Vampire novels have a rich history in Gothic literature, the first true novels appearing during the Gothic revival of the 18th and 19th centuries. These pulled from various mythologies taken from across Europe, such as the infamous Vlad the Impailer, a cruel torturing Prince who also went by the name of Dracula, and Elizabeth Bathory, the aristocratic Countess who is fabled to have bathed in the blood of virgin maidens in order to maintain her beauty. Of course, historical record has proved much of the legends surrounding these grizzly historical figures to be mainly folklore. However, they have undoubtedly shaped the vampire fiction that we read today.
Early Vampire Fiction
The first piece to be deemed a “story successfully to fuse the disparate elements of vampirism into a coherent literary genre” by Christopher Frayling was published in 1819 and written by John William Polidori. The Vampyre follows a young well-to-do man named Aubrey who becomes enraptured by a powerful and commanding Byron like figure, the enigmatic and handsome Lord Ruthven. The curse the vampire company puts upon him leads to not only his own downfall, but that of those he loves. A highly traditional piece of Gothic literature, much like Carmilla, published a few decades later in 1872 and written by Sheridan Le Fanu. In Carmilla we have a similar female figure, attempting to bring down a family from within.
Along with Bram Stoker’s world famous Dracula, the beginnings of vampire fiction plays, in Gothic fashion, typically on social anxieties. Both The Vampyre and Carmilla play on issues of gender roles and positions within 19th century society, especially Carmilla, which has been read by many critics to contain a predominant homoerotic subtext. This is mixed with the danger of a blood sucking vampire spreading death a disease, which is only curbed by the intervening of a strong male presence to set society back on course. Dracula can be seen to reinstate traditional views that were seen to be in decline since the enlightenment period, playing on racial fears and anxieties. The foreign aristocrat coming to Britain to seize power with minions of blood sucking demons, who can only be exorcised by the cream of British masculinity and a return to spirituality.
This trend of Victorian style anxiety is still hugely present in other Gothic works, most ‘slasher’ films from the 1970’s onwards, for instance, have been said to contain similar connotations. However, it is interesting to see how this trend has reversed in vampire fiction.
Modern Vampire Fiction
Anne Rice’s series, The Vampire Chronicles completely flips the earlier anxieties on themselves. Gender roles and sexuality are reassessed by characters free from the social constraints of humanity. Instead of our vampires being chastised for their difference, we see the struggle of being different, a celebration of ‘the minority’. Not only that, but we are also granted one of the most fascinating and exciting creations in literature in the form of Lestat, the conflicted, energetic and always charming vampire ‘brat-prince’, who becomes the narrator of most of the series. The first title of the series was also adapted into a successful film starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Her stories come together into a series of epic adventures that don’t leave out a true engagement with human emotion, with all the darkness you’d expect from a vampire novel.
Following along this path of redefining are writers such as Jeffery McMahan with Vampires Anonymous and Poppy Z. Brite. McMahan’s effort looks again at the issues of both gender and sexual identity and coming to terms with the self, while Brite’s efforts take a similar stance, looking at these issues along with the troubles of youth, ideal for any Twilight fan looking for something a little darker to move on to. Brite has been nominated twice for Lambda Literary Awards for her vampire works.
Vampire fiction has come a long way since it insertion into the literary genre and remains one of its the most interesting metaphors. It has gone from the finger wagging tool of Victorian society to the celebratory platforms for individuality. Anyone who has had their literary taste buds tantalised by the blood of Meyer’s book should definitely check these out.
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