Jimmy Akin on Vampire Fiction
I’ve been reading Jimmy Akin’s blog on and off for a while (long-time readers may recall that I’d previously linked to his speculations on whether zombies have souls).
A reader wrote in to remind me that Jimmy actually wrote about Dracula (and a little more generally about vampire fiction) back in December:
- When Vampire Novels Get It Wrong: Part 1 – “I admit it. I nitpick the science in novels I read.” Jimmy describes the realities of exanguination, which vampire fiction so often ignore. (aside: the reasons given are also in large part why real shooting deaths are normally a lot less pleasant than the gentle slipping away you see in most movies or TV)
- When Vampire Novels Get It Wrong: Part 2 – Here, he focuses on Dracula. Actually rather complimentary; he’s not a fan of the vampire genre like he is of zombie flicks, but he still considers Dracula a “really cool read.” His only criticisms in this installment relate to the blood transfusions, which I personally let slide, given when the book was written.
- When Vampire Novels Get It Wrong: Part 3 – He finishes his discussion of Dracula, elaborating on the same specifically Catholic issues I alluded to in my own post. Given it’s a fictional world with its own rules, one needn’t be offended by these things, but it’s always going to be a bit distracting. Like Jimmy, I think Stoker meant well—it’s just a shame the latter didn’t do more homework in this area.