Evolution Of Vampire Images In Gothic Fictions From Stoker,Rice To Meyer

Vampire legend is the product of human wisdom. Vampire images in literary works have been revamped with the development of human society, which correspondingly reflects the changes of the human existence and ideology at different times.This thesis revisits vampire images depicted by three typical writers: Bram Stoker,Anne Rice and Stephaney Meyer. The study is conducted from three perspectives, which are evolution of vampire images’ physical and psychological traits, the metaphorical evolution of vampire images and the thematic evolution of vampire images. Stoker’s vampire image is a demonic blood-sucker who kills people unscrupulously to meet his own desire. Rice’s vampire suffers severe inner struggle between humanity and monstrosity, which arouses human sympathy.Meyer’s vampire is barely distinguished from human beings and bears noble character.Evolution of vampire images also reflects the change of social culture. Stoker’s vampire image is the metaphor of cruel aristocracy and exotic invader at that time. Rice’s vampire family embodies marginalized sufferers and loners in reality. Meyer’s vampires’ love reflects human pursuit for pure romance. Despite sharing common themes, the three writers offer different opinions. Hopefully, this thesis is of use to help readers better understand the underlying meaning of vampire literature and further introspect their own lives.