The legacy of John Polidori
The Romantic vampire and its progeny
Sam George editor Bill Hughes editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Manchester University Press
Published:1st Oct '24
Should be back in stock very soon
John Polidori’s novella The Vampyre (1819) is perhaps ‘the most influential horror story of all time’ (Frayling). Polidori’s story transformed the shambling, mindless monster of folklore into a sophisticated, seductive aristocrat that stalked London society rather than being confined to the hinterlands of Eastern Europe. Polidori’s Lord Ruthven was thus the ancestor of the vampire as we know it. This collection explores the genesis of Polidori’s vampire. It then tracks his bloodsucking progeny across the centuries and maps his disquieting legacy. Texts discussed range from the Romantic period, including the fascinating and little-known The Black Vampyre (1819), through the melodramatic vampire theatricals in the 1820s, to contemporary vampire film, paranormal romance, and science fiction. The essays emphasise the background of colonial revolution and racial oppression in the early nineteenth century and the cultural shifts of postmodernity.
‘This lively, wide-ranging collection of essays has been assembled to celebrate the two hundredth birthday of Dr Polidori's amazingly influential The Vampyre. It examines the bloodline of the romantic vampire, in literature and on screen, up to the present day. There's plenty for these scholars to get their teeth into...and they certainly do.’
—Christopher Frayling, cultural historian and author of The Vampyre: Lord Byron to Count Dracula and Vampire Cinema: The First One Hundred Years
‘The legacy of John Polidori is a book that, at long last, gives its subject his due. The editors have curated a refreshing mix of new and established critical voices that, together, offer an exhaustive and deeply moving tribute to the man and his extraordinary tale.’
—Dale Townshend, Professor of Gothic Literature, Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies, Manchester Metropolitan University
'The legacy of John Polidori is a landmark publication. Expertly edited by Sam George and Bill Hughes, it assembles a range of international expertise to explore the persistence of Polidori's 'The Vampyre' in our imaginations and critical vocabulary.'
—Angela Wright, Professor of Romantic Literature, University of Sheffield
ISBN: 9781526166388
Dimensions: 234mm x 156mm x 19mm
Weight: 640g
336 pages