So I've been on this whole vampire kick lately, and it got me thinking: why the sudden obsession? Vampire novels and movies have been a huge hit for generations now; Bram Stoker's Dracula kicking things off, Ann Rice's Interview with a Vampire and the ensuing series, and most recently Stephenie Meyer's Twilight.
What our modern culture is conveniently forgetting is the obscenely morbid vampire history. Vampires were a legitimate threat in the minds of the Eastern Europeans to the point where they would dig up corpses and stake them just to ensure that they would not turn into vampires. Then Bram Stoker evolved the vampire idea from one of overt horror and gruesomeness to one that carried subtle undertones of sexuality and class - Dracula was a Count with the all the allure that comes with privilege. Anne Rice created vampires with a soul. Vampires that contemplated the hallowness of eternity, that searched for truth and meaning to their lives. With the Twilight series we see the emergence of an anti-hero that girls are swooning over. In editorials and marketing campaigns vampires are popping up all over the place, from the traditional Victorian Gothic inspired themes to lighter interpretations for sunglasses lines and youth fashion - all of which glamorize the vampire.
What is it that has captured us so completely with this folk fable? I think the vampire that we know now is one that has evolved to reflect our modern preoccupations and fears. Whereas in Medieval Europe when people feared the unexplained that went bump in the night, we find ourselves sated by science that the Medieval vampire cannot exist, and yet we continue with the imagery. Today we see a vampire that is no longer preoccupied with a thirst for blood, but with the need to feel a connection to something temporal and finite. More often than not, the vampires filling our imaginations are more concerned with truth and identity. Maybe they represent the hunger we have for human interaction, and remind us that we should savor every moment because we don't have an endless supply of them.
Deeper still, vampires hold the ultimate power over us - the ability to either condemn us to death or eternity, options that ultimately put an end to our lives as we know them. We have a fascination with things that hold power over us, to people who hold our lives in their hands. There is a marvel for that kind of power, one that we are hopelessly unable to overcome.
The vampire we know today is a philosophical, powerful, and deeply alluring being - characteristics that we at once fear and strive to embody. The vampire is our inner conflict, manifest. The development of the vampire myth evolves with our society.
All this thinking aside, I do love the aesthetic that comes with the vampire title. I fall victim to my own musings!
