Vampire Literature Essay

Let’s begin with the undead. II. Body A. The exact origins of the term ‘vampire’ are unknown as is where exactly the myth originated, but in almost every country, there are legends of these ‘Blood-sucking monsters.’ 1. Although, the specifics about vampires vary from place-to-place, when one thinks of the term ‘vampire’ it is the image depicted by Bram Stoker in Dracula that usually comes to mind.

Apparently, Twilight has changed the most fundamental and defining trait of the monster called the vampire, the thirst for human blood. What do you call a vampire that doesn’t drink blood. This change has led Yabroff to say “Twilight especially pushed the vampire myth to it’s extreme”(Yabroff par.7). Thus, there are many differences with the original vampire and the new Twilight version. The past work of all fictional writers, movie directors, etc.

It also exhibits how a vampire feels about living for eternity. The vampire genre is one that is so widely exploited because anything can be done with it. It can be made into a horror story made to induce nightmares, into a story that displays humans can be just as monstrous as the monster, or into a romance that proves that love conquers all. The mystery and sensuality that shrouds vampires allows for a vampire story to be anything and everything the writer or reader desires.

"As the Count leaned over me and his hands touched me a horrible feeling of nausea came over me, which, do what I would, I could not conceal. "(Chapter 2, pg. 20) Count Dracula managed to surprise you with something new or some sort of new power he has. Unlike the rest of the characters, Dracula stands out because he is evil and he does not have a heart surely because he is undead as Van Helsing explains. But what does Dracula really represent?

This creature is used as an element in nineteenth-century literature as a combination of all of the classic elements that distinguish the vampire from other creatures and to examine human experience. The vampire's English literary life began in 1819, when The Vampyre was published. The author of this novel was John Polidori, Lord Byron's doctor and companion, who finished the idea that Byron had started but never completed. The popularity of this novel resulted in what could be called a "vampire craze" in the 1820s in both English and F... ... middle of paper ... ...e alive by moonlight while others will perish from the light of the sun. Some central similarities that span cultures are the importance of blood, the sexual connotation associated with the relationship between vampire and victim, the rancid odor they emit, the fact that they eat little, if any, food, and perhaps the most disheartening to humans, their inability to die.

Warped significantly from its original form by the modernization and challenging of the belief system of the western world, Salem’s Lot by Stephan King is a modern twist on classic vampire horror. “As if Dracula came to the 20th century” as said by the author of the work. The elements of a gothic-vampire work remain present throughout the work, there is a vampire, a pure being-in this case a quaint town with little to no access to the outside world, and the series of events which allow the vampire to gain power over the residents of the town. Religion has been all but removed from this work, and no longer bound by puritanical morals, the work is noticeably more sensual than its predecessors. Much like Joseph Le Faunu, Stephan King wrote the book to object to a type of corruption.

“A collection of fictional stories … of cultural myths and songs” this is the definition of folklore, and from these stories we get a multitude of myths and speculation of what happens to us when we die. They range from just disappearing into nothingness to becoming a higher being or going into a higher plain of existence. There are ideas however, of a life on this earth after we die for those who have committed crimes or have not been buried properly, we become the other, the supernatural or ultimately the undead. The most common of the undead is the vampire. One of the most known vampires from literature is Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) who is portrayed as a blood thirty, emotionless monster, which is the idea most often portrayed in folklore.

Vampire’s Similarities/Differences Dracula is the first novel about vampires, but it is not the last. Over the years, vampires have changed. Their characteristics have changed as far as the way the vampires act. What the vampires can eat. What are the vampires are afraid of.

“How good and thoughtful he is; the world seems full of good men--even if there are monsters in it.” This quote, from Bram Stoker’s famous novel Dracula, is talking about one of the most feared mythical beings of legend, the vampire (“Bram Stoker Quotes”). The vampire has been defined as “a corpse supposed, in European folklore, to leave its grave at night to drink the blood of the living by biting their necks with long pointed canine teeth” (dictionary.com). The legend, although created thousands of years ago, is still exceedingly popular today. Throughout recorded history, the legends of vampires have varied in their views of origins, physical and mental characteristics, and the best defense against them. Although the origin of vampires

"Shadow of a Vampire," however begins to show vampires in another light. It seems almost satirical of the traditional vampire movies. Although it isn't blatant comedy, anyone who is familiar with the classic tales of vampires can see the humor behind the vampire character of Schreck. As "Shadow of a Vampire," offers a new way to see vampires, Dracula, preserves the deathly, scary perception of vampires that was created so many years ago. This drastic change in context is essential for the myth of vampires to remain popular.