Legacy of Stoker’s novel/influence on other writers
Well-known author Bram Stoker of Dracula can very well be considered the father of all Vampire Folklore. Being the first author to come out with such a popular vampire gothic horror, left a lot of room for other artists to play with the idea of a blood-sucking creature. In today’s era there are many adaptations of the original Dracula, some being more like the original than others.
Contrary to popular belief, Dracula wasn’t the first vampire novel to hit the market back in 1897, but it is the most well-known. According to author Steph Byce, in “Bram Stoker, Father of Vampire Fiction,” there was another book published in 1819 based on vampire myths. However, this book didn’t take off like the legendary Dracula did obviously. Byce discusses that the main difference between the two stories was that the vampire in 1819 Vampyre didn’t suck blood, but drained the life force in it’s victims. Now, bloodsucking creatures are all we see in today’s modern vampire. In the article, “The undying legacy of Bram Stoker,” author Meriem Lamara explains how other various readings of Dracula view the vampire legend as an ‘invader’ as the most prominent subject in the books such as, Dracul, which was written 25 years after the publishing of Dracula and is intended to be the prequel to Dracula. Lamara also discusses another show that aired in 1990 called Castlevania, which has now been added to Netflix. This tv show is based off a Dracula video game, and follows more in line with the original Dracula storyline of a group of comrades who find a way to save man-kind from the grief-maddened Dracula.
Being a big fan of vampire folklore myself, I see a lot of the new vampire movies, books, and tv shows, all trying to live up to the legacy of Dracula. However, one of the biggest twists I have seen between Dracula and other more recent vampire stories, is the idea of a vampire being a lot more romanticized, and the focus being more on the forbidden love between a human and an immortal vampire. More information of the switch from predator to protector can be found in the article, “Dracula vs. The Modern Vampire,” where the author dives into how the present day vampire has shifted over time stating, “In Stoker’s time, people wanted a creature that could scare them, thrill them, keep them on the edge of their seat, but in the Twilight crazed world of today, the vampire’s image is that of the courageous hero who abstains from committing the deeds his predecessors have done. People today aren’t looking for an image that scares them.” I completely agree with this statement. I believe that the authors of today’s era took their own spin off of what people are most interested in reading, and just morphed the idea of the scary vampire into a more romantic icon.
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| Dracula vs The Modern Vampire (Edward Cullen) |
Other than Twilight, the other vampire show that I am most familiar with is Vampire Diaries, and between the two, I have seen a lot of similarities. Just in the first episode of Vampire Diaries, a crow is present whenever a vampire is near. In both Twilight and Vampire Diaries, the vampires originate from a family of vampires, similarly to the idea of Dracula and his 3 brides/sisters. In all of the vampire tales, they have supernatural powers such as super strength and speed, but both Vampire Diaries and Twilight vampires lack the shapeshifting power that Count Dracula possesses. I believe the reason for this difference and many more attributes that were left out, are due to the romanticizing of the vampire image, and although I do prefer today’s vampire image, Dracula is and always will be a classic, and I am thankful that Stoker paved the way for many more aspiring authors to follow in his vampire folklore footsteps.
Works Cited
Byce, Steph. “Bram Stoker, Father of Vampire Fiction.” Legacy.com, 10 Jan. 2020, www.legacy.com/news/culture-and-history/bram-stoker-father-of-vampire-fiction/.
University of Northampton. “The Undying Legacy of Bram Stoker.” Medium, Medium, 7 Nov. 2018, medium.com/@UniNorthants/the-undying-legacy-of-bram-stoker-5bd8cc011007.
I put Twilight into my blog too, even though I never read the full series it undoubtedly was influenced by Stroker's Dracula. Many TV shows like the Vampire Diaries have a family complex like you stated and I didn't notice until you pointed it out. I also liked the little cartoon you added, I think it's funny and has a great point and liked how you pointed out that Dracula wasn't the first Vampire story.
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