Dracula Free Writing Response

18 February. --- I started reading Dracula by Bram Stoker last week. I was expecting a rather bone-chilling and possibly scarring reading experience to commence, but so far I haven't been too terrified. The suspense, though, has been absolutely, deliciously terrifying and terrific! I admit, the first ten pages or so took a bit of resolve to soldier through; but after Harker arrived at Dracula's castle, things started to get quite interesting. I am enjoying the exposition, tension, and steady pacing of the plot so far. As someone who has read quite a few novels and watched various films/television shows concerning vampires (The Vampire Diaries, The Vampire Academy, The Historian, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the inevitable Twilight), I've picked up a thing or two about vampires---and definitely how to defeat/slay them! And so in my suspense, I've been chanting quite fervently for Harker to pick up a wooden stake and drive it through Dracula's heart, or harvest vervain to burn the vampires' skin (or ingest it to prevent any feeding), or TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SUNLIGHT TO RUN! So I think that it's safe to say that I'm quite invested in this story so far, and I am definitely looking forward to continue.





*I highly recommend listening to this while reading/watching this blog post; I found it to be an amusing and enjoyable experience!

I Capture the Castle Storyboard

I Capture the Castle Storyboard Outline

1. From the writer who brought you 101 Dalmations:
2. Rose and Cassandra running up the lane to meet Thomas as their father looks over his book (LS)
3. Cassandra sitting in the kitchen sink, staring dreamily into the distance with a pencil in hand and journal in her lap (MS)
4. Stephen and Cassandra shyly glancing at each other in the kitchen (MS) 
5. The Cottons' driving up to the castle at night in the pouring rain (LS)
6. Simon and Neil standing in the kitchen, soaking wet and smiling (MS)
7. Rose and Cassandra lying in their beds, facing each other and whispering about marriage (CU)
8. Rose holding a creme de menthe and Cassandra holding a cherry brandy as they laugh with the Cottons (MS)
9. Cassandra looking on from behind a door as Simon proposes to Rose and she asks him to kiss her (CU)
10. Simon walking towards Cassandra as she twirls on the mound for her Midsummer's Night rituals (LS)
11. Simon and Cassandra slowly dancing in a gazebo and then kissing (CU)
12. Cassandra yelling at a surprised and distraught Rose in her bedroom in London (MS)
13. Cassandra kissing Stephen in the woods and then running away, crying (LS)
14. Cassandra wistfully writing in her journal on the mound as she watches a figure walk away towards a car (CU/LS)
15. I Capture the Castle.

I Capture the Castle: BabyLit Primer Ideas

Type of Primer: Colors

• After looking through the different types of primers available in the BabyLit Primer collection, I have decided to go with presenting I Capture the Castle through the medium of colors (as this Alice in Wonderland primer does so whimsically well). One of the things that really stood out to me while reading the novel was the vivid and lovely descriptions of the unique world Cassandra Mortmain lives in, and so I think that this idea will work quite well.

Page Ideas

• Red-Haired Rose
• Orange Cat (Abelard)
• White Branched Coral
• Blue Bluebells
• Black Bear Coat
• Pink Muslin
• Green Creme de Menthe
• Silver Moat
• Scarlet Pen
• Peach Towels
• Gold Sunlight
• Gray Autumn Mist

Medium

• As of now, I have decided to create my images on Adobe Premiere Illustrator; embed them within a Microsoft Word document and create a streamlined layout; and export my primer as a PDF. Hopefully, I can find a pain-free way to embed it into my blog; if not, I will create a post with a click-through link to the file.

I Capture the Castle Review

“I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.”

So begins I Capture the Castle, a charming, frustrating,  and compelling novel about an English girl and her family in the early 1900's. And while other reviews and the book itself compared the story to that of an Austen or Bronte novel, I am happy to say that it actually was much more Anne of Green Gables than Pride & Prejudice.

The Characters:

Let's start with Cassandra. Sadly, my overall reaction to her wasn't as positive as I'd hoped; she actually seemed to decrease in wisdom and maturity at certain points toward the end of the book (which is never a plus, because we try to develop during the story!), and while her reactions were pretty relatable, I really wished for more strength and development on her part. In my opinion, I think that her personality is a bit too naive and childish for a seventeen-year-old (probably because I am seventeen myself, and I don't find myself  looking at things half as naively as she does); but I did find her to be a very unique, descriptive, and usually charming narrator.

On a more positive note, though: in this novel, I found some of the strangest and most uniquely wonderful fictional characters I have ever read. Topaz, Mortmain, Thomas, and even Leda Fox-Cotton were all so vivid to me, I almost felt as if I had met them! Thomas especially I wish I could have seen more of. And Stephen; oh Stephen, how I wished you a better story!

The Plot:

Overall, I thought that the plot was well-thought out and engaging. Certain parts seemed to lag slightly, especially towards the middle of the book; and the slowness was enhanced by the fact that the last 100 or so pages had many things happening in rapid succession! While it was very interesting to spend lazy days or long evenings with Cassandra in which not much happens besides a chat or two, I think that maybe the story could have been a tad bit more evenly paced. However, it was a very, very realistic story, and if life happens that way then I really cannot begrudge an author too much for that!

All in all, I am glad that I got to read I Capture the Castle, and especially in contrast to what my fellow readers are exploring at the time (Pride & Prejudice). I think that I missed the target age to sympathize with Cassandra fully, and so in that respect I wish I had read it a bit earlier; however, it was really lovely to be able to observe different things and appreciate Dodie Smith's gorgeous prose as an older reader. I think that most of all, this book taught me how to be very, very fond of an author herself after finishing it; I am now seeking to pursue 101 Dalmations in the near future for some more of her great work!