... Count Dracula Count Dracula is practically the protagonist and antagonist of this book. The book is literally named after him. Bram Stoker, the author, describes the count as “a tall old man, clean shaven save for a long white mustache, and clad in black from head to foot, without a single speck of colour about him anywhere…[h]is face was strong- a very strong- aquiline, with high bridge of the thin nose and peculiarly arched nostrils…[a] lofty domed forehead and hair growing scantly round temples, but profusely elsewhere…eyebrows were very massive, almost meeting over the nose and with bushy hair that seemed to curl in its own profusion. The mouth […] was fixed and rather cruel-looking, with peculiarly sharp teeth; these protruded over the lips. […] His ears were pale and at the top extremely pointed. The chin was broad and strong and the cheeks firm through thin.” In addition, he had sharp nails and very bad breath. What many don’t know, is that Stoker made a very distinct allusion to a real Dracula; Vlad Dracul III. The count has many similarities to Vlad Dracul but still differentiates to the extent of making Stoker’s Dracula a very popular icon. The book mentions three women living in his castle with him and even argues about how he doesn’t love in page 43 chapter 3. In response, Dracula states that they know how he has been able to love and they should know from the past. According to the book Dracula, some writers in the twentieth century...
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...history of vampires, how they’ve progressed, and the truth behind the myths. Introduction: Everybody seems to have been bit by the latest craze of vampire fever. Get it? Bit!? Movies and television shows have been coming out left and right within the past couple of years about these blood sucking monsters, but what is the story behind it all? How was the thought of an immortal blood drinking being originated? It all started long ago… Body VLAD THE IMPALER! 1. Born to Vlad Dracul (dragon) in late 1431 2. Vlad Dracul head of the order of the dragon, high honor, called himself Dracula 3. Throne threatened- father and older brother died, devoted to revenge. 4. 1469 he regained the throne- the blood bath begins 5. Kept slaves to build castle, tortured and punished. 6. held social status and power very high – rid his kingdom of poor/homeless/handicap by burning 7. Rumors: ate flesh, drank blood. Held dinner parties next to impaled Bram Stoker 1. 1897 Bram Stoker wrote Dracula 2. general plot summary of Dracula 3. Derived from Vlad Dracula / Carmilla (Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, 1872) 4. Dracula the movie (1931) 5. Pale complexion, fangs, blood thirsty, soulless, etc… Modern Day Vampires 1. Vampire rules vary from show to show and movie to movie 2. Often associated with special powers. 3. Werewolf enemies 4. Often keep the same qualities of Dracula Conclusion: Vampires have come a long way over the years. The...
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... Section 3 Religion and Dracula Bram Stoker’s Dracula In modern day society pretty much everyone has heard of and/or seen an interpretation of vampires and, the supposed king of all vampires, Count Dracula, whether it be in all the several different variations and interpretations that can be seen in movies (most recently the series of Blade movies starring Wesley Snipes) that have been released over the last few decades all the way to “The Count” on “Sesame Street” the long running children’s television show) or “Count Chocula” (on the cover of a children’s cereal box). When people hear either the word vampires or Dracula, most of the time people tend to think about the mythical blood sucking race of immortals called vampires and also some people that know a little more than the average person does about vampires may think about several of their stereotypical characteristics such as: they are from a place called Transylvania, they have sharp, pointy teeth to draw blood from the necks of humans, they can not come outside during the day, they sleep in coffins, turn into bats, and they are killed by pure silver, garlic, and several religious artifacts. However, people do not really think about all the connections between the vampires and all of the religious artifacts that are said to kill them. Religion plays a major role in the story of Dracula, because when one looks closely enough to what vampires and Dracula are all about one can see that vampires...
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...The Diversity of the Mythological Creature Vampire Through Time and History It’s been a hundred years since Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and the vampire and its tales have swept the world in a whirlwind craze. Since, there has always been a fascination with the mystery of a vampire. Someone wearing plastic fangs, a cape, and black evening clothes will instantly remind you of the mythological creature. The much feared creature is and was portrayed in a number of ways. In the early days when they were just folklore, vampires were blood sucking predators and feared pale stalkers. In Vampire God: the Allure of the Dead in the Western Culture (2009), discussing the popularity of vampires in society, Mary Y. Hallab says that the folklore vampire is constantly compared to the other supernatural beings like witches and werewolf’s, and today’s concept is also a confused being, a zombie? A lover? Hallab states that “vampires are only those figures—folkloric, mythical, or literary—who are dead humans who are still capable of behaving as though they are alive.” Today, vampires have become a culture of their own, and are a huge part of mainstream pop culture. The Twilight Cullen’s and Sesame Street’s Count Dracula have a whole new appeal on adults and children. The appeal is not always good. According to Vampire Gothic, which is about vampire gothic cultures in United States, Teresa A. Goddu discusses a teenage vampire clan that was discovered in Murray, Kentucky, that was found...
