h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Vlad the Devil and the Donauschifffahrtsgesellschaft - A87916062
Author: Dmitri Gheorgheni - U1590784

I felt guilty about not writing a Guide Entry recently. Last night, I watched Jack Palance play Dracula in a 1972 TV movie, and it occurred to me that you might want to know about this short story....

We can change the title, but I thought it might make Tavaron laugh.

Oh, and it pays to advertise: I bought the English story, and ordered the German book, because the savvy author mentioned the story on Twitter on the 'Dracula' anniversary. (Yeah, we do stuff like that, too.)

= dracul

This is good - we've got rather a lot of Dracula in the Edited Guide already, fascinatingly, but this is a fresh perspective (and an impressive opportunity to use that delicious word Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftsangestellter!)

"The horror genre is about more than jump scares." - Yes indeed

You mention twice that the story can be purchased online, but one mention would suffice.

This is intriguing. I've heard it said that we need horror stories because they help us cope when bad things really happen. I'm not sure. Maybe their function is to reassure us that our lives are actually pretty good?

I was going to ask what a Donauschifffahrtsgesellschaft was, but I take it from your note it's something like a Danube steam ship captain?

Hey, thanks for reading, folks.

I'll take one of those availability references out, Sasha, thanks for reminding me. As I wrote, I didn't realise I was going to put it in the 'further reading' section.

Donau=Danube, Dampfschiff=steamship, Fahrt=journey, Gesellschaft=company, Angestellter=employee. No 'captain', though he's in the usual example. I'll see if I can clear up that footnote for everybody who doesn't know the ancient joke.

Sorry, not to slight your comment, MVP. I think that self-reassurance is one function of the horror genre, too. The menace has been faced and dealt with, I suppose. But the nature of the perceived menace changes with time and place, which I've always found interesting.

Very good Entry! I enjoyed it, although I'm not a fan of horror stories myself.

Yes, the title made me

Would a vampire also abduct a Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitänstochter? ... just asking

I suspect he would, but only after dark had fallen on the Danube...

Would that make him a Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitänstochterentführer? And is there a specific law against Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitänstöchterentführung?

There must be a Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitänstöchterentführungsgesetz and probably also a Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitänstöchterentführungsgesetzvollstreckungsbeamter.

Fabelhaft!

I am just a little curious about the 'motor' - in modern English we tend to use 'motor' for something run by electricity and 'engine' for a mechanical device. Of course today most of us think of the petrol engine in our car. I am sure you know that the 'gin' in 'cotton gin' is just a short hand way of saying 'engine'. I am just a bit curious if you can translate the other words so we can maybe guess?

Another Great Entry

F S

I can do that, sure. Thanks!

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