Assignment 2: The Evolution of Vampiristic Mythology Jasmine Delaine Professor Ashlyn Williams Spring 2014

Introduction When you think of vampires, you automatically think of blood-thirsty undead beings that only come out at night right? That used to be the typical vampire. Dracula is the perfect example of that. He was terrifying, ugly, disgusting, and ever other adjective you could think of. Vampires were feared in the past. Today, vampires are drastically different. Just look at the Twilight Saga for example. Their vampires sparkle in the sun and human girls always fall for them instead of the normal human boys. Why did the vampires change? What were they like before? The purpose of this paper is to show exactly where vampirism began and how it has changed over the years. The purpose is to also show what makes each type of vampire unique. Types of Vampires Sanguine Vampires- These vampires are the blood-sucking, sun-fearing vampires that everyone has come to know. They considered to be the true vampire, and in turn, are more powerful, intelligent, and more intelligent. Psi Vampires- These vampires dont feed on the blood of humans. They feed on the life energy, memories, and thoughts of humans. They dont need to have physical contact with their victim, only eye contact is needed. However, the feeding process is a lot stronger with physical contact. Humans with mental instability, sickness, or serious physical injuries are easy prey Empathetic Vampires- Empathetic vampires feed on the emotions of their victims. They feed only on the strong emotions like love, hate, jealousy, or happiness. They need no contact with humans in order to feed, not even eye contact. They can leave their victims completely drained of emotion, and this sometimes kills the human since emotion is a huge part of humanity.

Soul Vampires- The name of this type of vampire is self-explanatory. They feed on the souls of humans. The victims will always be killed, unless they are turned into a soul vampire. In order to feed, the vampire has to be kissing or within close proximity to their victim so they can literally suck the soul from the victim. Dreamscape Vampires- These vampires are considered to be the most enchanting of all vampires. They need to get into the dreams of their victims. Although they dont like to admit it, dreamscape vampires are they closest things to humans because they have to sleep. Literature Review Vampire Folklore David Keyworth writes about how vampires were perceived in eighteenth century Europe in his article. During this time period, the vampire that we know of today first made its arrival. Blood-thirsty vampires were unlike the vampires of previous times. In previous centuries, vampires did not feed on humans. However, they did spread a disease that killed any human that contracted it. Just being near an undead-corpse was enough to contract the disease. During the eighteenth century, it was believed that the corpses ghost would leave the grave and devour every member of their family unless the corpse was decapitated or had the heart extracted from it. After the vampires victim died, they too would become a vampire. Our modern day vampires evolved from this type of vampire. Both types hunger for blood and turn their victims into vampires. However, there are a lot of characteristics that have been added to the vampire. This is just the stepping stone.

What it Means to be a Vampire In Joseph Laycocks article, there are two types of vampires and both live among us. The first is the real vampire. Those who are real vampires dont choose this lifestyle, because they perceive their need to feed as inherent in their nature, more akin to a genetic quality or a sexual orientation than a cultural affiliation. On the other hand, there are the lifestyle vampires. These vampires choose to become vampires, and can therefore change this decision if they see fit. However, each type of vampire belongs in its own identity group. This is also how these vampires would like to be perceived. They dont feel that they are a religious group. A religious group has a unifying leader that makes statements on behalf of the entire community. The vampire community prides themselves on self-determination, so any statements made on behalf of the vampire community carry very little truth and authority. This article shows us that being a vampire doesnt have to mean that you are an undead being that wants to feed on every living thing. Being a vampire is all about how you view yourself, and what you do with that situation. Shira Gabriel and Ariana Young seem to disagree with Laycocks viewpoint on what it means to be a vampire. The completed an experiment titled Becoming a Vampire Without Being Bitten: The Narrative Collective-Assimilation Hypothesis in order to prove that you can become a vampire without even being bitten by one. They hypothesized that if an individual were to read a passage about vampires from the Twilight series, then that individual would psychologically become a vampire. They feel that this is because the individual feels the need to connect with what they are reading.