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...the most notorious and iconic figures all over the world. With the steady stream of vampire novels, films, and television shows being produced, it is fair to say that the vampire has become the dark horse of literature, every enthusiasts dream. Yet this wasn’t always the case, because vampires were once considered the stuff of nightmares. Every culture has stories of these once terrifying ‘bloodsucking demons’ that, according to literary historian Brian Frost, “may go back to prehistoric times”. However, many of the myths surrounding such creatures emerged mainly during the 18th century particularly arising in Eastern Europe in areas such as Serbia, Roma, and Slovakia. The major paradigm shift from the early 19th century to the early 21st century is a complete change in attitude and definition of a vampire from a terrifying creature of the night to a romantic and beautiful almost-human, resulting from a change in religious and societal beliefs. These myths sparked a mass hysteria throughout most the 18th century, with frequent reported sightings of alleged vampires. Most famous of which was the case of Serbian peasant Arnold Paole who is believed to be the first man accused of being a vampire (Marx). It was supposed he had killed 17 people from his village during the night, later returning to his coffin. Government officials who ordered his coffin to be opened believed at the time the body (which looked perfectly fine apart from the slight trickling of blood out the mouth)...
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...different names, such as vrykolakas in Greece and strigoi in Romania. This increased level of vampire superstition in Europe led to mass hysteria and in some cases resulted in corpses actually being staked and people being accused of vampirism. While even folkloric vampires of the Balkans and Eastern Europe had a wide range of appearance ranging from nearly human to bloated rotting corpses, it was the success of John Polidori's 1819 novella The Vampyre that established the archetype of charismatic and sophisticated vampire; it is arguably the most influential vampire work of the early 19th century,[9] inspiring such works as Varney the Vampire and eventually Dracula.[10] However, it is Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula that is remembered as the quintessential vampire novel and which provided the basis of modern vampire fiction. Dracula drew on earlier mythologies of werewolves and similar legendary demons and "was to voice the anxieties of an age", and the "fears of late Victorian patriarchy".[11] The success of this book spawned a distinctive vampire genre, still popular in the 21st century, with books, films, video games, and television shows. The...
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...The Origin of the Vampire Vampires, are they a mythical creature that was created by superstition and folklore or did they begin from someone’s fantastic imagination based on a real live person? Or maybe it was created to explain a cluster of misunderstood medical conditions that began before the medical world had advanced science and knowledge on the body and its psyche. It’s a word that inspires awe, fear, and romanticism all at once. Vampires are known in every culture and have been kept alive through stories that have been told throughout the generations. When someone utters the word “vampire” most people’s mind jump to Dracula from the great love story written by Bram Stoker. Dracula was created because Stoker was inspired by a real live man, the infamous, Vlad Tepes from Romania. That story is where love and vampires were intertwined and a kind of admiration was born. Only till recently they have become these seductive beautiful men and women in movies like ‘Twilight’ and ‘The Lost Boys’. So we are going to embark on the journey of where vampires began and explore the different aspects and origins of vampires. How these creatures were created was recorded in European folklore, Greek Mythology, found in medical conditions, and even taken from an excluded book of the bible. What is a vampire? Where did they come from? Well to get some answers we must first start at the beginning. First we must look at the word vampire. It is also spelled “vampir” or “vampyre”...
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...gothic features and techniques are applied and are easily recognised to help anyone understand the horror genre more clearly. It is usual in horror texts for there to be a conflict between good and evil characters, dark and spooky settings, and a suspenseful build-up that causes tension for the audience and makes them wonder what might happen next. Van Helsing is about a troubled man who dedicates his life to rid the world of evil forces as he tries to hunt down the unanswered questions of his past. He finds himself on a quest in Transylvania to kill Dracula and prevent the continuation of his kind, along with Anna, a brave woman whose family has been killed by vampires for over 400 years. Dracula is a powerful and dangerous character who is immediately regarded as the antagonist from his first word, “success!” It is enhanced by a loud boom of thunder to create shock and an element of excitement for the audience and marks Dracula as a threatening and frightening character. Monstrosity is likewise displayed through Frankenstein’s character when we are introduced to him. We are given three close-up shots of his eyes, hand, and yelling mouth which makes the audience think that he is this gruesome creature when he is only just misunderstood. Many times in the film, we see gothic architecture such as Dracula’s castle and the Church of Notre Dame. In the scientist’s lab we see lights flickering and sparks flying violently - typical in many horror films with evil scientists; this is...
