The legacy of John Polidori

John Polidori's novella <i>The Vampyre</i> (1819) is perhaps 'the most influential horror story of all time' (Frayling). Polidori's story transformed the shambling mindless monster of folklore into a sophisticated seductive aristocrat that stalked London society rather than being confined to the hinterlands of Eastern Europe. Polidori's Lord Ruthven was thus the ancestor of the vampire as we know it. This collection explores the genesis of Polidori's vampire. It then tracks his bloodsucking progeny across the centuries and maps his disquieting legacy. Texts discussed range from the Romantic period including the fascinating and little-known <i>The Black Vampyre</i> (1819) through the melodramatic vampire theatricals in the 1820s to contemporary vampire film paranormal romance and science fiction. The essays emphasise the background of colonial revolution and racial oppression in the early nineteenth century and the cultural shifts of postmodernity.