This experiment basically contradicts everything that we have come to know about vampires and how they can still have human qualities even though they are monsters. The results seem to say that being a vampire is just a state of mind that can be changed whenever you read something that you relate to. Dracula Dracula is perhaps the most famous vampire of all time. It all started with the book written by Bram Stoker in 1897. This horrifying, yet captivating novel prompted many different adaptations that have been made over the years. I will be focusing on 5 different movie interpretations. In 1931, the movie Dracula, directed by Tod Browning, appeared on the scene and starred Hungarian horror actor Bela Lugosi as Dracula. Here, Draculas famous quote, I never drink wine, was first introduced. Every Dracula movie after this one included that quote. This film is still loved by many people today and it has even been selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry. The next adaptation appeared in 1958 and was title Horror of Dracula. This film starred Christopher Lee as Count Dracula. This film was also a big success in the theaters and received a glowing review from BBC critic Jamie Russell. He said, It's a film that deserves recognition as one of this country's finest horror movies, a sexually charged Gothic nightmare featuring standout performances from Hammer stalwarts Lee and Peter Cushing. The next film made in 1979, titled Dracula, did not do as well as the previous films. It underperformed at the box office and received mixed reviews. Count Dracula was played by Frank Langella. The next film that was made debuted in 1992 and was titled Bram Stokers Dracula. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the movie starred Gary Oldman as the Count and received

good reviews. Time Magazine critic Richard Corliss said that "Coppola brings the old spook story alive well, undead as a luscious, infernal romance. The last adaptation that I will mention did not do very well. This was the 1995 film Dracula: Dead and Loving It. This film was directed by Mel Brooks and starred Leslie Nielsen as Count Dracula. The movie was essentially a parody of the classic story. It didnt do well in theaters and had a lot of criticism. These adaptations of the novel reflect the thoughts of society at that point in time. For example, the 1995 film was rooted in comedy, which was seen a lot around that time. The previous adaptations tried to stay true to the story because comedy wasnt a genre that was very prominent. Even though not all of them did well, they are still instrumental in seeing how the vampire has evolved over time. Women Vampires In Gina Wiskers chapter, Love Bites: Contemporary Womens Vampire Fictions, she writes about women writers taking on the task of creating women vampires. In the past, vampires have always been male, for example Dracula. The women were always seen as frail and pure creatures that become corrupted when they are seduced by the vampires. When there are female vampires as the main characters, it seems like there is a lesbian relationship. For example, in Anne Rices novel Interview with the Vampire, there seems to be some sort of lesbian relationship between Claudia and Madeleine. I think that this article really shows the development of the female role in society. With women being the main character in a novel, this shows that women are beginning to have a more important role in society. It also seems like vampires are more loving and caring if they are women. Women are naturally caring. This shows that vampires can still have human qualities.

The Trend in the Media In Ananya Mukherjeas article titled My Vampire Boyfriend: Postfeminism, Perfect Masculinity, and the Contemporary Appeal of Paranormal Romance, she focuses on why vampire boyfriends are preferred in modern day TV shows based on vampires. Male vampires are portrayed as the perfect men. They are always tall, handsome, polite, and very wealthy. They embody everything that a woman could ever want in a man. They are also very mysterious. They stay in solitude and dont really say anything to anyone. After you get to know them, they show you that they can be really loving and protective. Vampire boyfriends also provide a sense of adventure. When a human falls in love with a vampire, she becomes involved in all of the dangers that are associated with being a vampire. This is where the protective side is shown, seeing as how he doesnt want anything to happen to the girl that he loves, he does anything and everything to keep her from being hurt or killed. This is why vampires like Edward Cullen are sought after by a lot of girls. The article written in The New York Times titled A Trend With Teeth is all about how vampires have taken over todays society. It all started with the Twilight Saga, a book series written by Stephenie Meyers, and has become a pandemic of unholy proportions. There are a number of TV shows based on vampires, such as True Blood and The Vampire Diaries. The vampire trend has also found its way into the fashion world by inspiring creations with leather and lace. By watching and reading about vampires, it gives the public the chance to imagine what we would be like if we let ourselves go and become monsters. For Assignment One, I observed the hit TV show on CW The Vampire Diaries. This show tells the story of Elena Gilbert, an ordinary teenage girl who just happens to meet and fall

