19th Century Literature Defined Today's Vampire - By: Gen Wright

The 19th century was the epoch of the vampire. No longer were vampires creepy, ghoulish, dirty beasts to be loathed and feared. Vampires adopted a new persona, one of power, charm, and sexuality. Here's a brief overview of 3 pieces of vampire fiction that fueled today's vampire hysteria.

The Vampyre by John Polidori

Written in 1819, this story is considered the foundation of the present day romantic vampire. A young Englishman named Aubrey encounters Lord Ruthven, a newcomer to London society and a man of unknown ancestry. Aubrey and Ruthven start to travel southern Europe. Along their journey, there are several vampire attacks. Aubrey doesn't put it together at first. Bandits attack the two in the course of their trip and Ruthven is fatally injured. Before Ruthven passes away, he forces Aubrey to promise that he will not disclose anything about the pair's travels for a week plus a day. Aubrey retreats to London where he comes across Ruthven again. He is brimming with life and in one piece. Ruthven reminds Aubrey of the oath he made.

Ruthven turns his attention on the sister of Aubrey. Unable to tell her of the vampire's real nature, Aubrey has a nervous breakdown and dies. Lord Ruthven and the sister are married and Ruthven murders Aubrey's sister on their wedding night. Ruthven escapes into the night and gets away.

Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Carmilla is a short story that was published in 1872. A female vampire with the name of Carmilla takes interest in a young woman named Laura. Laura and her father reside in a castle in the forests of Styria. Slowly, Laura is hypnotized by Carmilla's spell. Laura is both repulsed and attracted to Carmilla, but Laura is unable to resist her.

Meanwhile, the peasants in the countryside are mysteriously dying. Before it's over Laura is saved. Carmilla is fought off by General Spielsdorf, a man who has had previous confrontations with vampires.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Dracula chronicles the tale of Count Dracula, a vampire who falls for Mina Murray. Mina is affianced to Jonathan Harker, who is concerned by Mina's infatuation with the abstruse Count. Jonathan obtains the help of Dr. Van Helsing. As one, the duo liberates Mina from Dracula's grasp.

Modern scholars concur that Dracula was heavily influenced by Carmilla. Drafted in 1897 by Bram Stoker, the Irish author created the most famous vampire of all time. There are many correlations between Dracula and Carmilla. Mina, Dracula's love interest, is comparable to Laura, the love interest of Carmilla. Both families are of noble lineage. Van Helsing, the protagonist of Dracula, is similar in many ways to General Spielsdorf, the protagonist of Carmilla. Without a doubt, Bram Stoker drew heavily on the former work of Joseph Le Fanu.

More than any other vampire character, Dracula formed today's representation of what a vampire is. Dracula was sexual, powerful, charming, and blessed (and cursed) with eternal life.

Conclusion

Vampire classics of the 19th century heavily impacted how we view vampires today. The desire and passion in Dracula, Carmilla, and The Vampyre is aboveboard. For the first time vampires were portrayed as sensual and sexual creatures. These stories also characterize vampires in a more human-like manner. In the past vampires had been characterized as ghouls, spirits, or apparitions. Through the work of these authors, vampires have forever been remade and have assumed the focus of modern-day horror.

The 19th century was the age of the vampire. No longer were vampires dirty, ghoulish, creepy creatures to be feared and loathed. Vampires took on a fresh persona, one of charm, power, and sexuality. Here's a brief look at 3 pieces of vampire fiction that fueled today's vampire craze.

Gen Wright is a contributor to the online community Vampire Rave, a social network with a vampire theme. He also contributes to the Dark Network, a network of paranormal, supernatural, and darker websites.