Vampire History/Lore in Fiction

williemeikle

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A great many. Hundreds of writers have tackled the subject and investigated the mythology and folklore, ( and many have created their own mythologies too, Anne Rice being a prime example... and me for another :) .)

For non fiction, this list at Goodreads will give you a good launch pad.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6436.Vampire_Non_Fiction
 

Jcomp

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Non-fiction, I would recommend The Vampire: His Kith and Kin, and/or Vampires and Vampirism, both by Montague Summers. I'm drawing a blank on non-obvious fictional works that really delve into the deep mythology and folklore of vampirism at the moment, but if I think of anything, I'll return with some suggestions.
 
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hereticdoll

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A great many. Hundreds of writers have tackled the subject and investigated the mythology and folklore, ( and many have created their own mythologies too, Anne Rice being a prime example... and me for another :) .)

For non fiction, this list at Goodreads will give you a good launch pad.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6436.Vampire_Non_Fiction

I second Anne Rice. For whatever gripe you may hear about her, she does vampires wonderfully. I personally love her writing.

It may be a little unconventional, but I would also recommend reading up on Japanese folklore. They have a lot of vampire related monsters and you might find something that inspires you.
 

veinglory

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I used to collected vampire fiction until that became impossible because hundreds of examples are published every single month just by the major presses. There are also many, many non-fiction books on the subject. I have many of them up until the early 90s of there is something specific you are looking for.
 
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Cyia

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Aside from Dracula, is there any other works of fiction or even non fiction novels about the mythology and history of vampires?

Seriously?

You're making my psudo-gothic / vampire-writing inner teen froth at the mouth. There are entire university courses dedicated to the writings and lore surrounding vampires. First, pick a culture and be prepared to find one variation of the stories or another.

Centering on European lore:

You can look up the treatiste of Antoine Augustin Calmet, a 12th century priest who told stories of conversing with dead men in the coffins (thus starting the burn and behead part of the tale).

You can look up the caged graves.

You can look into the origins of most vampiric traits and how outbreaks of "vampirism" correlate with outbreaks of rabies, and often share symptoms.

You can look into the roots of "famous" vampires, or more accurately the people who've been smushed together to form the basis of the Dracula story. Start with Vlad and/or Radu of Wallachia and transition into Ersebet Batory (Elizabeth Bathory) and her fixation with virgin blood leading to eternal life.

You can look into the origins of vampire fiction, beginning with Lord Ruthvyn - basically an indictment of Lord Byron, and Carmilla.

You can even find a lovely children's book about a vampire rabbit called Bunnicula.

Vampires are not a hard thing to research.
 
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Noizchild

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Seriously?

You're making my psudo-gothic / vampire-writing inner teen froth at the mouth. There are entire university courses dedicated to the writings and lore surrounding vampires. First, pick a culture and be prepared to find one variation of the stories or another.

Centering on European lore:

You can look up the treatiste of Antoine Augustin Calmet, a 12th century priest who told stories of conversing with dead men in the coffins (thus starting the burn and behead part of the tale).

You can look up the caged graves.

You can look into the origins of most vampiric traits and how outbreaks of "vampirism" correlate with outbreaks of rabies, and often share symptoms.

You can look into the roots of "famous" vampires, or more accurately the people who've been smushed together to form the basis of the Dracula story. Start with Vlad and/or Radu of Wallachia and transition into Ersebet Batory (Elizabeth Bathory) and her fixation with virgin blood leading to eternal life.

You can look into the origins of vampire fiction, beginning with Lord Ruthvyn - basically an indictment of Lord Byron, and Carmilla.

You can even find a lovely children's book about a vampire rabbit called Bunnicula.

Vampires are not a hard thing to research.

What about Asian lore?
 

Cyia

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What about Asian lore?

I'm not as well versed. I know there's a green-furred from (I think) Malaysia, and there are a couple of different breeds of "chi-drinkers" from Chinese regions, but most of my reading has been the European variety.
 

KitKate

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Tons! All you'd need to do is google vampires and you'd find loads. My favourite: Mercy Brown. Check out New England and tuberculosis. Nothing said vampire to those guys than consumption.