Vampires are popular and sexy

Romanticism and Gothic literature

Gothic literature is morbid melodrama, and supernatural sensation, it was supposed to be a derivative of the Romantic revolution of the late 1700s and early 1800s. 'Romanticism emphasized the subjective, emotional and irrational aspects of life over the neoclassical ideals that then dominated the arts. A particular fascination with death, decay and the supernatural found its expression in the Gothic novel so called for the genre's favored images: crumbling castles, medieval monasteries, tombs and cemeteries, etc.' David J. Skall (2006)

In Gothic literature villains and creatures of evil emerge to cause harm to the living. These make the novels more exciting. The best villain being the vampire of course.

According to Nina Auerbach (1995), before Dracula vampires in England offered intimacy and this threatened the hallowed relationships and authority of husbands and fathers. The vampires would become the dangerous close friends, like the sort of 'boyfriend' that mum and dad disapprove of.


Bad and sexy
Let's face it ladies, we love the 'bad boy'. We seem to be attracted and fascinated by men who are dark, mysterious, scary and even somewhat dangerous. The vampire is a representation of the 'bad boy'. In 19th century fiction the character of the dark and attractive male was often referred to as the 'Byronic Hero'

The Byronic hero 

 As I mentioned before, the vampire was a very popular figure in literature during the Romantic and Gothic movement of the 19th century.  The most important vampire work of that century was dominated by the figure and reputation of the arch-romantic Lord Byron.

George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824) was a leading figure of Romanticism in England. A renowned poet and writer, he also had a reputation as a seducer and rake.

John Polidori was Byron's friend and doctor, he published a short Gothic novel called 'The Vampyre' in 1819.
The main character is a Byronic hero or villain in its fullest dimensions: a mysterious figure whose attraction draws people to him but whose secrecy and lonely brooding preclude relationships of any depth. Lord Ruthven is depicted as an aristocratic seducer who bites and eventually kills his female victims. Ruthven in a certain context can be depicted as a sexual predator or rapist.


The Byronic hero is a very important figure, it is like an antihero of sorts. He is a variant of the Romantic hero of the Romantic literature named after the famous author and poet. The most famous examples of Byronic heroes are, Mr Rochester in Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' and Heathcliff in Emily Bronte's 'Wuthering Heights'. Most modern day vampires are Byronic heroes now, for example; Louis, Edward, Angel and Stefan.

The Byronic Hero very often exhibits these traits:

. Arrogant

. Cunning and able to adapt

. Cynical

. Disrespectful of rank and privilege

. Emotionally conflicted, bipolar or moody

. Having distaste for social institutions and norms

. Having a troubled past or suffering from an unnamed crime

. Intelligent and perceptive

. Jaded, world weary

. Mysterious, magnetic, and charismatic

. Rebellious

. Seductive and sexually attractive

. Self-critical and introspective

. Self destructive

. Socially and sexually dominant

. Sophisticated and educated

. Struggling with integrity

. Treated as an exile, outcast and outlaw

Despite these somewhat negative traits, they can be great lovers in literature.

A vampire hero who is Byronic is therefore a very interesting and sexy character.  The first vampires were ugly bloated peasant creatures, from Eastern European peasant folklore and then became glamorous, brooding, sexy aristocrats. Thanks to Byron and Polidori the vampire became 'sexy' in a sense. Though the image of a sexy character in 19th century novel had to be represented in a manner that wouldn't shock the conservative readers and society too much. The vampire had to remain the villain and sexual deviant of the story but his actions which were hidden or suggested were seen as shocking, frightening, despicable or sexy to others.














This is Lord Byron

                                                    A photo of a Byronic hero

                                                     A picture of a Byronic hero, most likely Heathcliff

                                        Michael Fassbender as Mr Rochester in the 2011 film 'Jane Eyre'.

Poppy z. Brite points out that we are captivated by vampires because the vampire is everything we love about sex and the might and the dark dream-side of ourselves'. She calls it 'an endlessly versatile creature.'  (Jorg Waltje 2005)


The vampire is able to adapt to any environment, time and place, depending on his weaknesses.
We are fascinated by vampires because they are both human and supernatural, they are sexy because they are powerful, dangerous and forbidden. In 20th and 21st century literature, the vampire can still be a Byronic hero and villain like in Anne Rice's work for example,  but the frightening appeal it had during the 19th century is not as powerful.


Dangerous lovers are mostly found in romance novels today and TV shows such as True Blood. The shows dwells more on the Southern Gothic but it contains tropes of Gothic romance. The girl Sookie falls in love and has a sexual relationship with a vampire named Bill Compton, he is a gentleman but his nature is dangerous and he becomes fiercely protective of her even possessive. Later on in the show Sookie falls for Eric Northman another vampire, this time a viking. Like Bill he can be dangerous and possessive. Both vampires are exciting Gothic lovers because they are creatures of both light, dark, love, hate and life and death. A sweet innocent female character like Sookie instinctively falls in love with a 'Byronic hero' because she seeks to break away from her social circle and to enter a world that is exciting, new as well as dangerous.She is able to see beyond the dangerous nature and to possibly tame this man, much like Bella Swan in Twilight.


'Twilight's Edward Cullen, as a Byronic hero, such a male love interest allows the female protagonist-whether Bella Swan or Jane Eyre- to go out into the world and to learn what she herself is made of. The dominant , brooding, paranormal hero may draw the eye and serve to highlight the heroine's importance and uniqueness through his interest in her, but her story is the main story and she is the focal point of the narrative.'  (Mukherjea 2012)

Through these 'dangerous relationships' the female protagonists in the 19th century novels or the modern TV show gain strength and courage throughout the story. The heroine first comes out as shy, mousy and socially awkward but after meeting the 'byronic' or 'tall dark stranger' she evolves into a more interesting and strong character, she has her own existential trip.





Reference

. Auerbach N. (1995) Our Vampires, Ourselves. The University of Chicago Press

.Hallab, Mary Y, (2009) Vampire God: The Allure of the Undead in Western Culture, State University of New York Press

. Mukherjea, A. (2012) Mad, Bad and Delectable to Know: True Blood's Paranormal Men and Gothic Romance, in 'True Blood Investigating Vampires and Southern Gothic, edited by Brigid Cherry. I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd New York


. Skal D. J. (2006) Vampires: Encounters with the Undead. Black dog & Leventhal publishers. New York

.Waltje, J (2005) Blood Obsession: Vampires, Serial Murder and the Popular Imagination. Peter Lang

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