Frankenstein and True Blood: Discovering the Gothic Defining what the gothic is can be tough. It’s one of those words that most people think they have a grasp on in their mind, but trying to explain it ends in a loss for word. That’s why sometimes the best way to explain something is though what it explores as a genre, otherwise known as tropes. In this paper I will be defining certain tropes of the genre through the classic gothic text Frankenstein, and comparing that with the modern gothic of true blood…

Vampire legend is one that has frightened and fascinated people across the world for generations. The concept of a being that lurks through the night pouncing on unknowing suspects searching for blood is just as popular today as it was centuries ago. While cultures all across the globe have different variations on the vampire folklore, they all share one thing in common, the need for blood. Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” was originally published in 1897 and from then on, the main character set the paradigm…

Blood Lust Fact or fiction? For centuries there has been talk but no one has yet to prove that vampires exist. The Vampire Diaries is a series based on novels about supernatural creatures as though it was reality, this series was launched in 2006 by the CW network. This supernatural drama has grasped its viewers and has grown in popularity making it one of the most sought after series. This heart pounding action packed show is now in its seventh season and after losing one of its main characters…

as a folktale, although today we know that it is not a folktale in the true sense, and nevertheless, mentions the characters of the original vampire is that of Croglin Grange. In the story of Croglin Grange, the vampire is described as a hideous, brown creature with flaming eyes that came scratching at the window of a girl that occupied the Croglin Grange house (Summers, Vampire in Europe 113-115). The Croglin Grange vampire was also insinuated to have supernatural strength or power, being that a…

monster that sustained themselves over time have been vampires. In fact, stories of vampires have been with civilization for centuries. The exact origin of vampires is unknown and there have been many speculations and theories of these monsters’ origins. Many scholars believe that vampires originated from folklore tales, which spread all throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, England, and Ireland. In addition, early civilizations associated vampires with unexplained events such as death, disease, and…

The vampire is the popular character in folklore from early civilization to modern life. The vampire appears in people mind with the passion of immortality, fear, love and mystery. People are attracted with vampire because the superstition of the vampire has done for centuries. Are they real? What are they? Where they come from? There are a few of thousand questions about the beliefs of vampire during many centuries. People don’t stop their curiosity with vampire- the legend that emulates the world…

In a world of True Blood and Twilight it is easily seen by the current young adult generation as to how sexualization of vampires is inevitable and as a result is easily accepted. However according to Christopher Craft and his work on “Gender and Inversion”, that conventional vampiric sexualization is more complex than perceived. Craft’s work outlines many of Bram Stoker’s theses throughout his novel Dracula. He states how there is a gender inversion within Stoker’s vampire; questioning conventional…

Vampires, zombies, ghosts, and demons are the four biggest genres of Western horror. While some horror movie tropes seem to come and go, like mummies, witches, cannibals, those four genres never seem to disappear. Every couple of months a new haunted house movie comes out, and since the start of AMC’s The Walking Dead, zombies have not even taken a break. Even considering how popular zombies are now, there is one type of creature that we will always be plagued with; the vampire. Just in the 21st…

Vampires: Cultural Connections The actual definition of the word vampire and it origin is still mysterious as the creature it is used to described but one thing is certain that there are debates as to where the word came from. From the earliest mention of the creatures being present in early Mesopotamian texts, to Eastern Europe, the creatures that are revenants or beings that have returned from the dead and that feed off the living. In folklore this creature is prevalent in stories from Eastern…

Vampires There have been stories in the magazines, newspapers and on television about people who claim to be vampires and are practicing the vampire culture. So the question here is, are these people who claim to be vampires truly vampires; and if so, are they a threat to the society? The purpose of this essay is to investigate and find out more about vampires, their origin, the different types, their beliefs and practices, and if they pose a safety threat. There are abundance of movies, books and…