madly in love with a vampire named Stefan Salvatore. Throughout the rest of the show, their love is put to the test by all of the dangers that Elena faces because of her involvement with vampires. This show takes vampires and transforms them into beings who may seem dangerous and evil, but still maintain their human qualities. In her chapter, The Vampire and its Double: Doppelgangers, Meta Vampires, and Gender-Bending Byronic Love in The Vampire Diaries, Ann Thurber uses The Vampire Diaries as her main example when exploring the ideal of doubles throughout the show. She does this by comparing the show to the Twilight series. She views Stefan, from The Vampire Diaries, as the double of Edward, from Twilight. Both fall in love with a human, abstain from feeding on them, they stop feeding on humans altogether, and seem to have no purpose in life until they meet the love of their life. Another double that is explored is the relationship between Stefan and his brother Damon. Stefan and Damon are seen as doubles because Stefan is portrayed as the good vampire who is has morals and protects the human race, while Damon is the bad vampire who constantly causes trouble and continues to kill off humans without any remorse. Sabrina Boyer is the author of an article titled Thou Shalt Not Crave Thy Neighbor: True Blood, Abjection, and Otherness. In this article, she mentions that vampires represent all of those who dont fit into societys mold. The vampire can be seen as the reject of society because they are different than what the public wants. Boyer uses the hit HBO show True Blood as an example. The show takes place in a small town in Louisiana. Vampires have revealed themselves to the human world and now they are trying to live peacefully among humans. However, a girl named Sookie Stackhouse is ostracized because she has telepathic abilities that allow her to read minds. Many people can relate to this example because they are considered the rejects of society. This makes vampires become increasingly more popular.
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Entering the Conversation Vampiristic mythology has been around for centuries, and as a result, many cultures have different stories about vampires and what they were. These many stories contribute to the vampire that we have come to know and love today. One type of vampire that helped contribute to the modern day vampire was the vampire of eighteenth century Europe. During this time period, we see the first appearances of blood-thirsty vampires. In previous times, vampires only caused disease that killed humans. If a human came really close to these undead-corpses, they would contract a deadly disease. However, in the eighteenth century, the vampires ghost would rise from the grave and devour every member of their family. The victims would then become vampires. The only way to prevent the ghost from killing the entire family was to dig up the vampires body and either decapitate it or cut out the heart. The eighteenth century vampires were an important stepping stone for creating the modern vampires. They were the first to feed on living beings and then turn them into vampires. If vampires had never fed on living beings, the vampires that we see today would be completely different. An important aspect of vampirism is to know what it means to be a vampire. The first type of vampire is the blood-thirsty monster that we have known about for quite some time now. However, Joseph Laycock writes an article about how there are other types of vampires. And these vampires arent the undead type. The first type of vampires that he writes about is real vampires. Real vampires are humans that are vampires, but not by choice. They seem to perceive their need to feed as inherent in their nature, more akin to a genetic quality or a sexual orientation than a cultural affiliation. Alternatively, there are lifestyle vampires, who choose

to live the vampire life and can therefore change if they see fit. This article shows that being a vampire doesnt necessarily mean that you are an undead being that feeds on living beings. Being a vampire is all about how you view yourself. However, an experiment was done that, in my opinion, contradicts what we know about vampires. In this experiment, Shira Gabriel and Ariana Young hypothesize that one psychologically becomes a vampire when they read a passage about vampires. They believe this is true because if the individual can relate to the vampire(s), then they will in turn become a vampire. I dont feel that this makes you a vampire. Vampirism is something that is depends on if you actually practice what you preach. I feel that in this case, it would be better to say that the individual relates to vampires.

