Polidori, John William

Three Vampire Tales: Dracula, Carmilla, and The Vampyre (New Riverside Editions)

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The Great 19th Century Vampires & Their Antecedents.
Before Bram Stoker's Dracula...
Great compilation.
An unprecedented resource

Three Vampire Tales: Dracula, Carmilla, and The Vampyre (New Riverside Editions)
John William Polidori , Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu , and Bram Stoker
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0618084908

Book Description

Three classic works of vampire literature come together for the first time in one volume. Complementing the complete texts are background essays as well as additional selections by the three authors and others. Because the vampire novel has proven so influential in film, an extensive filmography is included.</p>

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The Great 19th Century Vampires & Their Antecedents. .......2005-03-06

"Three Vampire Tales" is a collection of 19th century vampire literature that follows the increasing popularity of vampires in English literature, from Lord Byron's 1812 poem, "The Giaour", to the culmination of that century's vampire tales in Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel "Dracula". The three featured stories are: John Polidori's "The Vampyre", the first vampire short story in English, published in 1819; "Carmilla" by Irish writer Sheridan Le Fanu, published in 1872 as part of Le Fanu's "In a Glass Darkly" collection; and Bram Stoker's mythic 1897 novel "Dracula". All three works are included in their entirety.

"The Vampyre" concerns a taciturn, enigmatic vampire called Lord Ruthven, and Aubrey, a young naive aristocrat, who is at first pleased to have Ruthven as a traveling companion. In the course of their adventures on the Continent, Aubrey comes to understand Ruthven's predatory character. But Ruthven requests an oath of secrecy on his deathbed, to which Aubrey agrees, only to find himself in a dire predicament when Ruthven turns up again, very much alive. This is a good story once you acclimate to the somewhat overburdened prose style.

Sheridan Le Fanu is the most accomplished stylist of these three authors, and "Carmilla" has a crisp, delicate style. It shares with "Dracula" the technique of "authenticating" the story by making it out to be a first-person documentation of the events in question. A prologue explains that the story was written more than a decade after the events described, by the woman who experienced them in her youth. The story tells of 19-year-old Laura, who lives on an estate in Styria, Austria, with her widowed father and 2 governesses. The family takes in a lovely, but oddly languid, young woman named Carmilla who was shaken up in a nearby carriage accident. Soon after, women in the surrounding countryside begin to die mysteriously, and Laura experiences strange visitations in the night.

I won't say much about "Dracula" here, because I have said so much elsewhere. The novel has never gone out of print since its publication in 1897, and its continuing influence on literature, film, and popular culture is incalculable. "Three Vampire Tales" is not as limited as the title implies, however. After an informative introduction by editor Anne Williams, the first part of the book addresses other 19th century literary vampires and their influence on Polidori, Le Fanu, and Stoker. This is interesting, because that century's vampire stories are closely related.

For those who aren't familiar with the legend, I'll briefly describe the events of July 1816 at the Villa Diodati on Lake Geneva to which so much of the 19th century's vampire literature can be connected by some means: Lord Byron, his personal physician John Polidori, poet Percy Shelley, and his wife-to-be, Mary Godwin were staying at the Villa and, on one rainy evening, entertaining themselves by reading poetry aloud. After the recitation of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Christabel" provoked some sort of panic attack in Shelley, Lord Byron proposed that each member of the party write a ghost story. "Christabel" was the inspiration for Le Fanu's "Carmilla". Two notable works of fiction emerged from this writing exercise. Mary Shelley wrote "Frankenstein". John Polidori wrote "The Vampyre", based on a fragment that Lord Byron wrote but never finished. Polidori published the story under Byron's name to boost sales, and Byron subsequently fired him.

