DraculaFirst published in 1897 by Irish author Bram Stoker, Dracula introduced the vampire Count Dracula as its primary protagonist, and its story of possession and unreal love became a prototype for works of vampire fiction even more popular today that when the novel was first published. Literary critics have examined many themes in the novel, such as the role of women in Victorian culture, conventional and conservative sexuality, immigration, colonialism, postcolonialism and folklore. Although Stoker did not invent the vampire, the novel s influence on the popularity of vampires has been singularly responsible for many theatrical, film and television interpretations throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. |