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johnawickline's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
dee9401's review against another edition
4.0
Having heard of the ghost story competition among Lord Byron, Mary and Percy Shelley, and Byron's physician John Polidori in the summer of 1816 beside Lake Geneva, I was eager to read Polidori's story that came out of the night, one of the founding vampire stories, especially one that moved the vampire from a rural setting to urban high society. At the 2014 Washington Antiquarian Book Festival, I actually saw a copy of the Polidori's original story, falsely attributed to Lord Byron (corrected in the second edition). This edition from Oxford World Classics included not only Polidori's The Vampyre, but also 13 other short stories that appeared, mostly in magazines from the 1820s through the 1830s.
I have to say that I wasn't as impressed with Polidori's story as I thought I would be. J. Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla was a much better vampire story, but then again, it had a literary tradition to build upon, including the groundwork laid by Polidori. I thought that Polidori's story could have been better, especialy if he'd developed it a bit more.
William Carleton's Confessions of a Reformed Ribbonman was a horrific story of a religious/political revenge that included a home burning and lynching. It was more a true crime confession, but still quite shocking.
Edward Bulwer's Monos and Diamonos started off as almost a skeletal sketch, but it built up like a Le Fanu short stories from In a Glass Darkly. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
James Hogg's Some Terrible Letters from Scotland was terrifying. It centered around a cholera outbreak. It was made up of three letters, which included themes of almost being buried alive, social shunning and ghostly visits. The first letter remindede of Le Fanu's writings.
There were two anonymous stories in this collection that I liked. First was The Curse, which showed how quickly the descent into madness can happen to not deal with a tragedy. It also showed how madness can be a refuge from reality. The second story was Life in Death. You saw what was coming very early one, but it still gave me the shivers. I can only wonder at its reception in 1833!
I have to say I was very pleased that this collection included one of the masters of this genre, and one of my favorite writers from the 19th century. Le Fanu's Secret History of an Irish Countess is perfect. It includes his classic pacing, building terror, and a sense of the macabre. As always, it was pure reading joy. And the footnotes said this story was expanded into one of Le Fanu's most popular novels, Uncle Silas. That novel sits on my shelf and I can't wait to get to it!
I have to say that I wasn't as impressed with Polidori's story as I thought I would be. J. Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla was a much better vampire story, but then again, it had a literary tradition to build upon, including the groundwork laid by Polidori. I thought that Polidori's story could have been better, especialy if he'd developed it a bit more.
William Carleton's Confessions of a Reformed Ribbonman was a horrific story of a religious/political revenge that included a home burning and lynching. It was more a true crime confession, but still quite shocking.
Edward Bulwer's Monos and Diamonos started off as almost a skeletal sketch, but it built up like a Le Fanu short stories from In a Glass Darkly. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
James Hogg's Some Terrible Letters from Scotland was terrifying. It centered around a cholera outbreak. It was made up of three letters, which included themes of almost being buried alive, social shunning and ghostly visits. The first letter remindede of Le Fanu's writings.
There were two anonymous stories in this collection that I liked. First was The Curse, which showed how quickly the descent into madness can happen to not deal with a tragedy. It also showed how madness can be a refuge from reality. The second story was Life in Death. You saw what was coming very early one, but it still gave me the shivers. I can only wonder at its reception in 1833!
I have to say I was very pleased that this collection included one of the masters of this genre, and one of my favorite writers from the 19th century. Le Fanu's Secret History of an Irish Countess is perfect. It includes his classic pacing, building terror, and a sense of the macabre. As always, it was pure reading joy. And the footnotes said this story was expanded into one of Le Fanu's most popular novels, Uncle Silas. That novel sits on my shelf and I can't wait to get to it!
pocketvolcano's review
5.0
I love gothic horror stories and this book is full of them. "The Vampyre" purports to be the first ever vampire story and it's extremely well written. Oxford World Classics selections include plenty of notes and tidbits, they're one of my favorite series to read classics in. Well worth picking up if you like gothic horror.
readbyzahra's review against another edition
Marked as no rating as I haven’t read all the short stories but this is the edition I have. Read ‘The Vampyre’ for class, 4/5 stars. Very enjoyable read, clear and well-written. You can clearly see the influence of the Gothic’s predecessors and the contextual factors surrounding the author. Only wish we had less of an abrupt ending. Would’ve been nice to see more information based upon Ruthven’s calculated choices and how he manipulated his victims etc.
hermance's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
centurylore's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0