Explain some ways Dracula remains an icon in today's popular culture. Compare and contrast the different ways Dracula is portrayed in movies, television, and other texts. is Dracula's power as a symbol increased or diminished when he is "rewritten" into new texts?
Today's vision of vampires is altered due to the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, but there is still many books and movies concerning Dracula. But in all, I feel that his powers and character are diminished. In the book he can perform several anomalies such as controling animals, figure transformation, traveling as a mist, growing young, hypnotizing by looks, and he is stronger than twenty men. But in modern tells of him, he is mearly a creature of the night who only turns into a bat. He preys on sleeping women and he has no other power to speak of.
ReplyDeleteEven in today's world, Stoker's Dracula is a well-known figure. In a way, Dracula is the "father of all vampires." For a while, it seemed that there was only one kind of vampire- Stoker's. Dracula had many abilities, the most familiar one being his ability to transform into a bat. However, with the recent interest (or more accuarately, obession) with Stephenie Meyer's vampires, Dracula is no longer "cool". His "meager" abilities are out-shined by the so-called attractiveness of Edward Cullen or Alice's ability to see the future, or even Bella's amusing ability to get mixed up in situations over her head.
ReplyDeleteThe symbol that is Dracula has been torn apart, built upon, and "improved" by modern writers catering to the desires of a very different audience.
I believe in today's world there will always be a place for the original Dracula. As many others have said, today's world also has a different image of vampires because of Stephenie Meyer's book Twilight. Although Edward Cullen is a completely different vampire than Count Dracula, there are some similar qualities like strength, being transformed into a vampire by a bite, and the ability to live forever. Also, Dracula overtime has lost most of his powers that you see in Bram Stoker's book, but he has kept his element of darkness and horror, and those qualities have also been added into almost every other vampire book and movie. So, I do believe that his power has slowly diminished, but he is in a sense the father of all our vampire stories, and that is why I think he is still so well known in our culture today.
ReplyDeleteLike my fellow classmates have said,Dracula is still an icon in today's entertainment society, but in other ways. Instead of chilling tales and movies about The Count, there are romantisized books about vampires that fall in love with humans. Bram Stoker's vampire is completely different than what is associated with the 'undead' today. Dracula was not an attractive man, nor did he fall in love with the living; he was morbid, talented, and above all senseless at times. Today's vampires are unaturaly beautiful, less violent, and don't have the same powers as Dracula did. Recently I watched Dracula the movie and I noticed that he was made even scarier and seemed to have a constant air of evil about him. He lacked the patience and kindness with which he used with Harker during their discussions. I believe that Dracula's power as an icon decreases with every new vampire book, movie, etc. that comes out because none of those works compare to Bram Stoker's book. Vampires are taken out of context and made into creatures that are similar to us, although they enjoy feasting on blood. Now if a movie or book came out that contained violent vampires that would be more practical because honestly since when are blood-suckers going to want to be your significant other? As I stated before, vampires are now over the top romantisized in today's world and it has ruined the image of what Dracula and other vampires are supposed to be.
ReplyDeleteDracula has been put into modern times as Dracula. The Twilight series are the way Dracula has still moved on into modern times. I have only read the first three books but what you hear about all the time is Team Edward or Team Jacob, which makes me think of Lucy Westernra who wants to marry all three of her proposals. Also, Twilight has made a more of a love story out of the Dracula version. It is more interesting to teenagers and it is more relatable, and most of the time you forget you are dealing with vampires and werewolfs, and fall in love with the characters yourself. I think Dracula has been diminished in the new texts because as Edward, his love makes him fall in love with Bella the way she is, and not want to change her into a vampire. It may seem as thought the vampire figure has gotten stronger by having the will power to be with a human and love her and not want to suck her blood but I think Dracula has been diminished because he let the girl control his actions, even though those actions save that girls life, he still does not have the power to do what he has always in the past been able to do.
ReplyDeleteDracula's true self has been both increased and diminished. Although he is still a great icon in today's modern world, he has been transformed to the point where it is hard to take him seriously. However, his being diminished in television shows, cartoons, and movies has made my interest of vampires much larger. If Dracula had failed to become an icon many television shows would have one less character. He has been given more absurd powers in the present but will always be known for "sucking the life out of people".
ReplyDeleteSo you don't see any elements of a "love" story in Dracula the novel? Interesting points Chelsea about Twilight and Edward's struggle.
ReplyDeleteI believe the multiple stories of dracula have increased his power in the minds of readers and watchers. The different ways he takes blood and the different reasons why just set more fear in you. Sure there are vampire shows and movies that have vampires falling in love and just trying to be normal but that can never be so that is why there is still the fear.
ReplyDeleteDracula was the original vampire. His image and behaviors were what people came to relate with the creatures. That is up until recently. Now instead causing nausea and fear vampires sparkle and have uncanny good looks. Vampire culture has surely seen change. Dracula was however the start of it all. I think that the original will forever be the most powerful. Rewrites can often lead to people forgetting the initial message and feel of the story.
ReplyDeleteBefore reading Dracula, the only thing I knew about the Count was that he was a blood-sucking, bat-transforming creature of the night. So when I read that he could control animals, he really slept in a coffin (which I thought was a rumor), and among other things; these "new" powers were hard to swallow. Seeing that Dracula [the novel] is where Count Dracula's original image came from, my views of him were based on a degraded version I put together from watching modern television shows and cartoons. So yes: Dracula's image has diminished over the years.
