The Vampyre

story by Polidori

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July 20, 2026

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John Polidori's "The Vampyre" is considered the first prose vampire story published in English. It was written during the "haunted summer of 1816" in Switzerland, a period of creative output for Polidori and his companions, including Lord Byron.12

The story features a mysterious aristocrat named Lord Ruthven, who preys on young women by draining their blood before disappearing. This tale is significant as it established many characteristics that would become associated with vampires in later literature and folklore, such as the vampire's aristocratic nature and predatory behavior. "The Vampyre" predates Bram Stoker's more famous novel Dracula and significantly influenced the development of vampire fiction.123

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Lord Byron
Creative productivity during the haunted summer of 1816
…Prometheus (1818) and Polidori writing “The Vampyre” (1819), a story about an aristocratic vampire who resembled Byron.
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…Prometheus (1818) and Polidori writing “The Vampyre” (1819), a story about an aristocratic vampire who resembled Byron.
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vampire
History
…to be John Polidori’s “The Vampyre” (1819), about a mysterious aristocrat named Lord Ruthven who seduces young women only to drain their blood and disappear. Those works and others inspired subsequent material for the stage. Later important vampire stories include the serial Varney, the Vampire; or, The Feast of…
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…to be John Polidori’s “The Vampyre” (1819), about a mysterious aristocrat named Lord Ruthven who seduces young women only to drain their blood and disappear. Those works and others inspired subsequent material for the stage. Later important vampire stories include the serial Varney, the Vampire; or, The Feast of…
Read More

Haunted Summer of 1816
The ghost story contest: From Frankenstein to The Vampyre to Darkness
…completing a tale called “The Vampyre,” about a ruthless aristocrat who bears more than a passing resemblance to Byron. Initially, the title character in Polidori’s story was named Ruthven, the same name of a rakish character in Lady Caroline Lamb’s novel Glenarvon (1816), a thinly disguised account of her…
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…completing a tale called “The Vampyre,” about a ruthless aristocrat who bears more than a passing resemblance to Byron. Initially, the title character in Polidori’s story was named Ruthven, the same name of a rakish character in Lady Caroline Lamb’s novel Glenarvon (1816), a thinly disguised account of her…
Read More