1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:08,039 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello everyone, I'm Eves and welcome to This 3 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:10,480 Speaker 1: Day in History Class, a podcast that brings you a 4 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:22,159 Speaker 1: slice of history every single day. Today is May. The 5 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:28,320 Speaker 1: day was May eight seven. Bram Stoker's novel Dracula appeared 6 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:32,440 Speaker 1: on bookshelves in London. While Stoker was working for the 7 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:35,519 Speaker 1: Irish Civil Service. He became an unpaid theater critic for 8 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 1: the Dublin Evening Mail. In eighteen seventy six, Stoker met 9 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: Henry Irving, an English stage actor. He was considered to 10 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:47,920 Speaker 1: be an inspiration for Dracula's character. By eight seventy eight, 11 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 1: Stoker had moved to London and become acting manager at 12 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 1: the Lycem Theater. By this time he had published several stories, 13 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 1: including The Crystal Cup, published in eighteen seventy two, and 14 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: The Chain of Deskin Me, a horror story published in 15 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:07,080 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy five in a newspaper called The Shamrock. Stoker's 16 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 1: first novel, The Primrose Path, was published in The Shamrock 17 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 1: in eighteen seventy five. He didn't publish his next novel, 18 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 1: The Snake's Pass until eighteen ninety but Stoker didn't get 19 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 1: a ton of attention for his writing until he wrote Dracula. 20 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 1: In the summer of eighteen ninety, Stoker went to the 21 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:29,520 Speaker 1: Subscription library in Whitby, England and requested the Accounts of 22 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 1: Principalities of Valachia and Moldavia by William Wilkinson. Wilkinson was 23 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:39,559 Speaker 1: a former British council to Bucharest. Wilkinson's book is most 24 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:42,959 Speaker 1: likely where a Stoker encountered the names Dracula and Dracula, 25 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 1: which were names for father and son rulers in Valachia 26 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:51,040 Speaker 1: in the fifteenth century. Stoker noted that Dracula and Valachian 27 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:56,520 Speaker 1: language means devil. While in Whitby, Stoker also stopped at 28 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 1: Whitbey Museum and Whitby Harbor, where he spoke to members 29 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: of a Royal Coast Guard about a mysterious ship named 30 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 1: the Dimitri that had run aground there several years earlier. 31 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:09,840 Speaker 1: In the book Dracula, Stoker named the vessel that carries 32 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:14,800 Speaker 1: the vampire to Whitby the Demeter of Varna. In his notes, 33 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,359 Speaker 1: Stoker lists more than thirty books that he used as 34 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:20,079 Speaker 1: sources for his novel Dracula, and he went on to 35 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:23,280 Speaker 1: research Transylvania and other topics for Dracula for the next 36 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 1: several years. One of the original working titles for Dracula 37 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:32,000 Speaker 1: was The Dead Undead, then simply the Undead. The play 38 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 1: version of the story was presented at the Lyceum Theater 39 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 1: on consisting of a dramatic reading carried out by members 40 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 1: of the theater's resident company of actors. Only a couple 41 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:47,359 Speaker 1: of people paid to attend the performance. In his manuscript, 42 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 1: Stoker presented the story That's True, but his editor rejected 43 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:54,320 Speaker 1: this presentation and wanted to publish the story as fiction. 44 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:57,680 Speaker 1: The first on one pages of the manuscript were cut. 45 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 1: Dracula was first published in the UK by Archibald Constable 46 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:07,000 Speaker 1: and Company. On The novel is mainly written in the 47 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 1: form of diaries in journals kept by the main characters. 48 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 1: Count Dracula is a Transylvanian vampire who travels to England 49 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 1: to get new blood and turn people into vampires. In 50 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: the end, Dracula is killed. The novel didn't fly off 51 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 1: the shelves or make Stoker a ton of money, but 52 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: it did get good reviews. After Dracula, Stoker continued to 53 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:31,800 Speaker 1: write Gothic and fantasy fiction but none of the novels 54 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: that Stoker later published achieved the success that Dracula did. 55 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:40,520 Speaker 1: Stoker died in nineteen twelve. No Saparato, a silent film 56 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: release in Nineto, was an unauthorized adaptation of the novel 57 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 1: Florence Balcom. Stoker Brand's widow sued the film company for 58 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 1: copyright infringement. Since then, Dracula has grown in popularity and 59 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: inspired many other films, plays, and TV shows. I'm Eves, 60 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:01,920 Speaker 1: Jeffcote and hopeful you know a little more about history 61 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. And if you have any comment, 62 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:07,640 Speaker 1: star suggestions, you can send them to us at this 63 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 1: day at iHeart media dot com. You can also hit 64 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 1: us up on social media at t D i h 65 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 1: C podcast on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Thanks so much 66 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:19,080 Speaker 1: for listening to the show and we'll see you tomorrow. 67 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the iHeart 68 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:33,600 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 69 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:34,279 Speaker 1: favorite shows.