The Vampire in Folklore vs the Vampire in Literature

The vampire, from folklore to literature is described as a â€Å"dead person that awakens in the night to suck the blood out of the living†. (Bartlett, pg 1) The evolution of the vampire itself has seen drastic changes from the time of the vampire in folklore; where he was seen as a scapegoat, being the cause of the plagues and had to be killed to restore a healthy civilization to, Bram Stocker’s literary vampire; where the vampire had become the heroic figure and had to be blamed for all the victims that had past. Both of these are based on the Penguin English definition of a vampire but how is it that the vampire today has changed so drastically from the one people feared in legends and folklore. One can say that the vampire in literature has†¦show more content†¦Throughout the story of Lord Byron, we find out later on that he is a vampire and that he has very much so human characteristics. Edward is the same since he tends to have human emotions for a girl. Carol A. Sanf sais so herself when making this statement .â€Å" twentieth century writers and directors often portray the vampire as a more sympathetic character than he had been in either folklore or literature.† (Senf, pg 3) Although Lord Byron might not have shown sympathetic emotions, we see him as the hero because he tries to resolve the conflicts that have arose throughout the story. The movie Twilight does this even more by making Edward fight his superiors for a girl he has feelings for. Lastly we have noticed that the vampire in movies often starts to have feelings for a girl that has become more than sexual attention. The Lilith from Stu Burns â€Å"A short history of vampire folklore† is seen as a demon that has sex with men before eating the flesh out of them. These characteristics are very familiar in folklore because vampires would often show sexual attention before eating their victims. In the 20th century vampire, we see him has having emotions for his victim and wanting to turn his victim into a vampire as well so that they can live happily together. Just like in Twilight, in Softly While You’re sleeping by Evelyn E. Smith the vampireShow MoreRelatedThe Romantic Period Stressed Instincts, Affection, and Love1422 Words   |  6 PagesRomantic Period[PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://fr.slideshare.net/babu78/the-romantic-period The Romantic movement and its influence on literature The Rise of Dark-romanticism (Gothicism) Nineteenth century English literature was vastly impacted by the ethos of the Romantic movement. This Romantic impact on literature was so colossal that it was easily gauged just by considering its features, which we will discuss here. According to the pioneers of the Romantic movement creativeRead MoreBram Stoker s Dracula And Richard Matheson s I Am Legend2160 Words   |  9 PagesStoker’s Dracula and Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend, the mythical horror creatures, the vampires, have many differences in their mythical abilities, functionality and origin; however, they both serve to underline themes that remind the reader of what makes us human and what defines us as ultimately good or evil. Stoker’s Count Dracula is the product of a religious strike against the antagonist whereas the vampires in I Am Legend are a product of mankind’s scientific ignorance and indifference. Due toRead MoreEssay on Dexter: The Dark Passenger1752 Words   |  8 Pagesserial killer to a very protective father and brother. His main conflict is being internal (character vs self). He is always second guessing himself based on his generalizations and Harry’s idea. Which in return makes it harder for Dexter to make choices for what is best for him. In addition, the idea of monsters trying to become men is a recurring theme in literature and folklore (Vampires, Werewolves, Fairytales, and more modern movies and television). Street hoods in gangster movies wanting