More Context For Dracula
Origins: The word vampire comes from Slavic folklore, dating back to the 11th century to the old Russian word ‘Upir’. The idea probably originated from misunderstanding of common diseases at the time, like rabies or pellagra, and the process of decomposition. Later, it would be conflated with tuberculosis and cholera. Many rituals were created to ward off/prevent vampires, like placing garlic or poppyseeds in the casket, puncturing the body with stakes, or burning or mutilating the body.
18th Century: conflict between the Hapsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman empire stokes fear as Austrian soldiers bring back stories of the burial rituals and rumors spread about vampirism. An Austrian physician debunked the claims, but the idea was solidly introduced to Western Europe.
1819: John William Polidori publishes his book ‘The Vampyre’.
1847: Bram Stoker is born in Dublin, Ireland. He is sick for the first seven years of his life, where his mother told him gothic folktales and about the recent cholera outbreak in 1832.
1872: Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu publishes his book ‘Carmilla’.
1897: Bram Stoker publishes his book ‘Dracula’ to very little acclaim. It was nowhere near his most popular work at the time and barely got a mention in his obituary.
1912: Bram Stoker passes away after a series of strokes, which some attribute to syphillis.
1922: A German studio plagiarizes Dracula’s story to make the film ‘Nosferatu’ and are sued. In response, Stoker’s widow, Florence Balcombe Stoker, established a stage production to prevent further plagiarism. It takes off in popularity and runs for years.
1931: Universal Studios puts out the film ‘Dracula’ starring Bela Lugosi, and it is well received. This leads to many spin-off films and film inspired by the book.
1992: Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the most well-known adaptation of Dracula (directed by Francis Ford Coppola, hits the theatres, grossing over $215 million dollars. It won three academy awards that year and five Saturn awards.
