Vampires before Dracula

While Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula is often considered the definitive vampire story, the creature's journey into popular literature actually began in 1732 with a London newspaper account of “actual” vampires in Serbia. For the next 165 years, writers from England to Russia adapted the folklore to their own purposes, transforming the original bloodsucking peasant into a suave nobleman. Reimagining vampires as seductive aristocrats allowed authors to explore themes of class privilege, addiction, and transgressive sexuality. In this course, we trace the fictional ancestry of Count Dracula, including Lord Ruthven, a vampire based on the real-life Lord Byron. We then look at the parallel literary development of the female vampire, starting with the Jewish demon Lilith, and including the famous lesbian vampire Carmilla, detailing how the female undead was interpreted as everything from a monster to a tragic rebel against the patriarchy. This course uses the Hybrid format which allows students to participate remotely and/or in the classroom. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to videos for 30 days.