The 19th century was the century of the vampire[phpbay] No longer were vampires ghoulish, dirty, creepy animals to be feared and loathed[phpbay] Vampires assumed a fresh persona, one of sexuality, power, and charm[phpbay] Here's a brief overview of three pieces of vampire fiction that fueled today's vampire mania[phpbay]
The Vampyre by John Polidori
Authored in 1819, this novella is regarded as the underpinning of the modern exotic vampire[phpbay] A young Englishman named Aubrey crosses paths Lord Ruthven, a foreigner to London society and a man of concealed origin[phpbay] Aubrey and Ruthven begin traveling lower Europe[phpbay] In the course of their travels, there are numerous vampire attacks[phpbay] Aubrey doesn't connect the dots at first[phpbay] Marauders attack the pair during their trip and Ruthven is mortally wounded[phpbay] Immediately before Ruthven dies, he makes Aubrey promise that he will not reveal anything about the pair's travels for a week and a day[phpbay] Aubrey goes back to London where he comes across Ruthven once more[phpbay] He is brimming with life and unharmed[phpbay] Ruthven reminds Aubrey of the promise he made[phpbay]
Ruthven turns his attention on Aubrey's sister[phpbay] Unable to tell his sister of Ruthven's true nature, Aubrey has a nervous breakdown and passes away[phpbay] The couple is wed and Ruthven murders Aubrey's sister during the wedding night[phpbay] Ruthven escapes into the night and gets away[phpbay]
Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Carmilla is a work that was drafted in 1872[phpbay] An attractive female vampire with the name of Carmilla takes interest in a beautiful young woman named Laura[phpbay] Laura and her father reside in a magnificent home in the deepest parts of Styria[phpbay] Slowly, Laura is mesmerized by Carmilla's spell[phpbay] Laura is simultaneously attracted and repulsed by Carmilla, but she can't resist her[phpbay]
In the meantime, the countrymen in the outskirts are strangely falling ill[phpbay] In the end Laura is saved[phpbay] Carmilla is kept at bay by General Spielsdorf, a man who has had numerous encounters with vampires[phpbay]
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Dracula details the adventure of Count Dracula, a vampire who falls in love with his immortal beloved, Mina Murray[phpbay] Mina is promised to be married to Jonathan Harker, who is disturbed by Mina's new found allure with the mysterious Count[phpbay] Jonathan enlists the assistance of Dr[phpbay] Van Helsing[phpbay] Together the duo liberates Mina from Dracula's hold[phpbay]
Modern scholars concur that Dracula was based on Carmilla[phpbay] Composed in 1897 by Stoker, the author created the most notable vampire of all time[phpbay] There are numerous likenesses between Dracula and Carmilla[phpbay] Mina, the love interest of Dracula, is akin to Laura, the love interest of Carmilla[phpbay] Both families are of respected lineage[phpbay] Van Helsing, Dracula's protagonist, is comparable in many ways to General Spielsdorf, the protagonist of Carmilla[phpbay] Without a doubt, Stoker based Dracula heavily upon the former work of Joseph Le Fanu[phpbay]
More than any other vampire character, Dracula built today's image of what a vampire is[phpbay] Dracula was powerful, charming, sexual, and blessed (and cursed) with eternal life[phpbay]
Conclusion
Vampire literature of the 19th century to a large degree impacted how we perceive vampires today[phpbay] The passion in Dracula
, Carmilla
, and The Vampyre
is aboveboard[phpbay] For the first time vampires were portrayed as sensual and sexual creatures[phpbay] These stories also characterize vampires in a more human-like manner[phpbay] In the past vampires had been characterized as ghouls, apparitions, or spirits[phpbay] Through the work of these authors, vampires have forever been remade and have assumed the focus of modern-day horror[phpbay]
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