"re-thinking" the standard mythology so they can go out in sunlight, don't have to drink blood, and can eat cheeseburgers means you are no longer writing about vampires

With you on the main points of the rant. But Bram Stoker's Dracula could in fact go out in sunlight; he just had no superpowers in daytime. Being caught by the first rays of sunrise or the last rays of sunset would however have been deadly to him. Also I think so would being out exactly at noon, but I don't remember that last for certain.

t /nitpick

Gar, where in Dracula do you remember him being out in sunlight? I'm trying to remember that part, and can't; all I'm coming up with, without referencing the book, is the part in London when (I think) Harker sees him, and says "it is the man himself - but he has grown young!", and I don't remember the actual encounter, or time of day during which it happened.

Of course, Dracula could also cross running water (the ship running ashore at Whitby with his coffin in it, setting him free on English soil, is one of my favourite bits of horror ever written), so apparently Stoker played with the mythos, as well.

We never actually saw Dracula out in sunlight. Van Helsing in sharing vampire lore and talking of the strengths and weakness of vampires specifically said that vampires could walk in the day, but if they did they had no special strength or ability to turn into mist etc. Since sunrise, sunset, and (I'm 90% sure of this last) noon could kill them, I can understand why Dracula and most vampires would choose in practice to sleep days ; a hell of lot safer to go out only at night.

Oh yeah, this reminds me that I was planning on reading the original Dracula and Frankenstein this summer. I've begun Remember Me already...but hm, should I do the monster books now or read my new Davies? I suppose I should do them next in honor of Van Helsing, or something. Which one should I read first? Which one is better?

Yeah, Dracula was stuck in whatever form he was in during the day, or something like that.

But Bram Stokers Dracula could in fact go out in sunlight; he just had no superpowers in daytime. Being caugt by the first rays of sunrise or the last rays of sunset would however have been deadly to him. Also I think so would being out exactly at noon, but I don't remember that last for certain.

I always forget that bit about Dracula. I don't know why. But every other author that decides to have their vampires be able to go out in sunlight still lets them have their superpowers, which I don't agree with.

Because I've been thinking about this for a bit now, I present to you ...

Jilli's List o' Top Vampire Novels (in no particular order, 'cos my favorites change around a lot):

Anno Dracula by Kim Newman

Those Who Hunt the Night and Traveling with the Dead by Barbara Hambly

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice

Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite

Gothique by Kyle Marffin

Dark Dance, Personal Darkness, and Darkness, I by Tanith Lee

The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers

Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

Dracula is long. And pretty darn Victorian, for being a novel about vampires.

Thanks - must go back and reread. Does he make reference to that supposed inability to cross running water, and why Vlad is immune? Or does he not touch that one?

random vampire not, before I head out for the day: I very much liked Stephen King's explanation for why vampires can't deal with garlic.

He said he suspects it's an allergy.

Jilli, did you not like Delicate Dependency, by Michael Talbot? One of my favourites about vampires. The head vampire, Lodovico, is amazing.

I loved Dracula, but as Dana points out, it's relentlessly Victorian. I sometimes wonder if Stoker himself realised how clearly he was portraying his own Victorian terror of female sexuality.

Jilli, how do you feel about Brust's Agyar?