Source of the Legend of Dracula

Dracula Reconsidered

Background:

The legend of Dracula is a renowned tale told all over the world. Created by Irish writer, Bram Stoker, the story was inspired by the Romanian ruler, Vlad Dracul. The story teller was a Caucasian 49-year-old male. He was born and raised in Bucharest, Romania and was quite familiar with the past history of and current events in the country. He identified with the Romanian orthodox religion.

The Story:

“Everyone knows the story of Dracula. [Walks around the table, moves his hands as he speaks.] He has been depicted in novels, movies, and paintings. In Romania, this story is told from generation to generation and it had become an integral part of our culture. However, not many people know the true origins of Dracula. [Pauses, tone changes, has a displeased look on his face, moves toward a chair and sits down.] This legend angers me since it is a figment of popular culture and gives a bad name to our Romanian society. It is unfair, and its main purpose is to promote the tourism of our nation. It was created by an Irish man. [Pauses, thinks.] I think he was Irish. I can’t recall his name right now. Nevertheless, this man was quite misinformed and he just created this legend out of thin air. He was obsessed with phantoms, castles, and the supernatural. [Points up to the ceiling and gazes outside towards the sky.] He transformed the reality of Vlad Tepes into a silly legend. Let me give you a history of Vlad Tepes, in order for you to understand the background behind the story. In the 1400s, Romania was split into three provinces, Wallachia, Transylvania, and Moldova. [Puts three fingers in the air.] Vlad was born in a castle in Sighisoara in Transylvania. He be...

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...The teller used his hands a lot to subtly express his inner emotions. He also tried to show the actions of a vampire attack, but it wasn’t very effective, since there were no props and I had to use my imagination to understand. The storyteller performance embodied his annoyance with the myth’s mischaracterization, in his view, of Vlad Dracul, which shows the social implication of the story. The ability to believe easily without questioning the circumstances is a negative characteristic of our culture.

Works Cited

Leblanc, Benjamin H. “Vlad Dracula: An Intriguing Figure in the Fifteenth Century.” Journal of the Dark. 13 Oct. 2004 http://members.aol.com/johnfranc/drac05.htm.

Porter, Ray. “The Historical Dracula.” 13 Oct. 2004. http://www.eskimo.com/~mwirkk/castle/vlad/vladhist.html.

Vamp Club. 13 Oct. 2004. http://www.vampclub.com/index.htm.