Stoker Quotes

“Suddenly I became conscious of the fact that the driver was in the act of pulling up the horses in the courtyard of a vast ruined castle, from whose tall black windows came no ray of light, and whose broken battlements showed a jagged line against the moonlit sky.”

“Before the sun dipped below the black mass of Kettleness, standing boldly athwart the western sky, its downward way was marked by myriad clouds of every sunset colour – flame, purple, pink, green, violet, and all the tints of gold…”

“Masses of sea-fog came drifting inland – white, wet clouds, which swept by in ghostly fashion, so dank and damp and cold that it needed but little effort of imagination to think that the spirits of those lost at sea were touching their living bretheren with the clammy hands of death, and many a one shuddered as the wreaths of sea-mist swept by.”

Bram Stoker, Dracula

Nausea

Nausea, Jean Paul Sartre

Ah existentialism, you tricky concept! As I understand it:

Existentialism = existence precedes essence = human beings have the freedom to do whatever they want in order to create their own essence or purpose = massive responsibility for your actions = anxiousness = EITHER denying the responisbility and in turn the freedom, OR becoming inspired by endless possibilities.

Nausea is pretty much a fictional version of Existentialism and Humanism, but without obvious theory. It takes the form of Antoine Roquentin’s journal, which he keeps methodically to detail his day to day observations. Roquentin doesn’t have a lot to do, therefore a lot of opportunity to sit around philosophising. Although this is technically an easy read, it is nowhere near a page turner! Pretty bleak, although interesting.

I’d recommend reading Existentialism and Humanism first to get the basics, as otherwise reading Nausea will probably feel like you have interrupted a story half way through the telling.