TIME MACHINE

Vampires and Romanticism: The Past To The Present.

By Michael Smallwood

Introduction
This assignment will critically analyse how the long lived vampires have been able to evolve and adapted through the ages, shifting with the cultural movements along the way. This investigation will look upon the vampires, not as a mythological being, but as a symbol and metaphor which was first brought about in the age of Romanticism. Sources used for this investigation include: The Oxford Companion To Western Art (2001) and Romanticism: A very Short Introduction (2010) , to help get a better understanding of the movement of Romanticism; In Search Of Dracula: The History Of Dracula And Vampires (1994) for background information on and what made Dracula and the stories around him, Twilight And Philosophy: Vampires, Vegetarians, And the Pursuit Of Immortality (2009) and Vampires And Sexuality: What Are Twilight And True Blood Saying About Sex? (2011) for information on the hidden meanings and messages within Twilight And True Blood.

Key Ideas
(Romantic Movement and its reaction to Enlightenment) Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains. (Rousseau, 1762, p. 49-50) (Comparison of sexuality in Dracula and Twilight) woman in Dracula fulfill the worst nightmare and dearest fantasy of the Victorian age, the pure girl turned sexually ravenous beast, the vampire woman in Twilight are conversely fallen woman turned into pure girls via the blessed Cullen venom. (Wilson, 2011 p,110) (Comparisons of Dracula and Twilight) Both Books also contain many gothic stock characters: Byronic heroes, tyrants, vampires, werewolves, femmes fatales, and fragile, persecuted maidens. (Megen, 2010,P,9)

(In regards to how vampires are seen and betrayed in todays society) They're alluring, irresistible, almost inhumanly beautiful and virtually always sexual in nature. (Gray, 2011)
(Dracula and sex) In Dracula, the vampires are sexually deviant by Victorian standards. Vampires display unusual sexual appetites and the count is engaged in orgiastic blood- sharing with his three female companions. ( Megen, 2010, p. 11)

Cultural Context
Vampires. The true date of when vampires came about is unknown, but it was in the 18th century that they start to slowly become popular while picking up speed and evolving as the years go on. Romanticism. The true date of Romanticism is unknown but most would agree that it began somewhere in the later 18th century. The movement was seen as a reaction to the Enlightenment (logic and reason) and was mostly used in art and literature. The three major topics of the movement where emphasizing individualism and inwardness; yearning for the past; and a longing for nature.

Key individuals

Bram Stocker (1847-1912) Author of Dracula.

Count Dracula (1931) Male lead in Tod Brownings Dracula.

Lord Byron (1788-1824) Romantic poet . Came up with the idea of a Byronic Hero, an idealized but flawed character. Stephenie Meyer (1973-) Author of the Twilight Saga. Edward Cullen (20082012) Male lead in the Twilight Saga.

Bill Compton (2008-) Male lead in True Blood.

Historical examples

Tod Brownings Dracula (1931)

Salems lot 1975

Contemporary examples

Twilight 2005

True Blood 2008

Conclusion
Vampires can be seen as a symbol or a metaphor for hidden desires, sex and fear. As culture is evolving, so do the vampire and its traditions. Females have more of an equal footing in the books and films, which are changing and shifting so the types of vampires that are being born today compared to that of the pasts. While the divide between humans and vampires still exists, Vampires are fast becoming more human than before, tackling diplomacy, emotions and other real world event instead of being in a totally different world.

Bibliography and Illustrations

Contemporary Examples Stephenie Meyer Twilight book cover (2005) [Online Image] At: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_(novel) (accessed 24-3-12) True Blood Poster Art (2008) [Online Image] At:http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TyGGVkFpFb0/ST_jwKD-9yI/AAAAAAAAAfI/mynMqWb3QDk/S1600R/True%2520Blood.jpg (accessed 24-3-12) Historical Examples Tod Brownings Dracula (1931) [online image] At: http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljxkpofix61qzdvhio1_r1_500.jpg (accessed 24-3-12) Stephen King Salems lot Book Cover (1975) [online image] At: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8k31S8FmtGI/TMtkUA8NsJI/AAAAAAAAAho/qjsv6LWGID4/s1600/%27Salem%27s+Lost.jpg (accessed 24-3-12) Key People Stephenie Meyer [online image] At: http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1269985304p5/941441.jpg (accessed 24-3-12) Bram Stoker [online image] At: http://uploads.neatorama.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/bram_stoker.jpg (accessed 24-3-12) Edward Cullen (2008) [online image] At: http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/24800000/edward-cullen-edward-cullen-24892888-300-400.jpg (accessed 24-3-12) Count Dracula (1931) [online image] At: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WsNffBHLVQ/Tlb_pdMH95I/AAAAAAAAAPw/FVzstTNCqJM/s1600/dracula_bela_lugosi_103.jpg (accessed 24-3-12) Bill Comton [online image ] At: http://images.wikia.com/trueblood/images/c/cc/Bill-compton-pic.jpg (accessed 24-3-12) Lord Byron [online image] At: http://www.nndb.com/people/856/000024784/Byron-solo.gif (accessed 24-3-12) Bibliography Brigstocke,H.,(ed) (2001). The Oxford Companion To Western Art, Oxford: Oxford University Press Raymond T.McNally&Radu Florescu, (1994)In Search Of Dracula:The History Of Dracula And Vampires, Houghton Mifflin Company. Michael Ferber, (2010) Romanticism: A very Short Intruduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press William Irwin, (ed), (2009) Twilight And Philosophy: Vampires, Vegetarians, And the Pursuit Of Immortality, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Emma Gray. (2011). Vampires And Sexuality: What Are Twilight And True Blood Saying About Sex? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emmagray/vampires-sexuality_b_1063907.html (accessed 24-3-12) Jean Jacques Rousseau (1762) The Social Contract, Penguin Group Penguin Books Ltd Natalie Wilson (2011) Seduced By Twilight:The Allure And Contradictory Messages Of The Popular Saga, McFarland &Company, Inc. Megen J. de Bruin-Mole, (2010)The Horror Of Dracula: Twilight And The 21st Centery Vampire