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...Elizabeth Bathory has been portrayed over time as one of the most prolific and sadistic serial killers the world has known. She was nicknamed “The Blood Countess”, and also “Lady Dracula”. Elizabeth Bathory is reputed to have not only drunk but bathed in the blood of young virgin girls. She is perhaps less well-known only than the infamous Vlad Dracula, who was an inspiration for Bram Stoker’s fictional Count Dracula. During the years since Dracula was published, the Blood Countess has exercised a powerful fascination on many writers and film-makers. However, recently, there have been many books and films that go against the usual image of Bathory, and take a new look at her. Through my essay, I hope to give a fresh look at the life and death of Countess Elizabeth Bathory and pick out the truth from many myths surrounding her, due to the portrayal of Elizabeth Bathory’s crimes in popular culture. Countess Erzsébet Báthory, also known as Elizabeth Bathory, was a member of a powerful family from an estate at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, the Bathory family. She was born in 1560 to Baron George Bathory and Baroness Anne Bathory (“Blood Countess,” par.1). Elizabeth was raised on Ecsed, an estate in Transylvania. Elizabeth was not an easy child, nor was life easy for her, despite being a member of the privileged class. She was said to suffer from a brain disorder associated with increased aggression which could be due to inbreeding, which was very popular in royal families...
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...ADOLF HITLER WAS EVIL BUT NOT MONSTROUS A Review of the Literature Alex Esomonu Thompson River University Authors Note This paper was prepared for ENG 1100, taught my… Abstract The name Adolf Hitler will remain in the minds of many for years to come for his contributions in World War II. Born in Austria in 1889, Hitler rose to become the leader of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. He initiated World War II and oversaw fascist policies that resulted in millions of deaths. History gives account of many leaders whose actions will never be forgotten but the story of Hitler and his Nazis’ Germany is one that pricks the conscious mind on how Evil or monstrous Man can be. This paper looks at the word evil and its manifestations in the actions or inactions of Men as well as Adolf Hitler, his life and his actions in relationship with the word Evil and monstrous. Adolf Hitler Was Evil but Not Monstrous. A Review of the Literature Since the beginning of the world, Evil has existed and has been buried in the heart of Men. Virtually all religions support the existence of evil despite their various concepts of its existence. Over the years the...
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...Elizabeth Bathory has been portrayed over time as one of the most prolific and sadistic serial killers the world has known. She was nicknamed “The Blood Countess”, and also “Lady Dracula”. Elizabeth Bathory is reputed to have not only drunk but bathed in the blood of young virgin girls. She is perhaps less well-known only than the infamous Vlad Dracula, who was an inspiration for Bram Stoker’s fictional Count Dracula. During the years since Dracula was published, the Blood Countess has exercised a powerful fascination on many writers and film-makers. However, recently, there have been many books and films that go against the usual image of Bathory, and take a new look at her. Through my essay, I hope to give a fresh look at the life and death of Countess Elizabeth Bathory and pick out the truth from many myths surrounding her, due to the portrayal of Elizabeth Bathory’s crimes in popular culture. Countess Erzsébet Báthory, also known as Elizabeth Bathory, was a member of a powerful family from an estate at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, the Bathory family. She was born in 1560 to Baron George Bathory and Baroness Anne Bathory (“Blood Countess,” par.1). Elizabeth was raised on Ecsed, an estate in Transylvania. Elizabeth was not an easy child, nor was life easy for her, despite being a member of the privileged class. She was said to suffer from a brain disorder associated with increased aggression which could be due to inbreeding, which was very popular in royal families...
