The Vampire as a Romantic Figure
From Dracula to Lestat, the Vampire Fascinates Readers
The vampire legend has been around for centuries. Vampire tales are found in various cultures in all parts of the world. Though vampires may differ in form or appearance, they share one thing in comon…the thirst for human blood.
The Legend
The legend of Dracula can be traced to Vlad Tepes, an evil prince who ruled the kingdom of Walachia (near Transylvania) in the 1400's. Vlad was known for his cruelty. He punished his enemies by impaling them on poles, thus earning the name "Vlad the Impaler." He was also known as Prince Dracula, meaning "Little Dragon" or "Little Devil."
Bram Stoker's Dracula, penned in 1897, drew its roots from this true-life historical figure. First played on screen by Bela Lugosi in 1931, the attractive and mysterious figure in swirling black cape has come to represent the vampire as we know him today.
Anne Rice's hero/anti-hero Lestat’s popularity was enhanced by the movie based upon her novel Interview with the Vampire." Lestat, blonde and wickedly rock-star handsome, is the very epitome of evil. Self-preserving, amoral, he kills without remorse, and yet touches of lingering humanness engage our understanding of his plight and sometimes even our sympathy.
The Vampire's Dilemma
n Ann Rice's works Lestat accepts as his right the need to kill to exist. He is contrasted with his reluctant companion Louis. Louis agonizes over the necessity of prolonging his own life by causing the deaths of others. In Rice's works the vampires are often the most human characters, seeking answers to the questions that plague mankind. When Louis seeks knowledge from 400 year old Armand, the world's oldest living vampire, he is disappointed that Armand has discovered none of the answers about the reason for existence.
The underlying theme of many vampire works is the good vampire versus the evil one. These two opposing forces are often portrayed as brothers vying over the same woman. Through the centuries they may battle each other, one motivated by love, the other by revenge. Another situation representing good and evil may be the vampire's desire to protect his beloved from the evil within himself. Shades of this theme appear in the classic "Dark Shadows" television series where Victoria Winters may be the reincarnation of Barnabas Collin's true love, Josette.
The Vampire's Appeal
What, then, is the vampire's charm? The attraction of the vampire, like that of the gothic hero, lies in his total isolation. His is the tragic beauty of the fallen angel, the cursed, the damned. He has unimaginable power, yet his weakness makes him extremely vulnerable. For obvious reasons, he is unable to offer the heroine total commitment, and must keep his reasons a dark secret. When the heroine often uncovers his secret, she may yet recognize within him some spark of goodness that makes him redeemable.
Then the question becomes, can they come to terms given their different worlds? Trust is imperative, as she puts her very life into the hands of someone with the power to in a moment's weakness destroy her. In some cases the heroine, tempted by the promise of eternal youth and life enters his world by becoming a vampire herself. In others, the heroine learns to accept and live with his "beauty and the Beast-like" condition, such as in the novel "Midnight Kiss" by Nancy Gideon.
The Legend Continues...: Part of the vampire's appeal lies in his total unattainability for the vampire's kiss is a surrender not of the body but of the soul. Whether he causes shivers of repulsion or stirrings of longing, the vampire has become a quite loveable monster. May the legend survive!
Vampire Classics
The Vampyre John Polidiri 1819
Carmilla Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu 1873
Dracula Bram Stoker 1897
Vampire Series
Ann Rice-The Vampire Chronicles
Laurell K, Hamilton-Anita Blake-Vampire Hunter
Nancy Gideon -Midnight Romance Series
Linda Lael Miller The Tremayne Vampire Series
New Blood
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Dance with the Devil,
Night Pleasures
Patricia A. Rasey
Deadly Obsession
The Hour Before Dawn
Amanda Ashley
Embrace the Night,
Midnight Embrace
Shades of Gray,
A Darker Dream
Click here to read The Return of the Gothic Novel.
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