The allegation of the vampire’s metamorphosis and the less frequent academic recognition of newer vampire fiction are what motivates this Thesis to examine the vampire yet once again. With the help of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Series (2005-2008), this paper will investigate the research question if the vampire of older literary works and the vampire of newer literary works are in fact so different from each other as previous academic works suggest.
Throughout the last years, a large number of new vampire fictions, television shows and movies emerged, and the vampire slowly gains a representation in academic works. Most of these works deal with the vampire’s symbolic nature, his function and what he represents, but it is evident that older works get treated significantly different than newer ones and they almost never include the vampire’s folkloric or "real’" background.
People of the academic works around the figure of the vampire will agree that a significant change in the vampire’s nature between the nineteenth and the twenty-first century took place, because while our ancestor’s vampires, such as human blood-sucking Nosferatu or Dracula, bring terror and evil to its people and are academically recognized far more often, the vampires nowadays seem to be tamed, sympathetic beings that utterly reject human blood.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- 1. Introduction: There is no Metamorphosis.....
- 2. State of the Art........
- 3. The Gothic.....
- 3.1. Roots of the Gothic...
- 3.2. The British Gothic Movement...
- 3.3. American Gothic Fiction....
- 4. The Vampire.......
- 4.1. Real Cases......
- 4.2. The Literary Vampire..
- 5. Discussion: Nothing changed at all..
- 5.1. Religion and Christian Virtues....
- 5.2. Monstrous Female Sexuality and the Gender Discourse..
- 5.3. Humanity and the Other....
- 5.4. Genre and the Byronic Hero.......
- 5.5. Science and Anxieties......
- 6. Conclusion: The Vampire – Vehicle to handle Human Fears and Conflicts.........
- 7. Bibliography...
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This thesis aims to examine the figure of the vampire in both Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Series (2005-2008). The paper challenges the common academic assumption that the vampire underwent a significant metamorphosis between the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries. Instead, it argues that both works explore similar anxieties, discourses, and vampiric associations, despite their different temporal contexts. The paper compares Dracula and Twilight to demonstrate the enduring relevance of certain themes across different eras.
- Religion and Christian Virtues
- Monstrous Female Sexuality and the Gender Discourse
- Humanity and the Other
- Genre and the Byronic Hero
- Science and Anxieties
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
This paper begins by introducing the vampire as a literary figure and analyzing the development of the vampire trope in both British and American gothic fiction. The paper further explores the origins of vampirism, examining both real cases of vampirism and its folkloric roots. The discussion chapter delves into the similarities between Dracula and Twilight, exploring how both works address the role of religion and Christian virtues in society, the anxieties surrounding female sexuality and gender roles, the complex relationship between humanity and the other, the literary genre of Gothic and Romantic novels, and the anxieties surrounding scientific advancements.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This thesis explores the enduring themes and discourses surrounding the vampire figure in gothic literature. It examines the vampire’s function as a vehicle for representing societal anxieties, exploring topics such as religious morality, gender dynamics, the role of the other, and the impact of scientific advancements. Key concepts explored include the monstrous female, the Byronic hero, and the interplay of Gothic and Romantic elements in vampire narratives.
- Quote paper
- Katharina Wagner (Author), 2020, The Vampire in Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" Series, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/909546
