While I am loathe to use historical context as an argument in support of an abstract concept, such as the value of a work of literature or philosophy, we must remember that ‘Dracula’ is a product of the romantic period, a period in which the authors were very aware of the functionalist nature of the metaphor that they utilized. Dracula, the character, is a symbol for forces that are not meant to be conflated with human nature entirely, as is evident by such quotes as…

“And yet, unless my senses deceive me, the old centuries had, and have, powers of their own which mere ‘modernity’ cannot kill.”

These words, I feel, are central to the understanding of the novel. Romantic literature and poetry was riddled with references not only to human emotion, but to what could be referred to as objective symbolism and its effect upon the psyche. We see littered about the works of poets such as Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley the ruinous remnants of dead civilizations, and a sense of wonder that human beings such as ourselves were responsible for such monuments, and this is a veritable revelation into the traditional understanding of spiritual concepts. For as much as there is a literal layer to such symbols, as well as a personal and interpretive layer, there is a somewhat metaphorical layer between the two that affects the consciousness of those who experience it. Odysseus was not only a person we can relate to by comparison of his emotion to our own, but a symbol in a complex interaction of symbols that reveals the poetic soul of Greek poetry and pagan morality: a battle between intellect and natural law; and we all know the influence of classical poetry on romantic poets and authors!

In light of this, these articles should make sense of the novel and the subject at hand:

- http://bonald.wordpress.com/2010/08/11/the-meaning-of-vampires/

- http://bonald.wordpress.com/in-defense-of-human-sacrifice/4/#sacrifice4

If you are going to interpret ‘Dracula’ within a humanist context, then I feel that your criticisms hold. I also do not think it is wrong to interpret ‘Dracula’ in this context if it suits you to do so, but in the context of its time and of the well-informed classicist, ‘Dracula’ crushes Twilight with an iron fist.

Submitting may be a tedious process, but my impression, as an editor and a writer, is that perseverance counts more than the quality of the work. I have had poems accepted by prestigious journals—and win awards—following over twenty earlier rejections.

—Les