Part One of "Three Vampire Tales" includes a fragment of Lord Byron's poem "The Gaiour", the story fragment upon which Polidori based his story, the introduction that Polidori wrote to "The Vampyre", most of the poem "Christabel", an except from the penny-dreadful "Varney the Vampyre", 3 excepts by "Dracula" scholars Christopher Frayling and Elizabeth Miller about Bram Stoker's sources for "Dracula", including a source list from Stoker's notes, and the "lost chapter", "Dracula's Guest", which Stoker at one point intended to be "Dracula"'s opening chapter. Emulating "Carmilla", it takes place in Styria. So this is a nice selection of the works that led up to and influenced the more prominent "Three Vampire Tales". There are also chronologies for Polidori, Le Fanu, and Stoker in the back of the book. And there is a vampire filmography that lists title, date, and director by year. I don't know if this is supposed to be a comprehensive list of vampire films, but there are about 200, so it might be.

Before Bram Stoker's Dracula..........2004-10-11

There was John Polidori's The Vampyre and Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla. This book has all THREE plus chapters that trace early appearances of vampires in literarty works and chapters that focus on Stoker's research into and his creative use of vampire sources. Also the cancelled chapter never used in Dracula, called "Dracula's Guest", which is a story all by itself. To wrap up the book there is a list of vampire films, listed by year, in the back. Very detailed, very complete - perfect as a gift or just an addition to any vampire library.

Great compilation........2004-05-27

Dracula is a classic that is worth the price of admission by itself. But when you add Carmilla, Vampyre, and the other little extras then it becomes a must buy for any fantasy or vampire fan. Pick it up. You wont be sorry.

An unprecedented resource.......2004-05-11

A note from the editor (Anne Williams): This volume brings together the texts needed to follow the evolution of the vampire through the nineteenth century. The vampire first appears in Lord Byron's "The Giaour," a bit of folklore he picked up when traveling in Greece. The first vampire tale in English emerges from the ghost-story-writing contest in 1816 that also produced "Frankenstein." Sheridan LeFanu's novella, "Carmilla" describes the dangers of a female vampire, a story which in turned influenced Bram Stoker, whose "Dracula" provided the archetype of the monster that has influenced countless movies and novels. This edition also contains an introduction speculating about the enduring appeal of this monster, a filmography, and critical and literary excerpts establishing the cultural context out of which the fantasy emerged.

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El Vampiro y Otros Cuentos
John William Polidori , Alexandre Dumas , and Juana Manuela Gorriti
Manufacturer: Andres Bello
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Three Gothic Novels: The Castle of Otranto, Vathek, The Vampyre

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Early Gothic Novels by Walpole, Beckford, and Polidori
Gothick Terror, Oriental Decadence, Romantic Vampyres...
A great primer for those interested in early Gothic fiction

Three Gothic Novels: The Castle of Otranto, Vathek, The Vampyre
Horace Walpole , William Beckford , and John Polidori
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486212327

Book Description

Full texts Castle of Otranto, Walpole; Vathek, Beckford; The Vampyre, Polidori; Fragment of a Novel, Lord Byron.

Customer Reviews:

Early Gothic Novels by Walpole, Beckford, and Polidori.......2004-03-20

I had little familiarity with the Gothic genre when I encountered this Dover publication some years ago. At that time I considered the plot for The Castle of Otranto (1764) by Horace Walpole to be farfetched, almost ludicrous. The mystical Oriental tale, Vathek (1782), by William Beckford seemed endless. Only the short story titled The Vampyre (1819, by John Polidori) met my expectations.

However, recently returning to this collection, this time, somewhat to my surprise, I was fascinated by all three stories. In the interim I had gradually become acquainted with early Gothic literature and I had gained an appreciation on how these three innovative tales significantly influenced later writers.

Despite that the eighteenth century was a period of philosophical and scientific progress, many readers were intrigued and entertained by the supernatural, bizarre elements in The Castle of Otranto. Hundreds of authors subsequently imitated Walpole's Gothic style. Although many of these later stories had little literary merit, the Gothic novel remained immensely popular for the following century.

Today, the supernatural aspects in The Castle of Otranto seem overworked, the dialogue is stilted, and the plot relies too much on coincidences. Nonetheless, the story remains entertaining and suspenseful. This collection includes a lengthy introduction by Sir Walter Scott for the 1811 edition of "this new species of literary composition".

