Despite not being the first vampire novel, Dracula shaped how we perceive the genre even now. Through reflecting sociohistorical fears of invasion, Dracula contributes to the world of blood, fangs, and mystery, established by its predecessors such as Carmilla by Sheridan La Fanu and The Vampyre by John Polidori. Alluring and exotic, Count Dracula establishes the figure of the male vampire as both disturbing as well as enticing.
The origins of vampire fiction becoming popular can be traced back to Nosferatu in the 1920s. Based on the original Dracula, Nosferatu was a grotesque figure. His limbs were deformed and he was extremely unattractive. Nosferatu, a greasy, bald monster contrasts his predecessor Count Dracula.
Gender is a contested subject in early vampire fiction. The figure of the vampire initially represents the dangers associated with promiscuity in women. Gender roles become more fluid in early vampire fiction. Women, like Lucy Westenra and Mina Harker from Dracula gain traditionally masculine attributes of strength and sexual prowess. Vampiric men, like Count Dracula and Jonathan Harker, become life-givers through their ability to turn people into vampires. This life-giving trait is typically associated with femininity. In modern additions to the vampiric canon, women are given more sexual autonomy. This contrasts with the 19th century association of women being sexually unaware and repressed. Because of this, the vampiric figure serves as a warning against sexual desire.
The charismatic nature of vampires transforms in modern vampire fiction. Twilight, for example, features the same alluring vampiric figures, but with added sex appeal. In contrast to Nosferatu’s appearance, the vampires from Twilight are remarkably beautiful, highlighting a key change in the monstrosity that was previously associated with vampires.
Vampire fiction is often influenced by its time period, and Twilight is no exception. Twilight’s vampires have the bloodthirst and violent nature but lack physical monstrosity associated with earlier texts. They don’t violate the social order. They’re still working citizens, and they go to high school. The Twilight vampires don’t drink human blood, which demonstrates an infliction of moral code on vampire fiction.
However, we think that Twilight conforms to a subgenre of vampire fiction – the teenage empire, where the vampires are tailored to their modern audience. Twilight rather conforms to the romance genre, following marriage, procreation and heteronormativity.
Ultimately, vampires aren’t built for love; they’ve been forced into this subgenre of romance. They don’t necessarily belong there because they aren’t a healthy representation of romance to younger audiences, especially due to the obsessive and predatory nature of vampires.
Here are our recommendations for getting into vampire fiction:
- The classics; Dracula by Bram Stoker and Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu
- 20th century; Interview with a Vampire and its sequel Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
- 21st century; Twilight and Midnight Sun by Stephanie Myers and Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soilby V.E. Schwab
Words by the 2026/27 Twilight Society Committee, Els Summers [President] and Meagan Griffiths [Social Secretary]
Image by Nirijan Photographs, license found here https://unsplash.com/license
