What do we know about vampires? How well do you think you know them? See Etymology if you think you need to catch up on things that have been going on in the past couple or so hundred years. What do we think of when we think of vampires? Some things might include fangs, sexuality, killer instincts, shape-shifting abilities, the list goes on. We remember Bram Stoker’s Dracula in novels as well as on screen in 1931 and later 1992. After well over a century of the height this story’s popularity, vampires are seemingly just as big now as they were then. Today we have several encounters with this genre including the Vampire Diaries and the True Blood series, but it was Stephanie Meyers Twilight Saga that really created the large following we see today in popular culture.
All of Europe seemed to have intensely fallen in love with vampire mythology sometime in the nineteenth century, and did not take long for Dracula to make his way to the United States for some fresh blood. During the twentieth century, with advancements in television production, we have two films that show gratitude for Dracula’s inspiration. The latest of which we all remember, see Yesterday. Later we see more vampire literature, and a steady but ongoing popularity with the creatures of the night. Ann Rice is probably most famously known for some of the earliest works in vampire literature of the last century.
And what about today’s vampires? Well, they seem to have taken on an even more sensual personality than ever before, take Eric Northman, and Bill Compton in True Blood, or Edward Cullen in the twilight Saga. It is my humble opinion that this might be due to a rising interest of sensuality in pop culture as well as a more liberal mentality on the subject. This allows today’s vampires to become more sensualized than any of the historical vampire figures. Even the heightened sensuality in Ann Rice’s vampire characters had only until recently been left to the minds of the readers to envision for themselves.
With this accentuated perception of the sensuality of vampires, it’s no wonder that their popularity is on the rise. We have a clearer picture of the seduction that takes place when a vampire finds a particular victim. This has led to a romantic infatuation of all ages alike, particularly with young women. This infatuation seems to have only gotten stronger as time goes on and technology continues to advance, but with more and more novelists and producers still attempting to cash in on the craze, who knows how long it will all last. For the time being, I think it’s safe to say that we haven’t seen the last of these blood thirsty night dwellers. Thanks to this reaffirmation of the popularity of vampires, I think it will be a long time before we will see them going back into their coffins.
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