Well, I don't. But the popular arch-villian Count Dracula probably does. Do you know why he is portrayed with that accent? In the book he hails from eastern Europe, Transylvania specifically. Many of the languages spoken in that area do not have both a 'w' sound and a 'v' sound like we have in English.
The original story titled Dracula by Bram Stoker is much different than the movies and popular stories that have been influenced by this nineteenth century text. For one thing, the Count (as I affectionately refer to him) never says anything so cheesy or unrefined as I want to suck your blood. Though, he does have an imperfect English accent despite his near mastery (fluency) in English.
The novel is written almost entirely in fictional journal entries of the various protagonists. This is an interesting style and allows for exploration of the characters' thoughts and psyches without having them spout their feelings in dialogue for seemingly no reason.
Another big difference between the original novel and so many of the more recent adaptations is that the setting is not Transylvania. At the very beginning of the novel one of the characters is at Dracula's castle in eastern Europe, but from there most of the story takes place in and around London.
Dracula is a challenging read by modern standards. If one is not comfortable or familiar with reading novels written over one hundred years ago, they may find it difficult to get through. There are probably young adult and ELL adaptations to be found(note the graphic novel version pictured above). I have seen great ELL adaptations of another favorite gothic horror classic, Frankenstein , by Mary Shelley. This book also differs greatly from the famous movie versions that have been produced.
Vocabulary:
1. arch-villain (noun) - the main bad guy of a story
2. portray (verb) - to show something, represent something, like in a painting or movie
3. hail (verb) - to come from a place, or to call out from a place
4. imperfect (adj.) - not perfect
5. protagonist (noun) - main character of a story, there may be more than one, like in Dracula
6. psyche (noun) - the mind, personality, what goes on inside someone's thoughts
7. adaptation (noun) - an altered or changed version of something, like a book or movie
Activity: fill in the blanks
1. Spiderman is my favorite comic book __________.
2. He is sometimes ___________ as his alter ego Peter Parker.
3. Even Spiderman is ___________ , sometimes he makes mistakes or gets his ribs broken.
4. Peter Parker _________ from the Big Apple, New York City.
5. It must be a weight on one's ____________ to have multiple identities.
6. Venom and the Green Goblin are two ______________ in the Spidey comics.
7. There are a few movie ___________ of the Spiderman comics.
Grammar Point: Titles of full length works.
When you write the name of a novel, movie, or any full length work it should be italicized. This is when the writing is on a diagnal or slanted. When we write about the book, Dracula it needs this treatment. You may be more familiar or comfortable with underlining, it is a good way to show the same respect for the work when you are writing by hand and cannot italicize. You see in the post above that sometimes I did not do either to the name Dracula. When I am writing about the character I do not need to change it, even though his name is the name of the book. When I refer to the book, Bram Stoker's Dracula, it is necessary.
Good topic with all the vampiromania that's going around these day! Try reading "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova.
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