The Myth of Dracula
The Myth of Dracula
Jenny Martinez, Com 220
University of Phoenix
Cole Chatterton
January 9, 2008
THE MYTH OF DRACULA
In October of 1999, a television series began that would run for approximately four and a half years. This series would again sate the American appetite for vampire stories begun by the likes of Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, Tanith Lee, and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. The name of the series? Angel. The Premise? A vampire, originally named Angelus, had been cursed by a gypsy victim, with a soul, and could no longer kill humans. And if he fell in love with one, his dark side would return, which he feared more than anything else. The series featured many flashbacks to many centuries past because the vampires depicted were several centuries old. Not only that, but the vampire had true eye-appeal for the female audience. He was tall, dark, and handsome, just like almost every vampire in almost every myth America has ever heard (Angel site, 2004). But could such a creature truly exist? Although the vampire myth is present in many societies around the world through the centuries, there is a basis in science and fact, for this legend.
To start off with, one of the most popular modern vampire stories, written in 1897, was Bram Stoker’s Dracula. To this day, it sets the bar for the modern vampire. Authors have a tendency to pull juicy pieces of many different tales together to patchwork them into something to hold the reader’s interest. From where could he have gotten this character? First off, the legendary figure of Vlad Dracule was the basis, for this character. Dracule was born in November or December of 1431 in Romania (Leblanc, 2000). In 1442, he and his younger brother were taken hostage by the Turks for political reasons. During his imprisonment, he was badly abused by his captors (Highby, 2003). His father was assassinated by the Wallachian Boyars while the young Dracule was being held by the Turks. Dracule
Jenny Martinez, Com 220
University of Phoenix
Cole Chatterton
January 9, 2008
THE MYTH OF DRACULA
In October of 1999, a television series began that would run for approximately four and a half years. This series would again sate the American appetite for vampire stories begun by the likes of Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, Tanith Lee, and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. The name of the series? Angel. The Premise? A vampire, originally named Angelus, had been cursed by a gypsy victim, with a soul, and could no longer kill humans. And if he fell in love with one, his dark side would return, which he feared more than anything else. The series featured many flashbacks to many centuries past because the vampires depicted were several centuries old. Not only that, but the vampire had true eye-appeal for the female audience. He was tall, dark, and handsome, just like almost every vampire in almost every myth America has ever heard (Angel site, 2004). But could such a creature truly exist? Although the vampire myth is present in many societies around the world through the centuries, there is a basis in science and fact, for this legend.
To start off with, one of the most popular modern vampire stories, written in 1897, was Bram Stoker’s Dracula. To this day, it sets the bar for the modern vampire. Authors have a tendency to pull juicy pieces of many different tales together to patchwork them into something to hold the reader’s interest. From where could he have gotten this character? First off, the legendary figure of Vlad Dracule was the basis, for this character. Dracule was born in November or December of 1431 in Romania (Leblanc, 2000). In 1442, he and his younger brother were taken hostage by the Turks for political reasons. During his imprisonment, he was badly abused by his captors (Highby, 2003). His father was assassinated by the Wallachian Boyars while the young Dracule was being held by the Turks. Dracule
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