Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer analyses why Dracula has become the iconic vampire in popular culture today, and comes to the conclusion that it is because Bram Stoker tackles the issue of vampirism in a fundamental way. The writer contends that the fascination with vampirism is a reaction to modern society's faith in science and that this faith is able to blithely ignore death. The essay traces the origins of vampirism through history, and the context of the Enlightenment and modernism, which gives rise to Gothic literature in general. Stoker depicts the vampire as a revenge on modernism. The essay draws out the biblical parallels regarding the depiction of evil and how it is finally confronted. The writer shows how in the modern welter of irreligion vampirism remains thoroughly relevant, and the depiction in popular culture continues to reflect it.

From the Paper:

"Vampirism cannot he handled with the tools of experimental science, and therefore it reacts as if it doesn't exist. Van Helsing is not an ignorant quack, but is a qualified scientist himself. The difference is that science is not a fanaticism to him; is useful to the extent that it is applicable. Science is properly restricted to material evaluation, and therefore it will fail if it tries to explain matters pertaining to the soul. Vampirism, as Van Helsing tries to make out, is something entirely concerned with the soul. Thus, to overcome it he must become the agent of God, and not simply a rational doctor. He knows that ancient wisdom contains truth that is inexplicable by the yardstick of science. Therefore his is an open mind, which takes in both the old and new, with intelligence and common sense as the guide. It is the middle way which Stoker presents as the ideal."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Delany, Joseph F. "Preparation for Death." New Advent. Internet. Retrieved: 23 March 2008. < http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04660c.htm>
• De Vere, Nicholas. The Dragon Legacy. Contributor Tracy R. Twyman. New York: Book Tree, 2004.
• Dyson, Jeremy. "Battle of the bloodsuckers." The Guardian. Wednesday October 31, 2007. Internet. Retrieved: 23 March, 2008. <http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,2202187,00.html>
• Humphries-Brooks, Stephenson. "The Body and the Blood of Eternal UnDeath." The Journal of Religion and Popular Culture. Volume VI: Spring 2004.
• O'Connor, John. The Enduring Fascination Of 'Dracula'. The New York Times. March 5, 1978, Sunday.

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