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Pa9e12 : . daily nebraskan
monday, february 4, 1980
Use ofrntrodueUoB gimsBmcMki book more
bite
By Scott Kleager
Scholars always have dreamed of obtain
ing the original copy of some great work in
the writer's own hand . The Collier Folio on
Shakespeare in 1849 caused such an
emotion in university halls that, evidently
the shock has yet to wear off. Peter
Tremayne uses this tendency toward
"authentic' fiction in his new novel, The
Revenge ofDracula.
()0S PGUC3UJ
In the introduction of the book the
author claims to have received a letter and
manuscript from a psychiatrist that
"smacked of the Victorian era and a date,
1866, written at the beginning of the
manuscript confirmed this.'
As it turned out, the papers were the
writings of a presumed lunatic committed
to an asylum. The letter is uncompliment
ary about Tremayne's previous writing
about vampires, saying that it "gives the
impression of a serious historical
document which has fooled even some
newspapers "
Attempting to authenticate the over
used theme of "hero-saves-helpless-heroine-from
-vampire," the author both helps and
hurts his work.
' Introductory method
To begin with, because it's mystical in
nature, the tale needs fictionalized
authentication; without it the story would
cease to be horrific and soon would
become a dark fantasy. This introductory
method, used by Edgar Allen Poe and not
by fantasy writer1 Mervyn Peake, makes
The Revenge of Dracula more scary than
fantastic; more believable than not.
Because the manuscript is the novel, the
story is to the point, moves well and is
exciting. The writer of the old papers turns
out to be sane and one need not bore
through worthless, rambling occurrences to
finally reach another of the novel's many
confrontations. Dracula here is visible
the start. --
The psychiatrist's letter sets up what's
been a part of all Dracula books and
movies from the original to Christopher
Lee's portrayal of the demon: the skeptic.
The views of the psychiatrist resemble
closely those of Upton Welsford, the
author of the manuscript and the main
character. , r -
Near the end
Until very near the end Welsford really
doesn't believe that he faces vampires,
which invariably leads him into dire "
situations . Welsford represents . the
"ignorant good" quite effectively;
Tremayne's Dracula symbolizes evil equally
as well. The result is reader-kinship to the
hero's misgivings and terror.
The author offers the reader an interest
ing Dracula in The Revenge ofDracula. He
is described, and describes himself, as an
immensely timeless individual making
startling historical references to the
beginnings of vampirism in ancient Egypt,
the cult's eventual flight to all parts of the
world and his particular arrival in the
mountains of Transylvania. This
monumental historical material, far more
than any other rendition of the tale with
its dottings of truth, make for an arche
typal Dracula that is convincing.
Weak style
Sadly, though, the author fails to fulfill
such good beginnings because of weak
style.
" 'How beautiful. ejaculated Clara" and
". . . said the woman stonily" are two
examples. Simile doesn't seem to be
Tremayne's strong point either: "The
voices echoed in my brain with an ebb and
flow like the sound of waves cascading over
the rocky seashore."
But The Revenge of Dracula is, as all
Dracula stories are, somehow addictive and
in the words of Welsford "(though) the
scream was awful to my ears yet, in
fascinated horror, I had to watch."
If you're not too picky, this book will
scare you. -
Group laboring to beam
classical radio to Lincoln
By Colleen Tittel
Last month, " Russell Dodworth, a
Lincoln chimney sweep who every Sunday
hosts a Nebraska Old-Time Fiddlers hoe
down in his Havelock store, undertook a
project to bring classical and fine arts radio
to Lincoln. -
"I realize I'm a curiosity, but I like to
listen to fine music. There just isnt any
choice for people in Lincoln," said Dod
worth, a board member of Nebraskans for
Public Radio, So in January, Dodworth
formed a committee to beam radio station
WFMT from Chicago to Lincoln, via satel
lite. WFMT-FM stereo is a 24-hour, classical
fine arts station that committee members
say has been the most popular of its kind
in its listening area for years.
