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When Bram Stoker published "Dracula" in 1897, one has to wonder if he realized that he had given birth to a creature that would become a very important part of the romance novel genre - the vampire!! Although Stoker's novel was the definitive vampire tale, it was by no means the first. Transylvanian legends aside, the books about blood sucking creatures got their popular start when John Polidori took an idea of Lord Byron's and turned it into "The Vampyre", published during the Regency in 1819. In 1836 Theophile Gauthier published "La Morte Amoreuse" about a priest obsessed with a lovely vampire. That was followed in 1840 by "Varney the Vampire", a 'penny-dreadful' sheet that featured romance, mystery and blood. These publications were the literary equivalent of soap operas for Victorian society and were of equal popularity. LeFanu jumped on the bandwagon in 1872 with "Carmilla", one of the first vampire stories to offer a realistic portrayal of a vampire with human emotions and feelings. All these tales, however, simply paved the way for Bram Stoker, who produced the most influential and famous book on vampires and who gave bloodlust a name: "Dracula".
There have been many discussions as to why this particular book has remained among the most popular of the vampire tales. Consensus holds that it offers the perfect combination of horror, suspense, mystery and romance, and coincidentally is the first to suggest some strong sexual undercurrents in the relationship between the Count and Mina who share each other's blood. No matter the reason, "Dracula" really marks the beginning of our interest in the vampire as a central feature in a novel involving romance. But he hasn't quite made it to hero status yet. That takes a few more years! In fact quite a few more years! For at least the next four or five decades, vampires were cast in the role of the evil villain, sucking the life blood from an assortment of heroines and being finally defeated in suitably gory fashion (a stake through the heart and/or beheading were the most popular) by the hero.
Christopher Lee, with his tall, dark and magnetically handsome good looks, offered the first real glimpse of the vampire as a sex symbol. Many women in the audience found themselves wondering why the heroine would flee from such a gorgeous guy who could offer immortality with a nibble! Unfortunately, literature was still a ways behind the movies, and it was left to television, of all things, to push the vampire mystique up another notch! "Dark Shadows", which made its debut in 1967, presented us with an assortment of paranormal characters, amongst which were Barnabas Collins, vampire and his cousin, Quentin Collins, really handsome vampire! This enormously popular soap opera truly persuaded the young and enthuiastic viewing audience that a vampire could be a major sexual turn-on, and the trend was started.
In 1976, a book called "Interview with a Vampire" was published - and with it Anne Rice began the next phase of the vampire revolution. Her tale of Louis, the despondent and soulful vampire, and his charismatic cohort Lestat, showed the world a glimpse of the sexual magnetism and eroticism that could exist in vampire mythology, and readers were spellbound! Once again, movies helped this trend along; and the inspired casting of Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Antonio Banderas in the filmed version of Anne Rice's novel just about put the seal of approval on the vampire as a genuine, acceptable hero! In fact, Gary Oldham was a much more appealing hero as Dracula in the 1992 movie of the same name, than Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker. Nobody could have blamed Winona Ryder's Mina for choosing the ancient vampire as her lover instead of the lightweight Harker.
But is it only the thought of Brad Pitt stroking his teeth along our neck that makes the vampire hero so seductive? Well, to Pitt fans, probably yes, but there must be other reasons too. (Okay, I'll go along with Cruise, Banderas and also George Clooney in "From Dusk Til Dawn" although he wasn't, strictly speaking, a vampire in that one. I just thought that any discussion of gorgeous men would be woefully incomplete without a mention of George!)
Most vampires share some characteristics, although the world they inhabit can be changed at the whim of their creators. They need blood to survive, they don't like sunlight, and some elements can prove fatal - traditionally silver bullets, but these days more sophisticated night-dwellers are developing a fatal allergy to platinum or other minerals. They can live for eons (providing they can avoid stakes and other sharp implements), and are most usually created by another vampire. Apparently vampires themselves are sterile and seldom mate with the goal of producing offspring. Again, this last trait is at the discretion of the author. Occasionally they can be telepathic (now that's a definite plus when it comes to sensuality - imagine a man who knows exactly what to do and when to do it!!), and the garlic thing seems to have gone by the board - after all, if a vampire is the hero, then the heroine needs to get up close and personal with him, and the odor of garlic is not going to encourage the romantic mood at all!
