Vampires and Vampirism Essay - 986 Words

Vampires and Vampirism Missing Works Cited The vampire of today is most commonly associated with the type that was created by Bram Stoker when Dracula was published in 1897 (Florescu and McNally 221). This popular cultural icon is described by Stoker in his novel: The teeth were strong and white, and the canine teeth protruded over the lower lip when the mouth was closed. The [vampires] hands were large and powerful, the nails black and pointed like a birds talons (qtd. in Florescu and McNally 227). However popular, the vampire-as-monster theme has not always been the primary way of employing this motif. The vampire of the English Romantics served more as symbol or as a metaphor rather than an actual character that haunted†¦show more content†¦In keeping with this tradition, Charlotte Bronte also uses the vampire element in her novel Jane Eyre. Nina Auerbach sums up popular sentiment towards vampires in literature from the mid-nineteenth century: [T]hough vampires sitting at good mens feasts repelled reviewers, these were the vampires readers responded to in the mid-nineteenth century: monsters who showed them not so much foreign lands and alien tastes as the vampirism of their own daily meals (Auerbach 33). It was thrilling to these readers to see the exotic nature of the vampire transposed onto their daily lives. However popular as a literary device in the nineteenth century, vampirism has existed from the first recordings of history. This phenomenon can probably be traced to a time when man was hunter and observed the fact that as blood drained from the body, so too did life. It was believed that by applying blood to the body or drinking it, one would obtain the essence of the person from whom the blood flowed (McNally and Florescu 144). Indeed, the importance of blood for the sake of sacrifice was, in antiquity, believed to be a universal practice. This is similar to the sacrament of Holy Communion today in that those who partake of the Holy Blood of Christ will have transferred to them a power of some sort (South 246). Vampirism has even been traced back to the Himalayan Mountains over three thousand years ago when the goddessShow MoreRelated Classic Vampirism and Recent Changes1428 Words   |  6 PagesCLASSIC VAMPIRISM AND RECENT CHANGES Change often occurs due to the simple nature of time. What once stood as a finite and steadfast definition will shift and evolve. Genres bleed into one another and mix mythologies. The realm of the supernatural in literature does not lie outside this trend. 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They exhumed the bodies of deceased relatives who died of consumption and checked to see if they had  "fresh,† circulating, liquid blood in their hearts, which would indicate that the deceased had become a vampire. They believed that one of the relatives was not completely dead andRead MoreThe inner world is stranger than the world of Harry Potter created out of the bricks1300 Words   |  6 PagesThe inner world is stranger than the world of Harry Potter created out of the bricks of Vampirism The Gothic novel is not just an ordinary story of vampirism, it is rather a story about a very particular kind of myth that is very old, that goes back even before the ancient Greeks. In classical mythology there have been always stories about exotic lands inhabited by exotic creatures, there have been always a fascination with constructing images of monsters male and female. In classical mythology thereRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of The Princess Bride And A Pair Of Tickets1744 Words   |  7 PagesAllison Hoeth E Rick Hutchens English 105 May 23, 2017 Three Girls and Their Quest to Find Themselves in the Face of Adversity: An Analysis of The Princess Bride, Divergent and â€Å"A Pair of Tickets† and How Vampirism and Quests make the stories what they are. Writing a story is difficult. In the stories The Princess Bride by William Goldman and â€Å"A Pair of Tickets† by Amy Tan, and the movie Divergent Directed by Neil Burger there are three very similar women who must find their path in life. In TheRead MoreVampires Impact on Literature, Movies, Ect1547 Words   |  7 Pagespeople all over the world! The three terms expressed all have one thing in common; vampires. These mythical creatures are one of the most popular horror-related figures. Vampires may be a frightening subject for most, but that does not take away from the fact of their popularity throughout. The fascination of vampires has greatly affected past, present, and future cultures all around the world. â€Å"The word vampire (or vampyre) entered the English language in 1732, according to The Oxford English