XPost: talk.politics.misc, alt.tv, soc.culture
XPost: alt.hollywood

Having little to do but watch late-night TV (hey,
I'm old and boring at this point !) I am absolutely
impressed by the basic paradigm set down by author
Bram Stoker in the late 1800s. His re-imagining of
Wallachian prince Vlad (Tepes) Dracula "Son of
the dragon". Daddy was 'Dracul", THE Dragon.

His romantic/mystical take on the prince has spawned
endless fictions ever since - from 'Nosferatu' in the
silent-film days to endless Hammer productions to
"Buffy" and "True Blood" and "Blade" and "Twilight".
It is a story line that has evolved and grown over
100 years.

Vlad himself WAS a real and nasty hard-ass, but he
was under constant attack by the Ottomans and
would-be's in his own country. Hard-asses were not
unusual in that time frame. However Vlad wasn't
a mystical devil-creature, just some guy eventually
murdered by his no-better rivals.

But that didn't matter. Stokers vision took over.
The "tragic/noble" blood-sucker was a HIT that
has resonated loudly for over 100 years now.

I'd say the only one to out-do him when it comes
to perpetual fictional paradigms was Mary Shelly.
Her "monsters of our own prideful creation" theme
shows up in even more forms.

"I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that"

Pure Mary W. Shelly.

Inspired.

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