This is the first postcolonial edition of Bram Stoker's gothic classic. For scholars interested in decolonization in literary studies this is a prime example. Jonathan Harker's colonial adventure and Bram Stoker's imperialist discourse are restored to their original context of British economic and political involvement in East-Central Europe. This edition relies both on British and Romanian sources and exposes the cultural appropriation and distortion of Romanian history and folklore. Among the many threads the editors have followed is the very significant one related to the superimposition of the vampire onto Romanian beliefs. It avoids the misinformation perpetuated by previous editions of Dracula published during the last four decades. It carefully supplies geographical, historical, ethnographical, and cultural information that will help future scholars as well as the general public. In correctly placing Stoker's novel within British colonial literature, this edition draws attention to the dangers of Othering and of turning a blind eye to Victorian and neo-Victorian practices. Richly annotated, with an introduction that sets the tone for a postcolonial analysis, the present edition is unique in both the approach used and in the use of original sources.
This innovative critical edition is essential reading for scholars interested in decolonization in literary studies. It is for Victorian and postcolonial specialists as well as advanced or graduate students interested in the intersection between literature, editorial theory, and colonialism.