Now, lets talk about modern day vampires. The vampires that we see today in the media are completely different than the ones that have existed in the past. One of the many facets that exist within the modern day vampire is the idea that vampire men make the perfect boyfriend. For example, lets look at the TV show The Vampire Diaries. The main character is Elena, a normal teenage girl. In the show she falls in love with not just one, but two vampires. Both are vampires, and brothers. The first vampire that she falls for is Stefan. Stefan is the good vampire. He tries to be moral by feeding on animals instead of humans. He is very loving, caring, and gentle. He also does is best to protect Elena and the human race. However, his brother is the opposite. Damon is the bad vampire. He always causes trouble, and whenever he is around, someone dies. He tends to only care about himself. However, he does provide a sense

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of adventure. Elena is one of the many girls driven to vampires because of their charm, mysteriousness, good looks, and strength. Another facet within the modern day vampire is that there is constantly the presence of a double of some sort. One example would be of Stefan and Damon representing both good and bad vampires. Another example is that of the doppelganger. Doppelgangers are the look alike of someone. Elena is the doppelganger of Katherine Pierce, a vampire that seduced Stefan and Damon before she turned them into vampires. When comparing the two, Elena is the good doppelganger, while Katherine is the evil doppelganger that only looks out for herself. The idea of doubles goes reflects the fact that todays society looks for adventure and danger in TV. The bad doubles always show up and ruin the plans of the good double. The Vampire Diaries is a really good example of this because each one of the doubles presents a different conflict that keeps the public interested. They include the battle of morality between Stefan and Damon, and Katherine constantly trying to ruin Elenas life and earn Stefan back. So What? Vampirism has changed greatly over the years. In the beginning, they were meant to be horror stories. Vampires were ugly, viscous creatures that only thought of devouring humans for their blood. They had no human characteristics. Over time, that viewpoint starts to change. Vampires start to retain their human qualities, like love and compassion. Also, people are viewing themselves as vampires and embracing it. They are showing that vampires dont have to be the beings we read about. All of this leads up to the modern day vampires that we have come to know. They are made to reflect humans and embody everything that we want to be but cant. Vampires are no longer the horror story. They are now our closest friends.

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Works Cited Boyer, Sabrina, (2011). Thou Shalt Not Crave Thy Neighbor": "True Blood", Abjection, and Otherness. Studies in Popular Culture. pp.41. Delaine, Jasmine. "Assignment One Observations." (2014): 1-15. Print. Driscoll, Molly (2014). Bram Stoker books: The 5 best movie adaptations of 'Dracula'. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.csmonitor.com/TheCulture/Movies/2012/1108/Bram-Stoker-books-The-5-best-movie-adaptations-ofDracula/Dracula-Dead-and-Loving-It. [Last Accessed 27 March 14]. Gabriel, Shira and Ariana F. Young, (2011). Becoming a Vampire Without Being Bitten: The Narrative Collective-Assimilation Hypothesis. Association for Psychological Science. pp.5. Keyworth, G. David, (2006). Was the Vampire of the Eighteenth Century a Unique Type of Undead-Corpse?. Folklore. 117 (3), pp.19. La Ferla, Ruth (2009). A Trend With Teeth. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/fashion/02VAMPIRES.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 . [Last Accessed 18 Feb 2014]. Laycock, Joseph, (2010). 'Real Vampires as an Identity Group: Analyzing Causes and Effects of an Introspective Survey by the Vampire Community'. In: (ed), Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. 14th ed.: University of California Press. pp.4-23. Mukherjea, Ananya, (2011). My Vampire Boyfriend: Postfeminism, "Perfect" Masculinity, and the Contemporary Appeal of Paranormal Romance. Studies in Popular Culture. pp.20. Thurber, Ann, (2011). 'The Vampire and its Double: Doppelgangers, Meta Vampires, and Gender-Bending Byronic Love in The Vampire Diaries'. In: (ed), Bite Me: Desire and the Female Spectator in Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, and True Blood. 1st ed.: Emory University. pp.21. (2014). Vampire Types. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.vampirescene.com/s-VapireTypes.html. [Last Accessed 26 March 2014]. Wisker, Gina, (2012). 'Love Bites: Contemporary Womens Vampire Fictions'. In: Punter, David (ed), A New Companion to the Gothic. 1st ed. : Blackwell Publishing Ltd. pp.14.

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