Dracula essays

Dracula essays For centuries, vampires have served as a source of entertainment and as the subject of nightmares. The haunting image of the vampire has changed only subtly with time, however one transformation has been profound: no longer are vampires evil. Neil Jordans Interview with the Vampire, in contrast to Bram Stokers Dracula, removes the evil from the essence of the vampire. Physically, there has been little change to the portrayal of the vampire; there has been no need for change. Ghost-white skin, blood-red lips and ivory fangs evoke a sense of fear unlike any other. These features have typified the vampires image in the past and will undoubtedly continue to do so in the future. In Dracula, Jonathan Harker describes the Counts appearance: The mouth, so far as I could see it under the heavy mustache, was fixed and rather cruel-looking, with peculiarly sharp white teeth; these protruded over the lips, whose remarkable ruddiness showed astonishing vitality in a man of his years. For the rest, his ears were pale and at the top extremely pointed; the chin was broad and strong, and the cheeks firm and thin. The general effect was one of extraordinary pallor. (17-18) This description became that of the typical vampire and was adopted by Jordan for Interview with the Vampire. All of Jordans vampires present this classic appearance. In fact, Interview with the Vampires Armand, could easily have been mistaken for Count Dracula himself. Dracula instantly became one of the most poignant, disturbing characters of the literary underworld. He was evil in every sense of the word; this was punctuated by Draculas lack of emotion and remorseless killing. In one instance, three female vampires asked Dracula whether or not they would be fed from a bag writhing helplessly on the floor. For answer he nodded his head. One of the women jumped forward and opened it. If my ears did n...