Vampires: they're very popular these days. I'm just starting to get into vampire lore myself, which I guess makes me a late bloomer: Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series has, after all, been keeping many of you on the edge of your seats for ages at this point.
I'm not totally unfamiliar with today's notable vampires and vampire hunters, however; like many of you, I went through my flirtation with vampires when I got hooked on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series--I should add here that those of you who have never seen the series may want to reconsider your avoidance of the show; there's simply loads of fun to be had sitting on the couch with a pint of Ben and Jerry's and watching Buffy and her exceptionally good-looking friends hunt down exceptionally good-looking teenage vampires-- but I have never, until now, been compelled to dive very deeply into the world of vampire lore.
My newly revisited interest in the subject is largely the result of a vampire book I just read, The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova. The book, which is available through the Library as part of a Book Club Kit, details several academics' searches for the legendary Dracula. As I was reading it, I was especially smitten with the way Kostova incorporated real vampire folk lore into the novel. Although historically the assumed appearances and behaviors of vampires differ from region to region, Kostova's vampires resemble the vampires of Transylvanian folklore: pale, gaunt creatures similar in kind to the Dracula played by Bela Lugosi in the 1931 film version of Bram Stoker's famous novel.
In my research, I've been finding that much of the vampire material out there-- books, films, manga, etc.-- is fairly dark, which, in my mind, makes the researching the subject an appropriate pursuit for these long, summer days. After all, according to many legends, vampires have no tolerance for sun. (Or mustard seeds, as it turns out. Not that mustard seeds and summer are particularly related to each other.)
If you, too, find vampire lore worthy of your time, you might check out the following links for some reading/viewing suggestions:
http://www.vampirelibrary.com/lists/guide.htm
http://snarkerati.com/movie-news/top-70-vampire-movies-of-all-time/
My newly revisited interest in the subject is largely the result of a vampire book I just read, The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova. The book, which is available through the Library as part of a Book Club Kit, details several academics' searches for the legendary Dracula. As I was reading it, I was especially smitten with the way Kostova incorporated real vampire folk lore into the novel. Although historically the assumed appearances and behaviors of vampires differ from region to region, Kostova's vampires resemble the vampires of Transylvanian folklore: pale, gaunt creatures similar in kind to the Dracula played by Bela Lugosi in the 1931 film version of Bram Stoker's famous novel.
In my research, I've been finding that much of the vampire material out there-- books, films, manga, etc.-- is fairly dark, which, in my mind, makes the researching the subject an appropriate pursuit for these long, summer days. After all, according to many legends, vampires have no tolerance for sun. (Or mustard seeds, as it turns out. Not that mustard seeds and summer are particularly related to each other.)
If you, too, find vampire lore worthy of your time, you might check out the following links for some reading/viewing suggestions:
http://www.vampirelibrary.com/lists/guide.htm
http://snarkerati.com/movie-news/top-70-vampire-movies-of-all-time/
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