The Vampyre by John William Polidori [PDF]
by InfoBooks
Long before Dracula, a vampire was already moving through London society as a nobleman with a dead grey eye. The Vampyre grew out of the same evening by Lake Geneva that gave us Frankenstein, and it was written by Lord Byron's physician, John William Polidori.
This version of The Vampyre in PDF is our own edition from Project Aldus: the complete tale with the two letters that frame it, set so you can read it in one sitting without tiring.
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The Vampyre by John William Polidori
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Information: The Vampyre
- Author: John William Polidori.
- Publication Date: 1819.
- Main Characters:
- Aubrey: A young Englishman who meets Lord Ruthven and becomes involved in a series of events related to vampires.
- Lord Ruthven: A mysterious man of unknown origin who enters London high society and harbors a dark secret.
- Brief Summary: Aubrey travels with Lord Ruthven to Rome, where he foils Ruthven's plan to seduce the daughter of an Italian countess, and then goes on alone to Greece, where he falls in love with Ianthe, the daughter of the Greek family he lodges with. Ruthven reappears, and the two are attacked by robbers. Aubrey swears not to reveal Ruthven's crimes or death for a year and a day, but later discovers that the vampire has returned and threatens his sister.
- Thematic Analysis: John William Polidori's "The Vampyre" sets the Greek folk belief in vampires, which Aubrey laughs off as idle fantasy, against the danger it warns of, and presents Lord Ruthven as a seductive vampire who thrives on that disbelief. The tale also highlights Ruthven's ability to manipulate and seduce people, leading to a tragic outcome.
- Historical Context: "The Vampyre" was published in 1819 and is considered one of the earliest works of vampire literature in English. It grew out of a stay at the Villa Diodati in 1816, where Polidori, Lord Byron's physician, was with Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, and Mary Shelley. The story of the vampire Lord Ruthven was influenced by the experiences and atmosphere of the Romantic era in which it was developed.