain

Mark Twain (which real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens) is one of the most popular writers in American literature. I’m sure you’ve heard about The adventures of Tom Sawyer or Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

These stories are full of humour and adventures and they are highly enjoyable for children. However, Twain was also an author who dealt with serious and deep subjects in his books, like the constant facing between North and South, slavery versus freedom or wilderness versus civilization.

Most of his stories have been adapted to cinema. Apart from the ones mentioned above, you may also know The Prince and the Pauper or A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.

Give a try to one of these popular novels and you won’t be disappointed (and you will learn how to paint a whole fence without too much effort!)