Vampire Stories : from myths and legends through literature to film and television

Intencija ovog rada jest ponuditi ključ razumijevanja i uspješnosti vampirske priče kroz sažeti prikaz odabranog uzorka od folklornih predaja iz vremena drevnog Babilona, mitova i legendi preko književnosti pa do filma i televizije 21. stoljeća. Kroz ovo višetisućljetno putovanje o pripovijedanja o vampiru kojeg smo doživljavali u tradicijskom vjerovanju kao smrtnu prijetnju za vlastiti život i imovinu, potom kroz gorko-slatku dopadljivost i strah u fikciji gotičkih romana te u konačnosti zaljubljenost i empatiju koju gajimo prema tom fikcionalnom biću u novijem pripovjedačkom ciklusu na filmu i televiziji. Rad sačinjava trijada - mit i legenda, književnost te film i televizija. Pokušat ću dati odgovor zbog čega i do današnjeg dana interes za vampire ne jenjava nego baš suprotno žanr upravo doživljava svoj ponovni procvat i to ne samo kao produkt popularne kulture nego i na području umjetničkog filma.This thesis intends to offer the key to understanding and the success of the vampire story through a concise presentation of a selected sample from folklore traditions from the ancient Babilon era, myths and legends, via literature to 21’ st century’s film and television. Through this few millennia of the journey of vampire storytelling we have experienced in traditional belief as a mortal threat to our own lives and property, then through the bitter-sweet likeability and fear of Gothic novels, and finally the infatuation and empathy we cultivate toward that fictional being in the recent narrative cycle on film and television. The work consists of a triad - myth and legend, literature, and film and television. I will try to give an answer as to why to this day the interest in vampires is not waning but on the contrary, the genre is just experiencing its resurgence, not only as a product of popular culture but also in the field of art film