how vampires have matured: comparing Dracula to The Vampire Diaries
The concept of a blood-sucking resurrected being has existed since ancient times. However, only in the last few centuries do we see the vampire go from feared superstition to cultural curiosity. Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula is notable because it — though not the first of its genre — clearly defined the archetype of a monster that upended his readers’ values and cultural norms. More than a century later, the CW Television Network’s The Vampire Diaries (TVD), which was directly influenced by Stoker’s work, depicted the living dead in the new millennium. However, in order to appeal to modern audiences, TVD created a more humanistic, relatable version of the infamous Count.
The television show The Vampire Diaries premiered in 2009, only a year after the movie Twilight first appeared in theaters and started the vampire craze of the early 2000s. TVD was an adaptation of a (previously) ongoing series of novels by L. J. Smith, who had given the CW the rights to modify the source material for the small screen. The CW typically airs shows geared toward a relatively younger demographic, so TVD was a perfect fit, as the show focuses on the lives of several young adults. The plot revolves around a newly orphaned teen, Elena Gilbert’s, falling for the new student at her high school, Stefan Salvatore, who is later revealed to be a 162-year old vampire. Soon after, Stefan’s violent older brother (and fellow vampire) Damon comes to town, trying to resurrect their past love Katherine Pierce, (yet another vampire) who happens to be Elena’s literal doppelgänger. To further complicate matters, Damon falls in love with Elena and actively competes with Stefan for her affection. Both brothers go on to protect Elena and her friends from a host of supernatural threats.
For the most part, the physiology of TVD’s vampires is like that of Count Dracula’s; however, each species of vampire differs in their weaknesses. In both the series and the novel the vampires must drink blood. They possess superhuman strength, speed, agility, endurance, and senses, plus several psychic abilities, including the ability to compel humans to obey their will. Because of this, and their undead status, vampires are thought of as unnatural. They are killed via a stab to the heart and/or decapitation. Lastly, they tend to be active at nighttime because the sunlight can weaken them. However, while TVD’s vampires must use magical “daylight rings” to protect them from sun’s rays (or risk burning to death), the Count has no such device and is simply stripped of his powers. Dracula also appears to age when he goes without blood for some time; whereas the vampires of TVD literally desiccate and fall into a comatose state as their veins turn grey. It is important to note, that as long as the vampires in either work feed regularly, they have both immortality and eternal youth. Also, when the vampires of TVD are aroused by the scent of blood, their sclera turn red and their veins (and fangs) protrude. Unlike Dracula, TVD’s vampires do not sleep in coffins as it is just as stifling to them as it would be to most humans. In addition, they cannot shapeshift, they have shadows and reflections, and garlic does not repel them. Instead, the show uses the plant vervain as vampire repellent: humans who have it on their person cannot be compelled and vampires who touch or ingest it will be burned, as if they’ve been touched by a red-hot poker. In this way, TVD makes the existence of vampires believable, because it’s easy to see when they are being wounded or repelled. The series also makes vampires intriguing because the actors onscreen are young and attractive, even though they are supposed to be playing creatures who are chronologically centuries old.
Throughout the course of TVD, several themes characteristic of the 21st century are discussed, such as: nostalgia, love triangles, independence, oversexualized media, and “daddy issues” — the psychological ramifications of being without one or more suitable parent. These are all personified by one or more characters in the series, who also seem to echo some of the character tropes that are seen in Dracula. Damon Salvatore is a symbol of nostalgia in every episode, as he not only makes references to the popular culture of the 80s and 90s, but he also misses being human, which he has not been since the Civil War era. Count Dracula himself also is very nostalgic, as shown when he excitedly tells Jonathan of his people’s history (Stoker 48). In addition, both Damon (at least early on in the series) and Dracula hunt humans and have no problem with killing their victims. Conversely, Stefan, who is part of a love triangle with his brother and Elena, dislikes killing humans. He chooses to feed from animals or stolen blood bags when necessary and tries to peacefully coexist with the mortals around him. While Jonathan Harker was never bitten, both Jonathan and Stefan have a strange closeness with the less-than-nice vampire in their story. They also have a lover who is constantly harassed by said vampire. Bonnie, who comes from a line of witches, best represents independence, and therefore she shares similar characteristics with Mina, who is supernaturally tied to Dracula through his blood. Despite their sex, each woman is ultimately the heroine of her respective adventures, constantly working to defeat the malevolent supernatural using their own mystical abilities. In addition, neither is characterized purely by their romantic relationships. Elena, Caroline, Katherine, and Lucy, however, are desired by many men, and this is shown through many sexual scenes, even though the show is geared toward teenagers. It is difficult to fathom how high schoolers in a small town could be “shaking the bed” so often, and why there hardly ever seems to be any responsible adults around to parent or prevent this behavior. Conveniently, all the main characters either live alone or are being raised by busy, single parents. As a result, the girls of TVD are very manipulative and fickle, doing little more than to bait their suitors whenever it’s convenient for themselves.
In both TVD and Dracula, the homosocial relationships between the men competing for each girl are largely affected by how the women react to each of their suitors. Stefan and Damon have tension between them because we find out through flashbacks that centuries before, Katherine seduced and turned both of them into vampires before she was seemingly killed. In the present day, both brothers end up falling in love with Elena, Katherine’s look-alike, making things even more uncomfortable between the siblings. On the other hand, the humans Matt, Jeremy, and Tyler do date some of the same people over time, but they don’t seem to mind aiding and romancing each other’s exes, like how Quincey, John, and Arthur remain friends even after Lucy and Arthur get engaged. So in both TVD and Dracula, the three suitors are steadfast defenders against the evils that come to town. They are largely mentored by the vampire hunter, who in the case of TVD is a professor-turned-vampire-hunter named Alaric. Unlike Van Helsing, Alaric is not well-known by any of the characters at first, but he does provide appropriate weaponry (ex. wooden stakes), physical training, and moral guidance, all things which the motley crew of young souls could use.