William Beckford's Vathek is so original that it hardly fits even the Gothic genre. Beckford, a noted scholar of early Arabian literature, provided more than fifty pages of explanatory end notes. For some reason he first published Vathek in French. Later it was translated and published in English without his approval. I still find Vathek to be overly long, but this time I was intrigued with its mystical Arabian Nights motif, its chilling characters, and its vivid portrayal of evil.

In an introduction to The Vampyre the author John Polidori claimed (possibly to increase sales) that Lord Byron had created the plot at the same literary soiree in Geneva in which Mary Shelley produced Frankenstein. Lord Byron disputed Polidori's claim and produced his own notes from that famous gathering. Regardless, The Vampyre is fascinating short story.

E. F. Bleiler edited this collection and provided a lengthy, interesting introduction to three authors that were instrumental in developing the Gothic novel.

Gothick Terror, Oriental Decadence, Romantic Vampyres..........2002-05-09

This volume is an excellent introduction to four
works of the Gothic mindset, which hit England at
the end of the 1700s and lasted on into the early
Romantic period, all the way up to the late decadence
of the 1890s, winding up in Robert Louis Stevenson's
THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1886),
Oscar Wilde's THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (1891), and
Bram Stoker's DRACULA (1897).
These are four of the earliest of this Gothic genre.
The volume includes Horace Walpole's THE CASTLE OF
OTRANTO (Christmas Eve, 1764); William Beckford's
VATHEK (1786); John Polidori's VAMPYRE (1819); and
a Vampire Fragment by Lord Byron (1819), "which was
published at the end of MAZEPPA in 1819."
The list of Gothic NOVELS (rather than stories)
in chronological order which make the grade are:
Horace Walpole's CASTLE OF OTRANTO (1764), Clara
Reeve's THE CHAMPION OF VIRTUE (1777), William
Beckford's VATHEK (1786), Ann Radcliffe's THE
MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO (1794), Matthew Gregory Lewis's
THE MONK (1795), Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN (1818),
John Polidori's VAMPYRE (1819), Charles R. Maturin's
MELMOTH THE WANDERER (1820).
There are excellent introductions to each of the
writers and their works at the beginning of the book.
In speaking of THE CASTLE OF OTRANTO, Bleiler says:
"This novel has been called one of the half-dozen
historically most important novels in English. The
founder of a school of fiction, the so-called Gothic
novel, it served as the direct model for an enormous
quantity of novels written up through the first
quarter of the 19th century.... It was probably
the most important source for enthusiasm for the
Middle Ages that suddenly swept Europe in the later
18th century, and many of the trappings of the early
19th century Romantic movement have been traced to
it. It embodied the spirit of an age."
There is included a series of impressive "Notes"
to the novel VATHEK: An Arabian Tale. The novel
begins in an interesting fashion: "Vathek, ninth
caliph of the race of the Abassides, was the son
of Motassem, and the grandson of Haroun al Raschid.
From an early accession to the throne, and the talents
he possessed to adorn it, his subjects were induced to
expect that his reign would be long and happy. His
figure was pleasing and majestic: but when he was
angry, one of his eyes became so terrible, that no
person could bear to behold it; and the wretch upon
whom it was fixed instantly fell backward, and
sometimes expired. For fear, however, of depopulating
his dominions and making his palace desolate, he but
rarely gave way to his anger."
And here is a sample bite from John Polidori's
VAMPYRE: "There was no colour upon her cheek, not
even upon her lip; yet there was a stillness about
her face that seemed almost as attaching as the life
that once dwelt there: --upon her neck and breast
was blood, and upon her throat were the marks of teeth
having opened the vein: -- to this the men pointed,
crying, simultaneously struck with horror, "A
Vampyre! a Vampyre!"

A great primer for those interested in early Gothic fiction.......2000-06-21

This is a fabulous collection representing the beginning of Gothic fiction. Otronto is the very first such work, and is a perfect illustration of the basic themes and plotlines predominant in Gothic. Although not the most polished work of fiction, it's often so bad it's funny, and definitely worth reading. The other stories are much more professional, albeit a bit drier reading. I'm especially fond of Vathek, as it more clearly represents fear fiction as it was to become. Dr. Polidori's piece is particularly intersting as he was a physician and present at the famous ghost-story-telling session(s) of Byron and the Shelley couple.

