Introduction to the St. Nicholas Study Guide

by WILLA J. TAYLOR

An exterior shot of Whitby Abbey, the real-life inspiration for Dracula’s castle.

I have been obsessed with Then in high school I vampires ever since I first discovered that Stoker’s book read Bram Stoker’s Dracula had been adapted for the back when I was in junior high movies! The 1931 film starring school. My mother, a school Bela Lugosi, had become librarian, would let me select a staple of what passed as any books I wanted to read late-night television back over the summer. She and I then (all TV went off the would read them together and air at midnight!) and I was discuss in our own private book determined to see it. I knew club. She was not a fan of it at that my friend Cloteal’s mom all, but being the educator she worked late and that if we was, she made me research the had a sleepover at her house, origins of the book, taught me we could watch anything about myths and legends in we wanted because her literature and lore, and got up grandmother - who would at night to comfort me when I be babysitting us – would be was too scared to sleep. asleep before 10pm. The film overwhelmed me. Lugosi’s mesmerizing incarnation of the Count established the vampire in my mind as a supernatural, sexy beast. It is his interpretation – honed by more than 300 stage performances of Dracula – that set the standard for the charming, charismatic character we see on screens today.

The mythology of vampires, of immortal creatures that drink the blood of their victims and only come out at night, is one of enduring evil. Vampire

superstition thrived in the Middle Ages, especially as the plague decimated entire towns because the disease often left behind bleeding mouth lesions on its victims, which to the uneducated was a sure sign of vampirism.

And, of course, mythology itself is as old as spoken language. Rooted in culture and tradition, myths reflect the universal concerns of humans throughout history: birth, death, the afterlife, the origins of humans and the world, good and evil, and the nature of being human. Myths tap into our ubiquitous cultural narratives and the collective wisdoms of humankind. Origin stories, hero quests, paradise… these themes show up across countries, across peoples, and Walter Director of Education and Engagement, Willa J. Taylor across cultures. Think about Then there are our familial how to play guitar. These the stories you’ve heard about myths, the stories we tell at are the tales that make us great floods, or the origins the barbeque about how Aunt laugh, help us understand our of places. Or how you family Esther picked up that car, connections to our family, became your family. or how Cousin Joe learned teach us our history, and remind us who we are. “Vampires represent the Dracula illustrates the conflict between the old ways and ultimate malevolence: modernity which is one of the reasons why it is such selfish, cruel and violent. And an abiding story. Vampires represent the ultimate because Dracula still retains malevolence: selfish, cruel and violent. And because his power, even in the modern Dracula still retains his power, even in the modern world, world, his story is a lesson his story is a lesson in the enduring power of evil and in the enduring power of evil our continuous struggle to defeat it. and our continuous struggle It is the perfect tale for our to defeat it. “ time