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...education purposes. For two centuries, G has gripped and frightens readers of different ages. During the eighteenth century England, Gothic had become synonymous with the Middle Ages. It was a period perceived as chaotic, unenlightened and superstitious. “Renaissance critics erroneously believed that Gothic architecture was created by Germanic tribes and regarded it as ugly and barbaric. This erroneous attribution continued through the eighteenth century.” (http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/gothic/gothic.html) Horace Walpole first introduced this genre of literature in The Castle of Otranto in 1764. In the following years, successful gothic-inspired novels were published such as The Monk (1796), Frankenstein (1818) and Dracula (1897). Gothic stories often involve: - Gloomy weather - The appearance of the supernatural - The psychology of horror and terror - Spooky structures (castles, abbeys) - A sense of mystery and dread - The appealing hero and its villain - The heroine in danger - (Usually) a strong moral closure. The Gothic element in Jane Eyre emphasizes the mystery and the supernatural through the dark, gloomy settings and violent events, which raises a horrific atmosphere. Mr. Reed's ghostly presence in the red-room, Bertha's mysterious laughter in the attic, and Rochester's dark and brooding personality are all examples of gothic conventions, which add to the novel's suspense, entangling the reader in Jane's attempt to solve the mystery at Thornfield...
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...one purpose that is to serve and satisfy people’s entertainment needs. Fantasy is one such aspect of film making where people let their imagination fly and bring to life the most beautiful creatures and worlds. It maybe just a small gnome or giant troll, from pixies to witches, fantasy genre has appealed to a vast audience. Being a 90s kid, I learnt a lot of valuable things growing up which included how to defeat a troll on loose or how to trade my soul for immortality, even though a lot of these techniques haven’t been put to much use but I still believe there was good message for the viewers in there somewhere. This genre has been used for about a century and has hot the current pop culture pretty hard. Old people might remember the Dracula who wouldn’t spare a single life, that old character has been redefined and molded innumerous number of times to appeal the current generation audience, the current vampires sparkle and get married. The biggest part of the fantasy genre of films in my life would clearly be imagination and hope. A lot of these movies gave me the mental strength to always wait for the good things to happen when hard times were wandering upon me. A lot of people become actively imaginative and creative with their thinking. But the real reason this genre stands out than any other would be the part where everything non-existent or everything that we wished existed can be brought to life on a screen. One of the biggest films series like Lord of the rings, Harry...
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...At a time when the stalker movie had been exploited to all ends and the image of mute, staggering, vicious killers had been etched into society’s consciousness to the point of exhaustion, a new kid entered the block. The year was 1984 and it was time for a new villain to enter into the horror genre. A villain that was agile, intelligent, almost inviolable yet viscous, and by all means deadly. A Nightmare on Elm Street introduced the distinctive presence of Fred Krueger to the horror industry and to the audience. Freddy Krueger took the center stage and with him a new era of horror films began. This horribly scarred man who wore a ragged slouch hat, dirty red-and-green striped sweater, and a glove outfitted with knives at the fingers reinvented the stalker genre like no other film had. Fred Krueger breathed new life into the dying horror genre of the early 1980’s. Horror films are designed to frighten the audience and engage them in their worst fears, while captivating and entertaining at the same time. Horror films often center on the darker side of life, on what is forbidden and strange. These films play with society’s fears, its nightmare’s and vulnerability, the terror of the unknown, the fear of death, the loss of identity, and the fear of sexuality. Horror films are generally set in spooky old mansions, fog-ridden areas, or dark locales with unknown human, supernatural or grotesque creatures lurking about. These creatures can range from vampires, madmen, devils, unfriendly...
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...In Neil Postman's novel, Technopoly: the Surrender of Culture to Technology, he describes a society where technology is deified and, in fact, becomes a source of rationalization in which it takes the place of humans. His basis for technological theology is attributed to whom he describes as the founder of scientism, namely the belief that empiricism or positivism grounded in pure scientific discovery would tell us all we need to know about the world excluding the need for metaphysics or religion. Science, in turn, accordingly became the new god and technology, a branch and product of science, become deified as its mirror image. Postman describes technopoly as a "totalitarian technocracy" - totalitarian in that it is worshipped as an authoritative, all-controlling voice that demands the "submission of all forms of cultural life to the sovereignty of technique and technology" (Postman, 52) - drawing on Ellul for credence. Ellul's ideas of technology were that technology was a category independent to human action that was autonomous, "self-determinative" and undirected in its growth and reducing human life to finding meaning in machines (Ellul,13). Thus Postman, elaborating on Ellul, saw technology (primarily, but not exclusively, in the shape of computer) striving for world domination and that technology has been for a long time the god of humans.Others whom Postman draws upon are Harold Innis' concept of "knowledge monopolies" that explains the ways in which technology usurps...
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