Let us go back in time to the year
1819. This was when John Polidori created The Vampyre,
a twist on the modern bloodsucker. Among one of the first vampire
novels, it certainly isn't the work of a classical literature piece.
Polidori's vampire takes the form of Lord Ruthven, an anti-social
fellow.
Not much is really
known about this Vampire figure since Polidori doesn't fleshes out
his characters. However, the 'vampyre' still has superhuman strength
and the ability to call on the elements. Despite Lord Ruthven rather
fearful demeanor, he is still quite popular with everyone, the ladies
especially. Women flock to him like a moth to a flame, regardless of
social class. His power of seduction and his 'winning tongue' are a
lethal combination. For some reason, I'm picturing this image for
Ruthven:
Photo Credit: David R
According to this
story, the vampyre is known to have nightly orgies and release his
wrath on anyone who dares cross his path. Talk about creepy. One
notable difference is that there is no real detail on 'The Brides'.
The only mention of a bride is the main character's sister, at the
end, when the novella finishes on a chilling note. Spoiler Alert: She
gets changed into a Vampyre.
Sadly,
Ruthven's victims die quite the brutal death. “Upon
her neck and breast was blood, and upon her throat were the marks of
teeth having opened the vein”. For those times, if that doesn't say
'yuk', I don't know what does.
Give
this novella a read and share with me your thoughts. See you next
week!
