What Role Did Dracula Play In Modern Society?

While vampires have been feared by humankind for centuries, due to their immortality and power, these same traits have also proven to be causes for envy as well. Vampires have made their way through traditional folklore into mainstream society through both cinema and movies, and their traits have evolved with the times. Count Dracula made his first appearance in 1897, in Bram Stoker's, Dracula, and he had many up and coming supernatural bloodsuckers following and making slight changes along with the changing times of modern society. This evolution is so marked by the differences between Count Dracula and Anne Rice's, Lestat de Lioncourt of the Vampire Chronicles, which are most notably, their appearance, sexuality, and means of obtaining food.

The original Vampire, about whom countless horror movies and stories have been created, was a monster. Count Dracula was frightening to look at. He was a monster with gnarled fingers, sharp pointy fingernails, bushy eyebrows, a beak nose and red gleaming eyes. However, Dracula's physical appearance changed drastically following his satiated blood

lust. The blood made his appearance more youthful. The horror genre took this concept and ran with it. At the time Dracula was written, society was deeply rooted in religion and Dracula represented the darker side of life; the side of Satan. As time went on, however, and Christianity lost its grip on the masses, the vampire changed along with it. Anne Rice was raised as a catholic and still managed to modernize the vampire. Her most famous character, Lestat, was a beautiful man. Lestat was white and smooth and beautiful to look at, although, it was expected that over the years his skin would turn hard like stone as it did with his predecessors. He had to powder his face to make it less glowing in order to hide among humans, such was his beauty. In literature, the author is given the freedom to twist and change folklore at will, which Anne Rice takes upon herself to such an extent that she is seemingly creating her own mythology of Vampires.

Dracula was a masculine supernatural being who was created in a time when women had little freedom in the world and were considered inferior. Patriarchal religion in society was likely the cause for this aspect of the character. In the late 1800's, women were considered weak, and less than their male counterparts. While society progressed, the literature was soon to follow, or did it happen the other way round? Lestat was a bisexual. He was feminine in appearance and did not permit gender to prevent him from going after his affections. The life he created with his companion, Louis de Point de lac, and the child vampire they reared together was a testament to his open nature in regards to sexual orientation and gender roles. Lestat's sexuality also provided a gateway for accepted forms of homosexuality, allowing massive numbers of gay and lesbian fans an integrated subculture, eventually freeing them from the dark closet a coffin can represent

While both Dracula and Lestat are formidable hunters, their means of obtaining their prey are markedly different.

Dracula was an enigmatic character, who could summon victims to him from their sleep, at which point, resulting from the trance he put them under, they would walk to a location of his choosing and he would then freely feast upon their blood. In addition, he was able to change shape and size; even consistency. He could turn into a mist to enter a room or decide to trade in his manly form for that of a bat. Despite all of Dracula's amazing powers he still managed to find himself on the end of a stake. Lestat, on the other hand, although he was quite capable of putting people under his spell, had to go to his victims personally. He may seem the weaker of the two. Lestat did not have the ability to control animals in any way, nor could he shape shift or control the

weather.

Count Dracula and Lestat de Lioncourt may have some differences, but their similarities may be what we should fear the most. They both have superhuman strength, immortality, and the wisdom of the ages which is something to fear, most certainly.