Re-Reading the Vampire from John Polidon to Anne Rice: Structures of Lmpossibility Among Three Narrative Variations in the Vampinc Tradition
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Re-Reading the Vampire from John Polidon to Anne Rice: Structures of lmpossibility Among Three Narrative Variations in the Vampinc Tradition PETER LEONARD PAOLUCCI A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in partial fuifiliment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Program in English York University Toronto, Ontario Apnl, 2000 National Library Bibliothèque nationale 1*1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, nie Wellington Ottawa ON KlA ON4 Ottawa ON KI A ON4 Canada Canada Your file Voire réfé,ence Our file Noire refdrence The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microfom, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/fïlm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. 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Re-Reading the Vampire from John Polidori to Anne Rice: Structures of Impossibility Among Three Narrative Variations in the Vampiric Tradition by PETER LEONARD PAOLUCCI a dissertation subrnitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of York University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY O 2000 Permission has been granted to the LIBRARY OF YORK UNIVERSITY to lend or set1 copies of this dissertation. to the NATIONAL LIBRARY OF CANADA to microfilm this dissertation and to lend or sel1 copies of the film, and to UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS to publish an abstract of this dissertation. The author reserves other publication rights. and neither the dissertation nor extensive extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's written permission. This dissertation offers a new paradigm to assist in the interpretation of the vampiric tradition in the English language from its origins (John Polidori) to contemporary examples (Anne Rice). The study posits a three-part taxonomy of vampiric narratives: vilifcation, heroic and sublime. Each of these variations can be applied to fiction drama, and film. Vilification narratives constnict the vampire as essentially monstrous and repulsive whereas heroic narratives vaiorize the vampire and encourage reader or audience sympathy. Sublime narratives, however, tend to resist the more polarized moral and aesthetic judgments about the vampire, though not always successfully. In sublime narratives, judgement is suspended because the narrative focus remains enthralled by the vampire's inherent contradictions, and by the psychological paradoxes of its interiority. Sublime narratives anxiously cunstruct the vampire as lover-predator, alive-dead, fascinating-temfying, natural-supernatural, human-demonic, attractive-ugIy, good- evil and, in short, as a contradictory experience that ernbraces opposing sensations and sentiments. All sublime narratives attempt to resolve these tensions; some are successful others are not- Al1 three narrative types descrÏbe events, incidents, or states of being that may be unexpected, inwngruous, or difficult to accept for the characters, and by implication, for audiences and readers; such events, incidents or states constitute examples of the impossible. The most frequently recumng and deeply rooted v ÏmpossibiMy in the vampiric tradition is supematuralism and the consequent debate over whether or not vampires actually exist. All three vampiric narratives are engaged in this controversy. It is the sublime narrative in particuiar, however, that is always caught in the balance, always tom between recognizing the vampire as an intrusion of malevolent supematural agencies into human affairs and on a more rational and scientific level, always attempting to explain away supematural phenornena merely as misunderstood events in nature or in the human world. Impossibility in the vampiric tradition is further conflated with metaphors for other kinds of impossibilities, especially queemess. deviant sexual practices, and those particular configurations of romantic love triangles that are at once alluring and forbidden. Over time, al1 these variations of impossibility have mutated and recombined to produce the content of vilification, heroic and sublime narratives, but the most compelling shifts have occurred within sublime narratives. This dissertation rnaps out those shifts over tirne. Works discussed are Polidori's The Vampyre (18 19). Planché's The Vampyre, or the Bride of the lsles (1820). Rymer's Vamey the Vampyre (1847), Le Fanu's Carmilla (1 872), Sto ker's Dracula (1897), Murnau's Nosferatu (1922), Balderston and Deane's Dracula: (1 927). Browning's Dracula (1 932). King's Salem's Lot (1975). Rice's interview With the Vampire, the 1976 novel and the 1994 film, and Coppola's Bram Stokefs Dr-acula (1992). The early nineteenth century (Polidori to Rymer) is dominated by vilifying and heroic narratives that vi combine the îrnpossibilify of supematuralism with the conventionalities of forbidden and romantic iove. Queemess and the deconstruction of masculinity are oniy latent. The transfonning power in the later nineteenth century (Le Fanu and Stoker) is evident in the emergence of sublime narratives that combine sexual and gender queerness with the supematural while subordinating conventional romance. Finally, the twentieth century shows the evolution of only two distinct narratives instead of three. Vilification narratives (Murnau and King) continue to develop, but perhaps more importantly, there emerges a newfy mutated variety of sublime narrative in which the supematural, queerness and the deconstruction of gender, are integrated with wnventional romance. This line of narrative evolution is illustrated in Coppola and Rice and, to a lesser extent, their predecessors, Balderston/Deane and Browning. vii Acknowledgments I remain deeply indebted to Professors Christopher lnnes and Maurice Elliott, who found me by the Rvers of Babylon- Their carhg encouragement and generosity of spirit were essential to the success of this project. Professor David Latharn was meticulous and insightful, and always a thought-provoking reader. 1 found the spirit of this cornmittee always to be uplifting as well as enriching and I am grateful. My colleagues at Stong College were also wonderfuIly supportive, especially my predecessor as Academic Advisor, Professor Greg Malszecki and acting Master, Professor Frances Flint. Both seem to have had an uncanny sense of knowing when I needed cheerleading and when I needed solitude. My long-time fnend and once fellow-student, Dr. John Radcliffe, was an inspiration too. And to my former students in ASlSC 1990 "The Gothic Tradition," frorn 1983 to 1996, thank you, each, and every one, for teaching me so much and for perennially rejuvenating this material for me. To my beautiful and most patient wife, Sari, who has been without her husband for so long, thank you for al1 your personal sacrifice, and your undying love and support. To my most precious daughter Stephanie, thank you for teaching me the value of play, the joy of iaughter and the importance of balance in life. I love you both, always. viii Table of Contents ln traduction .......................................~................................................. 1 Chapter One: Theorizing the Impossible ................... ........ ............................... 21 Chapter Two Vilifying and Heroicizing Narratives of the Eariy Nineteenth Century: Masculinity in Cnsis ............................................................................. 8 1 Chapter Three Narratives of the Sublime In the Late Nineteenth Century: Gender Crisis .......................~..~............................................................ 121 Chapfer Four Narratives of the Twentieth Century lmpossibility in the VilificafionNarrative Chapter Five Narratives of the Twentieth Century The TMphof Romance: .............................................................. 199 Conclusion ............................................................................................... 25 1 AppendixA .............................................................................................. 257 Appendix B .............................................................................................. 263 Appendix C ..............................~.........................~.................................... 270 Works Cited ................................. ... ................................................... 276 List of lltustrations Appendix A Figure 1 : Fuseli, The Nighfmare (frorn Nicholas powell, 19) Figure 2: Anonymous, The Nightmare (from NicholaS Powelll 14) Figure 3: Anonyrnous, The Nightmare (frorn Nicholas Powell. 58) Figure 4: N. Abildgaard. A Nightmare (from NicholaS Powell, 89) Figure 5: W. Raddon, The Nightmare (from NiCholas Powell, 99) Appendix B Figure 6: J.E. Millais, The Rescue (frorn Herbert SusSman, 145 ) Figure 7: J.E. Millais, The Knight Errant (frorn Herbert Sussmanl 147) Figure 8: D. H. Fiston,