The Vampyre By John Polidori Essay - 1355 Words

In John Polidori’s short story â€Å"The Vampyre†, a strong emphasis is placed on its depictions of pastoral countrysides and old aristocracy. We see these depictions in the travels of Aubrey through the pre-industrial states Italy and Greece and in his occasional partner Lord Ruthven. Through these depictions, the story appears to be responding to the times it was published in, times of immense social and technological change which Romantics such as Polidori tackled through their writings. The drivers of this disruptive change during Polidori’s time are two revolutions, that is, the Industrial and French -- both of which brought the Romantics much cause for lamentation or celebration. As such, a couple questions appear when considering these depictions, that is, what is Polidori doing with these depictions, is he lamenting the changes that are to come throughout these quaint countrysides? Is he criticizing old aristocracy through his depiction of the licentious vampire Lord Ruthven? It appears that Polidori is a reactionary in one sense and a progressive in the other, when ruminating over these depictions. Through his idealization of the ancient countries of Italy and Greece, it seems he is yearning for the past, one in which the countrysides of England were not defiled by canals, manufactories, and commercial farming estates. He chooses the ancient states of Italy and Greece as they are the cradles of Western civilization, emphasizing the sanctity of such pastoral scenes, andShow MoreRelatedThe Notable Vampire is John William Polidori ´s Vampire561 Words   |  2 PagesOne of the most notable nineteenth century literary vampires is John William Polidori‘s vampire. Lord Ruthven– the man of mysterious past and one of the most charismatic and interesting nineteenth century vampires- is a Gothic villain that has been used by his creator (Polidori) as a social metaphor. How is that? It is worthy of note, as Christopher Frayling claims, that John William Polidori was the foremost nineteenth century authors whose penchant to blend together components of vampirism intoRead More Vampires and Vampirism Essay986 Words   |  4 Pagesnineteenth-century literature as a combination of all of the classic elements that distinguish the vampire from other creatures and to examine human experience. The vampires English literary life began in 1819, when The Vampyre was published. The author of this novel was John Polidori, Lord Byrons doctor and companion, who finished the idea that Byron had started but never completed. The popularity of this novel resulted in what could be called a vampire craze in the 1820s in both English and FrenchRead MoreTwilight: Gender Representations and Sexuality in Vampire Tales1073 Words   |  5 Pagesand prey on them. Although vampires have not always been portrayed as sexual beings, they have sinful common traits: manipulability and cunning intelligence derived by their immortality and insatiable desires. Lord Ruthven, in The Vampyre, A Tale by John Polidori, created a complicated game only to see Aubrey agonizing between his belief and the sake of his own sister. This story also contains some sexual components like virginity and fornication, but the gist of this story is depicting pure evilRead MoreAnalysis Of The Monk 849 Words   |  4 P agescharacters in order to fully unveil and critique the decay of society. Surprisingly — or perhaps not so —, in the midst of such a degenerative dichotomy it was from the overt, friendly competition between Mary and Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and Polidori that came the genesis of monsters that still roam through our imagination. In 1818, Mary Shelley creates one of the most emblematic figures of Gothic literature: Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus is a tale that combines the new anxieties resultingRead MoreThe Vampire Evolution Of The Novel Vampire 1520 Words   |  7 Pagesprone to sunburn, they’ve always had this peculiar yet charming attraction about them, and have a constant thirst for blood. Throughout this time period many detailed elements and features have been added to the vampire’s life cycle. The Vampyre by John Polidori was written in 1819 which was when vampires were newly introduced to the world. In this text we have the innocent victim Aubrey who ends up meeting this unusual but attractive man named Lord Ruthven who was a vampire all along. Focusing onRead MoreAnalysis Of Mary Shelley s Frankenstein 1028 Words   |  5 Pagescouple famously spent a summer with Lord Byron, John William Polidori, and Claire Clairmont near Geneva, Switzerland† (Wikipedia). Because the weather was rather confining, they remained inside, and decided to tell each other ghost stories to pass the time away. What manifested that faithful night became two legendry tales of horror and science gone wrong, as mentioned in Guy Haley’s book Sci-Fi Chronicles, â€Å"Polidori produced a short story, The Vampyre, which was more influential initially and providedRead MoreEssay on The Everlasting Dark Shadow of Romanticism2650 Words   |  11 Pagesliterary icons in history was Mary Sh elley. Mary Shelley first came up with the idea for Frankenstein when in the summer of 1816 at Lake Geneva Lord Byron put together a ghost story competition and the participants included Byron, Percy Shelley, John William Polidori and an eighteen year old Mary Shelley (Huston). Whether Shelley anticipated that her story of reanimation and death turning to life would be her masterwork is unknown, although it is likely that she never anticipated the kind of response thatRead MoreEssay On Vampires And Zombies820 Words   |  4 Pagesthe New York Times. They wrote about how the vampires came about, and why they are still popular today. They said that â€Å"Polidori gave birth to the two main branches of vampiric fiction: the vampire as romantic hero, and the vampire as undead monster† (Del Toro and Hogan 283). It means that John William Polidori was the inventor of the vampire after he published his book- â€Å"The Vampyre†. Nowadays, the vampires are considered either the romantic heroes, or the undead monsters (Del Toro and Hogan 283).Read MoreThe Evolution Of Vampire Literature2831 Words   |  12 Pagescould agree there is a prejudice towards a vampire being an â€Å"evil† or antagonist character. Each century has significant piece of works that contribute to the sub-genre of vampire literature. From the 18th century vampire literature by Bram Stoker and John Polidori’s depiction of what exactly is a vampire. Then there was a wave of authors delving into the sub-genre. When thinking of modern vampire fiction, Anne Rice comes to mind as someone who helped it become more mainstream and inspire other modernRead MoreWhere Do Monsters Come From? - The History Of Frankenstein And The Vampyre2381 Words   |  10 PagesChristian Bucholz Professor Johnston English 1102 25 June 2016 Where Do Monsters Come From? – The History of Frankenstein and The Vampyre Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Dr. John Polidori’s The Vampyre were conceived in 1816 on a blustery and rainy evening in Western Europe. That night, they not only created science fiction, but molded horror fiction and gothic fiction a we know them today. Such a frightful summer night, with overly violent storms cascading across the lands with such ferocity