The Use and Obsolescence of Count Dracula, Research Paper Example

In Burying the Undead: The Use and Obsolescence of Count Dracula, Robin Wood examines how other vampire tales and myths have contributed to our perception of Dracula in modern popular culture. Ultimately, he believes that the vampire myths and stories experienced by our society build upon one another, and help establish an even greater myth than what was originally written by Bram Stoker. While Stoker introduced the concept of the vampire in literature, it began a human fascination of monsters and creatures that inspired related thoughts from other novelists and storytellers. The modern Dracula has evolved significantly from its original conception, which is evident in the Dracula movies produced by Murnau and Badham, in addition to the many later adaptations of the story that have been made.

The evolution of the story of Dracula provides an excellent example about how our cinematic standards, cultural values, and thematic concerns have evolved as well. While at first, we were simply satisfied with Dracula the monster, we evolved to become more concerned with his relationships with others. In some film adaptations, Dracula is seen as a scary beast that is capable of ending human life, while in others, he is seen as a creature capable of romance that is simply misunderstood. The way in which we portray the character of Dracula is directly tied into what a specific society and time period finds to be entertaining. Since Dracula is a human creation, we have the ability to change and mold his character to suit his needs.

When the character of Dracula was first developed, it is clear that the audiences of the time preferred to hear a horror story. Therefore, Dracula was dehumanized and made to perform terrible acts that would frighten young children. In the modern era, we are tired of the old perception of the vampire character, and can relate more closely to a monster that has the potential to be friendly. As a consequence, books and movies such as the Twilight series have appeared. The audience would rather swoon over the protectiveness and attractiveness of Edward Cullen than to fear him outright, and as a consequence, many current books and movies follow this trend. Because the image of the vampire has changed so drastically since the publication of Dracula in 1897, we can expect that producers and writers will need to adapt to the changing perception of the audience in order to adequately entertain them. It is therefore likely that the vampires we are familiar with today will shift in character significantly in the next several decades.

The author supports the argument that Dracula is a constantly evolving concept by stating “Dracula mythology has various historical sources and literary precedents”. While the concept of the vampire was not new when Stoker wrote his novel, he was able to take the existing vampire myth and mold in into an interesting story that would entertain his audience. As a consequence, individuals living in the late 1800s and early 1900s perceived vampires just as Stoker had written about it. He states that “Dracula is the product of Victorian sexual repressiveness”. As a result, this character was made to be a monster, but with sexual undertones that were unique for a vampire at this point in time. Future authors decided to utilize this feature of his character more and more as time went on, which is indicative of wants and needs of changing times.

To demonstrate his point, Wood also traces the evolution of each of the characters of the story. He notes that the character of Johnathan is relatively unchanging because he is the obligatory, leading man. However, this leaves room for the other characters in the novel to grow and change as a consequence of creative influence. Characters such as van Helsing and the love interest, on the other hand, have changed significantly, as the importance of their roles can be shifted in order to change the story. In the past, this has been done by determining who is the protagonist and antagonist and approaching the story from a variety of different angles. This is one specific way that the evolution of the Dracula story has been effective in entertaining new audiences.

In conclusion, the story of Dracula has changed significantly over time because the story was made to reflect changing audience interests. When the story was first conceived, it portrayed Dracula as a monster with sexual undertones, in order to appeal to a Victorian society. As time continued, Dracula became a villain, and a hero, and then a villain again in order to ensure that the audience would be able to connect with the story. The vampire tale continues to evolve into the modern day to suit newer audiences. It has allowed the development of stories like Twilight, which exemplifies the fact that vampire stories will continue to evolve in the future. Ultimately, the vampire will become whatever film producers and novelists believe will entertain us most, which is directly dependent upon the society in which we live.

Works Cited

Wood R. “Burying the Undead: The Use and Obsolescence of Dracula”. Mosaic, 1983.