So why is this pale, shadowy figure such a popular hero in so many romance novels? It would appear that his appeal is as varied as the stories in which he makes an appearance. Heroines (and readers) tend to find his presence "magnetic", his eyes "mysterious", and his kisses "tantalizing". Is it possible that his presence offers something out of the ordinary to us mortals whose own existence is peopled with ordinary human males? Perhaps he shares that special something that movie stars have - a mystique that comes through the lens of a camera and into the soul of the fan watching her favorite actor. As far as mysterious eyes are concerned, well if you've lived a thousand years on the blood of humans, I should think your eyes would be mysterious. Women have voted many times on the most appealing parts of men, and the eyes are consistently nominated as the first thing we notice on a guy. With the kind of experience a vampire has, his eyes are certainly going to be something special!! Most often they are dark - I can't think of too many blue-eyed night creatures, and perhaps this aura of the impenetrable night that surrounds them ensures vampires of the guaranteed attention of the women they choose as their heroines. As denizens of a sunless and frightening world, vampires are depicted as cool, pale-skinned sensual men, their touch is firm and sure, and they can hold a heroine captive with just a look from the eyes that are the window to a tortured soul. Here lies another part of their charm: the desire of the heroine to offer hope and redemption to the deep and abiding sadness that many sense beneath the surface of their vampire lover. Haven't we all felt that many a man would be greatly improved by the love of a good woman?
When it comes to kisses, well we know that practice makes perfect, and vampires have had millennia to practice - they'd better be the best kissers around! The level of sexuality in vampire novels can vary from practically none, to suggestively erotic. Once again, this is at the discretion of the writer, but it is undeniable that the vampire has a very strong sexual appeal. The fact that the neck bite is closely linked to the sexual act, in some cases to actual climax, lends a dark and almost violent edge to the lovemaking between our vampire hero and his heroine. Could this be part of the appeal to readers who have ordinary sex lives with ordinary humans, and are wondering if there might be something more somewhere? Studies have shown that a surprisingly large number of women find lovemaking less than satisfactory - perhaps some of them are fascinated by the notion that a bite on the neck from a pair of sharp teeth could induce a mind-blowing sexual experience! In addition, a writer is as free as her imagination when it comes to describing sex between a vampire and his lover, so many of the restrictions applied by mortal physiology and behavior can fly out of the window - there can be mutual blood exchange, no blood exchange at all, nibbling, biting, or a climax that transcends that of mortal beings! The mind boggles!
It is also important to note that a large number of vampire heroes are very much in control of things - their existence, the heroine, the problems that beset her, in fact they offer a surprisingly safe haven where she can feel protected by his supernatural abilities. This must be one of the most appealing characteristics of the vampire - the chance to run into a man's arms and know that you'll be completely and utterly safe! And yet isn't it surprising that this powerful sense of security is provided by a 'creature of the night' who feeds on human blood? In some books, vampires have a telepathic ability, which can vary from a simple sense of whether the heroine is in trouble or not, to the knack of being able to hold a mental conversation with her. Occasionally this is linked with the exchange of blood, but one would think that this might get annoying if the vampire was widely traveled and had fed on many different victims. One overriding fact remains constant - the heroine is head over heels in love with her vampire and this love enables the two of them to overcome all the obstacles placed in their way. Whether it's his lifestyle (she'd better be a night person), or her circumstances (vampires aren't the easiest guys to introduce to Mom and Dad), there is almost always the knowledge that love will triumph over even this enormous chasm between hero and heroine. I should mention here the interesting series of tales by Laurell K. Hamilton, about Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter. In these books, Anita has a very interesting vampire hero, the extraordinarily attractive Jean Claude, but because this is a series, their romance is very erratic, and is, in fact, complicated by the addition of another hero, a werewolf. It is hard to actually categorize these stories as romances, although it is certainly a very strong element. More easily described are stories by Susan Krinard, who also deals with werewolves, shapeshifters and an assortment of paranormal beings. Once again, the theme of love triumphant dominates - two people who love each other will find a way to be together. Perhaps it is this solid belief in the power of love being able to accomplish paranormal miracles that makes the vampire hero so popular. After all, romances, by their very nature. must tell the story of two people who belong together, and the obstacles placed in their path when one of them is a vampire are truly extraordinary. Whatever our reasons for liking (or disliking) vampire heroes, it is clear that they remain a very successful sub-genre within the romance novel field. Everybody who enjoys paranormal romance probably has a favorite author, favorite book or even a favorite vampire, and writers are continually challenging themselves to produce even more exciting love stories involving the Children of the Night! I will apologize to the many fans whose favorite novels I have inadvertently overlooked - this is a huge field with an enormous number of well written novels to its credit. My intention has been to take a brief look at the Lords of Darkness - and perhaps stimulate your interest if you haven't tried a vampire romance yet! My sentiments on this subject remain strong: Bite on, guys, bite on!
I am indebted to the following sites for some of the information used in this article: Changing Trends in Vampire Fiction by Beverly Richardson, and Why Vampires Have Fangs by Catherine Krusberg There are countless sites dealing with Vampires - you'll find the information you want somewhere! The animated BloodRose.gif file was created by Chelsiebelle Crafts. | |||
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