The Vampyre and Other Tales of the Macabre by Chris Baldick

“Confessions of a Reformed Ribbonman,” based on an actual event, takes the reader into the inner circle of a criminal brotherhood for whom brutality mocks and replaces morality and spirituality. The most horrifying of these stories rely strongly on either realism or fantasy. He is known for his social and emotional vampirism because even the most rational members of mainstream society can witness these evident depravities.Ĭriminals, living and supernatural, appear in stories such as “Sir Guy Eveling’s Dream,” “Confessions of a Reformed Ribbonman,” “The Victim,” and “Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess.” A contemporary fascination with madness manifests itself in “Monos and Daimonos,” “The Red Man,” “The Curse,” and “The Bride of Lindorf.” The interest in medicine and medical research, exploited in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, appear here in “The Victim,” “Post-Mortem Recollections of a Medical Lecturer,” and, less successfully, “Some Terrible Letters from Scotland.” “Life in Death” touches upon one of Frankenstein‘s themes: man’s imperfect and arrogant attempts to mimic or best God and nature. Polidori’s vampyre does not simply drain blood and life in the literal sense he tempts the innocent, further corrupts those who are debauched, and supports the sinner financially whenever he can. This collection of horror stories, anchored by John Polidori’s “The Vampyre,” reflects the popular tastes and issues of the the times.Ī sense of vice, moral ambiguity, and lawlessness pervades many of the stories.

With the shift from agriculture to industry and advancements in technology and scientific understanding, the 19th century was one of rapid change.

Edited with an introduction and notes by Robert Morrison and Chris Baldick. Highly recommended.

The Vampyre and Other Tales of the Macabre.

The Vampyre and Other Tales of the Macabre by Chris Baldick