ReplyDeleteSadly, Twilight may have been a factor in my interpretation. I've read all 4 Twilight books, and the characteristics of the Twilight vampires influenced my petty understanding of vampires as a whole. In the Twilight series, vampires only have one additional super-power as well as the "standard Twilight vampire powers," (and that's only for the lucky ones). Comparing the two, in my honest opinion the vampires in Twilight pale (no pun intended) in comparison to the real Dracula, and not the dumbed down one the modern media has manufactured. It's a shame that younger people nowadays think vampires are glittery animal blood-sucking lovers, and not the terror of the night Dracula was for years.
When I started reading Dracula, all I knew about it was that he was a vampire. So when Jonathan started writing in his journal all the characteristics of Dracula, I instantly knew he was a vampire. I would have never recognized these characteristics if i hadn't read and watched the Twilight series. I think Dracula is a basic vampire, unlike the Twilight vampires who have all the same characteristics of Dracula, but with so many more added things. Also, Dracula is more terrifying than the Twilight vampires.
ReplyDeleteThe image of Dracula has lessened greatly. In the novel Lucy dreaded going to sleep because she was afraid of how weak she would be upon waking. The humans would make their rooms "shelters" from Dracula with garlic and holy objects, just to give them a sense of safety while they slept. There is no longer that bone chilling fright of the night in modern vampire tales.
ReplyDeleteDracula has moved into today's society by continueing the love, blood, and life of the twilight series. Dracula portrays a creature that people are afraid of. Bram Stroker made Dracula a monster. Stephenie Meyer wrote twilight with a different perspective. Although some of the elements are the same as in love, blood, and life. Lucy and arthur and Harker and Mina show much love for each other throughout the book. In twilight Bella and Edward show an unconditional love. Human blood is the source of food for vampires in Dracula but in the Twilight series Jacob and his family resort to a special diet. They only drink the blood of animals. So Bram Stroker not only wrote a novel but he created an icon for todays culture.
ReplyDeleteDracula can be seen in today's society as the creator of vampires and the ancient precursor to Twilight's vampires. Many think of him as a dark, mysterious figure that thrived on the blood of the virtuous and beautiful, and burned when exposed to the sun. He has diminished from his original portrayal as an immortal evil. Today, people wouldn't commonly think of him as someone who can control the elements and animals, change his shape to slip through the smallest of cracks, change to the form of a wolf, or of his incredible intellect. In many ways he has been diminished in today's view from the ominous, hellish fiend that he was once thought of.
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ReplyDeleteDracula is what started and kept the vampire chain alive and going. Dracula in my opinion is diminished in text wise because of The Twilight series, but Dracula is probably a start and rise of how we see The Twilight series today. Stoker made Dracula a monster and turned girls into vampires. Thats the only way he could show his affection by changing them into what he is. Reynolds though made two different creatures fall in completely and utterly in love. In Twilight series its a whole different story. Edward (Vampire) is in love with Bella (Human) and he loves Bella just the way she is. So even though I think Dracula is diminshed in text Bram Stoker actually started a greater and in my opinion a better way we see vampires and love stories today.
ReplyDeleteThe introduction to vampires in the entertainment world was brought by Stoker's interpretation with Count Dracula. Although the vampires today differ greatly from that of Stoker's time, Dracula was the influencer. Dracula was more terrifying than the mostly good vampires in books such as The Twilight series and Vampire Diaries. There were no good vampires in Stoker's novel. Even though it was not their decision to become monsters, they didn't seem to have a choice on how they acted. Which in most media related to vamires today they have a choice of whether to act out in a good or bad way. DRacula's power as a symbol has decreased but only because authors have their own way of interpreting things. They write the way they would like to see something work out. Dracula was just a building block for new ideas and views on vampires.
ReplyDeleteThe word Vampire and the name Dracula have been exponentially altered over decades due to popular movies, television series, books, and many tall tales. The modern day person now thinks of Dracula as the "head honcho" or so too speak, of vampires. The most recent series of movies that have helped change the name of vampires are the widely known Twilight series.
ReplyDeleteDracula still remains an icon in popular culture today simply because he is the horror character. The first horror film most adults, that I have asked, remember seeing as children is some interpretation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Because of this the first horror film they show their children is Dracula. Also the popularity of the Twilight series increases Dracula's notoriety since he is by most accounts the father of all vampires. Most of the time Dracula is portrayed as a mysterious man of wealth, that has a thick accent, and lives in a dark castle. He is almost always an evil blood sucker. However in some cases he is portrayed as child friendly, such as the character "Count" in Sesame Street. Also in the movie, "Dracula: Dead and Loving It", he is represented as a complete dim wit who is far from being evil. And again I'll mention the Twilight series since it is very popular today. And since it is about vampires and Dracula is the most important vampire it reflects him. Since Dracula is portrayed in various forms of media as child friendly, loveably dim witted, and capable to love others, his power as a character has the potential to be both increased and deminished. As of now his power is being deminished by these movies and books, which take away from him being a demonic creature of the night, and turn him into someone who is capable of love and friendship. However since this is happening it opens up the possibility for Dracula and the vampire to come back with a vengence, from the lovable being he is today, to the deplorable antichrist he used to be.
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