Now its signal will be bounced off a
satellite and marketed to cable television
companies nationwide, making WFMT the
first radio "superstation" in the nation.
Cable subscribers can have it connected in
their television sets or FM receivers.
First Dolby user
The station, the first to try a Dolby
noise reduction system, claims to have
developed a console with no audible dist
ortion, making it a favorite of audiophiles.
WFMT broadcasts mainly classical pro
grams, including complete seasons of eight
orchestras and five opera companies.
WFMT also broadcasts jazz, folk, music,
BBC specials and international music fest
ivals and concerts, as well as comedy, plays
and the daily interviews done by writer
Studs Terkel.
Commercials on WFMT average less
than four minutes per hour, well below the
maximum 18 minutes allowed by the
Radio Code of the National Association of
Broadcasters and commercial jingles, hard
sell and recorded commercials are not aired
on WFMT.
Continued on page 13
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Draft to move women out of kitchen, into foxhole?
By Peg Sheldrick
"Well, I bet you women libber types are
sorry now," he said.
"Hm?" she said.
"I said I bet you women libber types
wish you'd never started any of this stuff."
"And on what, pray tell, do you base
this rather amazing surmise?"
"Carter says they're gonna draft
women."
"So?"
"Well, I bet you guys never thought
they'd really do that when you started all
' this equality stuff, heh heh."
"As a matter of fact, the possibility ha.
been discussed. More than once."
"Yeah, but you never really believec"
they'd do it, heh heh, and now you're
stuck with it."
"So we are. But then, so are you.
"That's different."
it always is with you.'
"I mean, guys have always been drafted. .
But girls-that's something new. Bet you
think it isn't fair, right?"
"Actually , if they're going to draft you,
there's no reason why they shouldn't draft
me too."
"Is that really what you want? To go
off to war?"
"I'm not talking about what I want. I'm
talking about what's fair."
"So it's out of the kitchen and into the
foxhole for you, huh?"
"Not if I can help it."
"But you just said-"
"I just said that if they .are going to
draft people, they should treat women no
differently than men. I didn't say I wanted
to be drafted. I have no desire to bear
arms." v
"Aha! Because you're a woman, right?"
"No, because I'm a pacifist."
"I'll just bet. Probably afraid youH
break a nail on a machine gun trigger.
Couldn't fit hair curlers under a helmet,
right? I knew a woman couldn't face up to
combat."
"That explains the Israeli armv.'
"And anyway, Miss Pacifist, suppose
everybody felt the way you do? Suppose
nobody wanted to 'bear arms'? Then what,
huh?,"
"Then they wouldn't need the draft, I
suppose, because nobody would be light
ing." "Boy are you ever naive. Somebody's
got to fight. Like they said in the State of
the Union speech, we gotta protect the in
tegrity and the independence of those poor
little countries."
"It's interesting to me how many of
those little countries with such valuable
integrity and independence are oil rich and
strategically located."
"What are you saying?"
. "Jus!,,tI!at rd think more than twice
before I d lay my life on the line to keep
Chrysler and Exxon solvent."
"That's not how it is at all. We're fight
ing for our way of life."
"Our lifestyle, you mean. I'd rather
walk to work than march to war."'
placard1" YU CU,d PUt at on a
Maybe I will."
"I don't know what you're getting so
excited about anyway. They'll never put
women on the battlefield. At least not for
awhile."
"True. They'll probably put us on KP,
and in the clerical jobs, and on clean up
work."
- ,"5.ood thing you guys are so liberated,
huh?
"You said it."
"You don't want to fight anyway,
though. And besides, nothing has happened
yet, really."
"It's like they're heaping snow on an
avalanche-prone cliff and telling us not to
worry because none has fallen yet."
"Well suppose it does? We gotta fight
for what we believe in, right? We gotta
teach those Reds a lesson they won't for
get." " There is neither east nor west, border
nor breed nor birth, for two great powers
when they stand face to face when they
come to the end of the earth. "
"Boy, you're in a cheery mood today.
What's with you?" .
"I don't know. Must be the weather."