When I talk of Dracula, why do people equate it with the movie, even if I'm talking about the book?

Answer 1

I have to disagree with you Gene. Millions have and still do read the book. I have taught it several semesters as a teaching asst. It is brilliantly executed. However, the majority of the world wouldn't know what a decent book was if it stood up from the table and bashed them in the face. If you enjoyed Dracula, read Frankenstein. If you enjoyed Frankenstein, read Beloved - a contemporary Gothic novel every bit equal to Dracula. And by the way Bram Stoker's Dracula is an excellent film rendition. Quite close to the book.
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They're, Their, There - Three Different Words.

Careful or you may wind up in my next novel.

Pax - C

Answer 2

probably because the book is like 100 years old and most people only know Dracula from the movies. When you talk about it, start by saying you are reading the book and what you find interesting about it. Then people will know you mean the book.

Answer 3

I'm afraid you can thank Hollywood for that. Vampires and Dracula have been a staple in the film industry since shortly after the movies came to a popular status. Thankfully, it has, especially in the case of Bram Stoker's Dracula and Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, increased the awareness of the books and their authors, bringing more readers to the fold.

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

I believe there are many people who still haven't sat down and read the novel. This is especially true (and I don't mean to categorize) of the younger people. The minute you speak of Dracula, their minds immediately go to Bela Lugosi or Christopher Lee.

Let's face it, movies are mostly 90 minutes long. It's easier to sit down and watch a movie than to spend hours reading a book that the movie was based on.

Answer 5

Book readers are minority these days, and readers of gothic horror have always been a minority among the book readers. I read Dracula when I was a young boy, but none of my friends did.

Television has trained people to get condensed versions of information--even if it is inadequate--rather than than take the time for the fuller, more meaningful version. This is true with fiction, news, instructional, and even advertising information.
It is easier, and has made our minds weak and lazy.

Answer 6

Tommy Oliver -- since you, me, and 12 other living people are the only ones to have actually READ the darned thing, your odds of stumbling into someone who won't go glassy-eyed when you talk about it are slim. It's a brilliantly executed book, but since kids are taught from The Count on Sesame Street onward to accept only the Bela Lugosi touch, the odds of your public library running short on check-out tags are also slim.

Answer 7

Probably because almost everyone has seen a movie version, and fewer people have read the book.