Dracula, one of the most famous literary characters ever created, first appeared in an 1897 novel written by an Irish theatre manager, Bram Stoker.  Dracula was a popular, sensational “pot-boiler” that at first attracted only modest critical attention, but became enormously popular when performed on stage and later in film.  The Rosenbach preserves Stoker’s notes for the novel; this exhibition features selections from the notes selection chosen to show how carefully Stoker built his fictional world.

We associate Dracula with darkness and chaos, but both the Count and those who pursue him rely on meticulous research and planning to achieve their goals.  Stoker himself was incredibly detail-oriented, and as his working notes show, whether you are hunting a vampire or writing a novel, the details count.