On the whole, this collection is the ideal glimpse into the genre at its rudimentary level.

Three Gothic Novel:The Castle of Otranto / Vathek / The Vampyre
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Three Gothic Novel:The Castle of Otranto / Vathek / The Vampyre
Horace Walpole , William Beckford , and John Polidori
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000INVT40

Product Description

Three Gothic Novels

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Lord Ruthven The Vampire
John William Polidori , and Charles Nodier
Manufacturer: Hollywood Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Return Of Lord Ruthven The Vampire

ASIN: 1932983104

Book Description

In the early 1800s, young British aristocrat Aubrey travels through Italy and Greece in the company of the mercurial and fantastic Lord Ruthven. Later, he believes his friend to have been mysteriously slain. But when Ruthven returns from the dead to prey on his sister, he realizes that the enigmatic stranger is none other than a vampire!

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A Horror Classic Reworked for a Younger Audience
First vampire book I ever read...
It was a good book.

The Vampyre (Fleshcreepers)
David Campton , and John William Polidori
Manufacturer: Barrons Educational Series Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0812040708

Customer Reviews:

A Horror Classic Reworked for a Younger Audience.......2004-08-27

Many years ago a group of friends got together and tried to scare each other with scary stories. Among the group were Lord Byron, The poet Shelly and his wife Mary, and Byron's physician John Polidori. Mary Shelly's tale, Frankenstein: A Modern Prometheus, has lived on as has The Vampyre by John Polidori. The Vampyre was the first major English vampire story. Fleshcreepers attempts to bring this classic tale to a younger audience.

The story opens as a young man of means encounters a dead woman one night. The scene haunts him as he seems to get drawn into other dark scenes. He becomes fascinated by a the Lord Ruthven, an aristocrat of mysterious nature. He even goes so far as to go on a tour of Europe with him. But soon the young man begins to suspect that not is all as it seems with the Lord. His suspicions and their resolution make up the rest of the story.

This is an entertaining tale, and while intended for younger readers, is far from genteel. The adaptation does a good job of building the terror and horror and inevitable conclusion. A pretty spooky little book.

First vampire book I ever read..........2003-06-16

Well i must say that this book was given to me when i was like 8 yrs old, i read the book and have been hooked ever since on horror books especially vampire books and it's more than 10 yrs later and i still read this book! I give it 5 stars because this is a great book for young readers that want to start reading horror or vampire books..

It was a good book........1999-06-29

The book was good

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The vampyre: A tale
John William Polidori
Manufacturer: distributed by Shire Publications]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: 0852632444

The Vampyre: And Other Writings (Fyfield Books)

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The Vampyre: And Other Writings (Fyfield Books)
John William Polidori
Manufacturer: Carcanet Press Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 185754787X

Book Description

A fascinating but shadowy figure of Romanticism, John Polidori was the sensitive but fierce writer behind one of literature's most notorious characters—the vampyre. This short story reveals the seductive figure of evil, who continues to exert a powerful influence over popular culture and who cemented Polidori's status within the Gothic tradition. This collection also makes available many of Polidori's lesser-known and hard-to-find works, including a medical thesis on nightmares, an essay on the source of pleasures, poetry and personal diaries, and the novel Modern Oedipus. These works combine to help illuminate and deepen the reader's understanding of Romanticism and the Gothic.

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THREE GOTHIC NOVELS: THE CASTLE OF OTRANTO, VATHEK & THE VAMPYRE.
E.F, editor: John Polidori, Horace Walpole & William Beckford. Bleiler
Manufacturer: Dover Publications, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000P0TZ4W

The diary of Dr. John William Polidori, 1816, relating to Byron, Shelley, etc

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The diary of Dr. John William Polidori, 1816, relating to Byron, Shelley, etc
John William Polidori
Manufacturer: Folcroft Library Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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