The legacy of John Polidori: The Romantic vampire and its progeny [Hardcover]

John Polidoris novella The Vampyre (1819) is perhaps the most influential horror story of all time (Frayling). Polidoris story transformed the shambling, mindless monster of folklore into a sophisticated, seductive aristocrat that stalked London society rather than being confined to the hinterlands of Eastern Europe. Polidoris Lord Ruthven was thus the ancestor of the vampire as we know it. This collection explores the genesis of Polidoris vampire. It then tracks his bloodsucking progeny across the centuries and maps his disquieting legacy. Texts discussed range from the Romantic period, including the fascinating and little-known The Black Vampyre (1819), through the melodramatic vampire theatricals in the 1820s, to contemporary vampire film, paranormal romance, and science fiction. The essays emphasise the background of colonial revolution and racial oppression in the early nineteenth century and the cultural shifts of postmodernity.GB

Sam George is Associate Professor of Research at the University of Hertfordshire and Co-convenor of the Open Graves, Open Minds Project
Bill Hughes is Co-convenor of the Open Graves, Open Minds Project

This collection explores the genesis of John Polidoris foundational novellaThe Vampyre(1819). It then tracks his bloodsucking progeny across the centuries and maps his disquieting legacy from the melodramatic vampire theatricals in the 1820s, through further Gothic fictions and horror films, to twenty-first century paranormal romance.

John Polidori is the least regarded figure in the history of literary vampirism and yet his influential novellaThe Vampyre(1819) is perhaps the most influential horror story of all time (Frayling). Surprisingly, it has never before been the subject of a book-length critical study. Polidoris story transformed the shambling, mindless monster of folklore into a sophisticated, seductive aristocrat that stalked London society rather than being confined to the hinterlands of Ealƒ#