The Gates of Life

The Gates of Life (1905), also published as The Man, is a novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. Written at the height of his career, The Gates of Life helped to establish the Irish master of Gothic horror’s reputation as a leading writer of the early-twentieth century. Inspired by the archetype of the New Woman-a type of literary character incorporating elements of 19th century feminism-Stoker crafts a novel capable of captivating the reader while critiquing the constraints of class and gender on women and men of the early twentieth century. Following the death of his young wife in childbirth, Squire Stephen Norman promises to raise his daughter as his heir. Naming her Stephen, he encourages her to befriend the local boys and refuses to constrain her in the manner typical for young girls of the time. She grows up alongside Harold, who is taken in by Norman after his father’s death from pneumonia. As the story unfolds, a romance develops between Stephen and Leonard, complicating Norman’s wish for his daughter to marry Harold. Having promised Norman on his deathbed that he would look after Stephen, Harold is heartbroken when she proposes to Leonard, but he refuses to give up hope. As time and distance drive them apart, they will need more than ancient promises and memories of a shared childhood to unite them once again. The Gates of Life is a gripping work of romance by Bram Stoker, the secretive and vastly underrated creator of Dracula, one of history’s greatest villains. >With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Bram Stoker’s The Gates of Life is a classic of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.