The Real History of Dracula

Meet your experts, Sara and Brittany, and explore Dracula in popular culture, as well as the roots of the vampire in European folklore that preceded Bram Stoker’s creation. Close with a consideration of why the vampire is such a seductive yet terrifying monster and why it continues to have such a powerful presence in contemporary media.

Dracula was first published in 1897 and was only moderately successful in the beginning. As you will see, over time, the novel changed the way we think about vampires and what they represent. Explore the creation of the novel, examine its plot and structure, and consider how it became such an integral part of Western culture and media.

Examine the folkloric, literary, and historical sources that influenced Stoker’s creation of Dracula, including figures like Vlad the Impaler, the demon Lilith, Jack the Ripper, and others. Take a closer look at the Irish and Eastern European folklore traditions that likely inspired Stoker’s conception of the vampire.

Prior to Dracula, most vampires were considered little more than overgrown leeches; so why did Stoker make his vampire an elegant, sophisticated count? Look back to the year 1816. Trace the origins of the prototype for the aristocratic, Byronic vampire that was born in John Polidori’s short story The Vampyre.

One of the major contributing factors for the popularity of vampires, and Dracula in particular, is Dracula’s proximity to the birth of the film industry in the early 20th century. Consider the way the vampire has become more attractive and romantic in modern renditions and what these stories say about both our desires and our anxieties.

Vampires are not just monsters that can kill you—they are monsters you could become. As you will see, this association with contagion or infection taps into very specific anxieties about death, disease, endangering the community, and more. You will also see how Dracula and other vampire narratives have affected the real-world discourse of disease.

Dracula is part of a tradition of the “imperial Gothic,” a sub-genre of the late Victorian period that often presented the fear of foreign invasion or loss of power through the lens of the supernatural. And consider: How do more recent vampire stories challenge the racist fears and imperial anxieties of their predecessors?

Where did the typical weapons used against vampires—wooden stakes, garlic, and crosses—develop from? And why have the methods to fight vampires changed so much over time? Consider the traditions and superstitions that have been associated with vampires and see how Bram Stoker brought various sources together in his definitive vampire story.

Vampires have found their way into numerous genres beyond horror and supernatural thrillers. Follow the vampire into the fairy tale and see what kind of shadow his presence casts there. Trace the parallels between vampire stories and several different versions of the famous fairy tales “Bluebeard” and “Snow White.”

Close the course with a look at the impact of the vampire in the real world. From the harmless hobbies of legend tourism, vampire balls, and roleplaying games to the much darker realm of “vampire” serial killers, the allure of the vampire has crossed over from fiction into reality in a range of ways.