Keep it light, Charles — I don’t believe I ever heard such a pejorative in all my years and I came of age at the height of ‘the Troubles’.
In any case, we digress.
I am sorry to have upset you. I had no idea you had led such a sheltered life, you poor chap.
In my happy days in the Emerald Isle that expression was just part of the vernacular, as were many others too vile to mention now!
We live in feeble times.!
Ah vampires – hypnotised to act against your will; penetrated by fangs; acceptable porn for Victorians and then right up to the sixties. I love the Hammer films, brilliantly cast.
Last edited 1 year ago by Ian Stewart
hayden eastwood
1 year ago
I always thought they were obvious allegories for psychopaths. The being sucked dry of your life blood, the fact that you can’t spot that they’re predators until it’s too late, etc etc
Graeme Archer
1 year ago
I loved this article – thank you for it. I think of Stoker’s Dracula as one of the rare ‘perfect stories’ – perfect gothic, anyway. Regarding the suspicion of Protestants about vampire folk stories — if I remember correctly, Jonathan Harker is offered a crucifix for protection on his early journey to meet the Count, but is in two minds about wearing it (because of his Anglicanism.)
Arden Babbingbrook
1 year ago
Somewhat unusual to read an analysis of Dracula that doesn’t reference Ireland. Stoker’s mother was from the west of Ireland and was reported to be quite superstitious, and would scare her children with tales of the living dead from a cholera outbreak in Sligo.
Jerry Carroll
1 year ago
I’m surprised the author makes no mention of the 10,000 people Vlad is said to have impaled in the path of an invading army from Asia. Gazing upon this sight, the invaders reasoned that if Vlad treated his own people like this, what could they expect from such a monster. The army turned and returned from whence they had come.
It was actually the advance guard of Mehmet the Conqueror’s army from which Vlad created the “forest of the impaled” which dissuaded the Sultan from continuing his campaign. Vlad Tepes should be counted with Charles Martel as having saved Europe from Islamic conquest, as it is not at all clear that a Seige of Vienna fifty years earlier than actually happened would have gone so well for the defenders.
Surely John Hunyadi deserves most of the credit for that?
Jeff Cunningham
1 year ago
Interesting contrast with the whole “zombie” thing which is so wildly popular in the recent decade. I wish he had expanded more on that. It’s a real phenomenon the popularity of “zombies” and the idea of a “zombie apocalypse”.
Steve Murray
1 year ago
I’m afraid the author failed to mention Count Duckula, which was the perfect introduction for children into the mythologies of laughing in the face of evil. I’ve always thought that instead of garlic, holy water etc. Bram Stoker should’ve used laughter as the best means of warding off the undead. Easier said than done though, if faced with a salivating ghoul.
But also think of the way we took to mocking Hitler during WW2 as a means of demythologing his messianic profile. It worked.
Gary Cruse
1 year ago
We do so, mostly, by feeling our way into it, until we can bear no more and recoil.
Failure to recoil can create an existential angst that is psychologically unhealthy. Advice to the susceptible is “don’t ruminate.” Applied consistently, this builds a bridge under one’s feet leading out of, or partially insulating one from the abyss below.
As advanced age leads to the need for a saner view of death, I at present think of it as what I experienced with an anasthesia containing the hypnotic propofol.
As if you took a video of something and edited out a part, on replay there is no sensation of anything ever having been there. That was the surgery. I expect that, but with the tape ending at the splice. And nothing more. It’s hard to be afraid of that.
Irish.
Protestant.
The two are not mutually exclusive, Charles — many of my Irish friends are outside of communion with Rome (if they are believers at all, that is).
Agreed, but a bit different in the period 1847-1912, I would say.
Not at all — they’re every bit as hideously anti–Papist as their forebears. I pray daily they repent their wickedness.
I thought statistically they were a dying breed in the Republic, and will soon be ‘history’, or is that not so?
I think that Ampleforth, Downside and Worth are still turning out a few!!
You misunderstood me. I meant ‘Proddy Dogs’ are now in short supply in the Republic, or so I have heard..
Keep it light, Charles — I don’t believe I ever heard such a pejorative in all my years and I came of age at the height of ‘the Troubles’.
In any case, we digress.
I am sorry to have upset you. I had no idea you had led such a sheltered life, you poor chap.
In my happy days in the Emerald Isle that expression was just part of the vernacular, as were many others too vile to mention now!
We live in feeble times.!
Isn’t Ampleforth still under ‘interdict’?
Maybe the UDR and RUC thought that titled Catholic Officers in The Army were Vampires?
No, worse!
Voltaire was a Deist.
Ah vampires – hypnotised to act against your will; penetrated by fangs; acceptable porn for Victorians and then right up to the sixties. I love the Hammer films, brilliantly cast.
I always thought they were obvious allegories for psychopaths. The being sucked dry of your life blood, the fact that you can’t spot that they’re predators until it’s too late, etc etc
I loved this article – thank you for it. I think of Stoker’s Dracula as one of the rare ‘perfect stories’ – perfect gothic, anyway. Regarding the suspicion of Protestants about vampire folk stories — if I remember correctly, Jonathan Harker is offered a crucifix for protection on his early journey to meet the Count, but is in two minds about wearing it (because of his Anglicanism.)
Somewhat unusual to read an analysis of Dracula that doesn’t reference Ireland. Stoker’s mother was from the west of Ireland and was reported to be quite superstitious, and would scare her children with tales of the living dead from a cholera outbreak in Sligo.
I’m surprised the author makes no mention of the 10,000 people Vlad is said to have impaled in the path of an invading army from Asia. Gazing upon this sight, the invaders reasoned that if Vlad treated his own people like this, what could they expect from such a monster. The army turned and returned from whence they had come.
It was actually the advance guard of Mehmet the Conqueror’s army from which Vlad created the “forest of the impaled” which dissuaded the Sultan from continuing his campaign. Vlad Tepes should be counted with Charles Martel as having saved Europe from Islamic conquest, as it is not at all clear that a Seige of Vienna fifty years earlier than actually happened would have gone so well for the defenders.
Surely John Hunyadi deserves most of the credit for that?
Interesting contrast with the whole “zombie” thing which is so wildly popular in the recent decade. I wish he had expanded more on that. It’s a real phenomenon the popularity of “zombies” and the idea of a “zombie apocalypse”.
I’m afraid the author failed to mention Count Duckula, which was the perfect introduction for children into the mythologies of laughing in the face of evil. I’ve always thought that instead of garlic, holy water etc. Bram Stoker should’ve used laughter as the best means of warding off the undead. Easier said than done though, if faced with a salivating ghoul.
But also think of the way we took to mocking Hitler during WW2 as a means of demythologing his messianic profile. It worked.
We do so, mostly, by feeling our way into it, until we can bear no more and recoil.
Failure to recoil can create an existential angst that is psychologically unhealthy. Advice to the susceptible is “don’t ruminate.” Applied consistently, this builds a bridge under one’s feet leading out of, or partially insulating one from the abyss below.
As advanced age leads to the need for a saner view of death, I at present think of it as what I experienced with an anasthesia containing the hypnotic propofol.
As if you took a video of something and edited out a part, on replay there is no sensation of anything ever having been there. That was the surgery. I expect that, but with the tape ending at the splice. And nothing more. It’s hard to be afraid of that.
I want my 15 minutes back. 😀