Bela Lugosi as Dracula, anonymous photograph from 1931, Universal Studios. This image is in the public domain.
Instructor(s)
Dr. William Donaldson
MIT Course Number
21L.310
As Taught In
Fall 2018
Level
Undergraduate
Course Description
Course Features
Course Description
This class uses a range of literary texts to trace the growth of the vampire trope from its first appearance in English-language fiction in the early years of the nineteenth century. Centering on classic works by Lord Byron, John Polidori, Sheridan le Fanu, Bram Stoker, and others, we learn about the formation of the modern literary canon, the folklore of the undead, and the creation of one of the most prolific popular culture genres—vampire fiction—which reached its first apotheosis in Stoker’s masterwork, Dracula.
Other Versions
Other OCW Versions
OCW has published multiple versions of this subject. 