Bram Stoker s Dracula And Richard Matheson s I Am Legend...

Emma Kiy 6414631 ENG 2136 Dr. Seam Moreland Friday, 28 November, 2014 Oh, The Shark Has Pretty Teeth Dear and He Show’s ‘em, Pearly White When the image of a vampire is brought to mind one imagines a tall, thin and pale European aristocratic man dressed in fine clothes and displaying a set of pearly white fangs. However neither the aristocratic status nor the fangs can be found in folkloric accounts of vampirism. The true image of a vampire is a difficult thing to describe due to the influence that different cultures have had on the development of the myth. The depiction of vampirism in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend differ from one another and while these depictions stray from the folkloric accounts of vampires both find their roots in legend. The folkloric vampire has taken many different forms and has held a variety of traits, skills and weaknesses; each mirroring the customs, beliefs, and fears of different cultures (Bartlett 1). I can be difficult to find one all encompassing description of a vampire due to the myths discrepancy among cultures. Vampire myths and legends exist in many cultures spanning the globe. Each has its own beliefs in regards to the creation, appearance, abilities, and extermination of vampires. In â€Å"Vampirism as Mental Illness: Myth, Madness and the Loss of Meaning in Psychiatry† blood is described as being an essential source of life and vitality (MacSuibhne). Blood has a crucial role in the maintenance ofShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Novel Dracula 1452 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis of Dracula Although Dracula was not the first vampire novel, the effect that Bram Stoker’s creation had on the vampire genre is undisputable. At the time, it was written intellectual revelations during the 19th century had begun to change what people fear. Archaic legends like vampire stories no longer inspired terror in industrializing areas like Britain. What made Dracula widely successful was the incorporation of modern themes and anxieties with the renowned archetype of the vampire