Many years ago I knew a Serbian woman whose father remembered the
Balkan Wars. Having seen it, he described to her, and she passed on
to me, how it was done. A stake was planted in the ground, with
perhaps two feet above the surface. The victim was carefully lowered
onto it, so that it entered all the way into his colon. missing vital
organs. The idea was that he was supposed to bleed to death slowly,
in maximum pain and humiliation. Family members would stay with the
victim, offering what comfort they could, as well as food and drink.
There would usually be dozens in this state in a given place, so that
it must have resembled a church picnic gone very sour.
Vlad is on one occasion said to have impaled 10,000. Turks and
Christians alike used it as punishment and disincentive.
Who needs fictional horror stories? And aren't we a wonderfully
creative species?
Mark
At 02:08 PM 2/28/2007, you wrote:
>I love what you do with "stakes," Mark.
>
>It's another curiosity that the same kind of sharpened
>wooden stake is used both by humans, to kill a
>_vampire_ , and (in Vlad's case) used by a vampire to
>torture and kill his (presumably human) enemies.
>
>Candice
>
>
>
>--- Mark Weiss <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > Yup--vamp is short for vampire. A vamp theoretically
> > could suck the
> > life out of a man. First applied to Theodora Barra I
> > think.
> >
> > In the days before electric razors vampires must
> > have shaved when
> > they first woke up, before they hunted. Otherwise,
> > since they can't
> > use mirrors, it would have been a bloody mess.
> >
> > Invite no one in.
> > Your friend
> > could be a vampire.
> >
> > High stakes,
> > low stakes,
> > one sure stake for me.
> >
> > At 01:35 PM 2/28/2007, you wrote:
> > >Joanna
> > >Are vamps related to vampires??
> > >Sounds a good thread though
> > >P de P
> > >
> > >-----Original Message-----
> > >From: Poetryetc provides a venue for a dialogue
> > relating to poetry and
> > >poetics [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
> > Of Joanna Boulter
> > >Sent: 28 February 2007 16:17
> > >To: [log in to unmask]
> > >Subject: Re: Vlad the Impaler
> > >
> > >But hasn't anyone written any vampire poems? And if
> > not, why not?
> > >
> > >Just a thought.
> > >
> > >joanna
> > >
> > >----- Original Message -----
> > >From: "MC Ward" <[log in to unmask]>
> > >To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > >Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2007 3:40 PM
> > >Subject: Re: Vlad the Impaler
> > >
> > >
> > > > I'd love to see your course list, Doug--thank
> > you, and
> > > > I wish I could take a course like yours.
> > However, it
> > > > would be hard for me, as usual, to avoid the
> > "Zizak
> > > > problem" of staying on text. No matter what I
> > see/read
> > > > of the "reimaginings of _Dracula_, I eventually
> > end up
> > > > back with Stoker and, in my Signet Classic
> > edition,
> > > > the fine introduction by Leonard Woolf.
> > > >
> > > > Now, we'd better get back to poetry, as Joe has
> > gently
> > > > suggested, and leave other things to the "shadow
> > > > world" of the back channel.
> > > >
> > > > Candice
> > > >
> > > > My great hope in making this story public is
> > that it
> > > > will find at least one reader who will
> > understand it
> > > > for what it actually is: a cri de coeur. To you,
> > > > perceptive reader, I bequeath my history.
> > > > (Elizabeth Kostova)
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --- Douglas Barbour <[log in to unmask]>
> > wrote:
> > > >
> > > >> Thanks for this, Candice; I'll keep a look out
> > for
> > > >> it.
> > > >>
> > > >> I'm just a bit of a reader of vampire fiction
> > (& a
> > > >> big, but not really
> > > >> fannish, fan of Buffy). And the last English
> > course
> > > >> I taught, in my
> > > >> retirement year, was a senior course on popular
> > > >> culture titled
> > > >> Twentieth Century Vampires, which took in a
> > long
> > > >> 20th century as we
> > > >> began with some short fiction & Dracula from
> > the
> > > >> 1890s.
> > > >>
> > > >> There are a couple of novels, highly
> > > >> erotic/romantic, starring Mina, &
> > > >> Dracula's last sister, that take the original
> > story
> > > >> further, Mina &
> > > >> Blood to Blood.
> > > >>
> > > >> If you'd like to see my course list, I'd be
> > happy to
> > > >> send it b/c.
> > > >>
> > > >> Doug
> > > >> On 27-Feb-07, at 10:01 AM, MC Ward wrote:
> > > >>
> > > >> > Doug (and others who may be interested in the
> > > >> > narrative strategies used to recover--or
> > > >> recuperate-
> > > >> > the history as well as the new "reimaginings"
> > of
> > > >> the
> > > >> > Dracula legend), there's a new novel out
> > called
> > > >> > (unfortunately, in my opinion) _Fangland_ by
> > John
> > > >> > Marks. This time the Dracula material is set
> > in
> > > >> the
> > > >> > world of broadcast journalism, where
> > "Evangeline
> > > >> > Harker" (presumably the daughter or
> > granddaughter
> > > >> of
> > > >> > Jonathan and Mina) works as a producer. The
> > novel
> > > >> > begins with her journals, as Stoker's does
> > with
> > > >> > Harker's journal, apart from a brief foreword
> > by
> > > >> one
> > > >> > James Malley that is similar to Stoker's.
> > Malley
> > > >> > begins by saying that "the following
> > document" was
> > > >> > "generated in the spirit of the 9-11
> > Commission
> > > >> > Report," which gives you some idea of its
> > > >> deliberately
> > > >> > contemporary basis. Again, there are several
> > > >> > speakers/writers competing for the "I"
> > position.
> > > >> > "James Malley" also says in his foreword that
> > the
> > > >> book
> > > >> > is "an heir to the great novels of the
> > realism of
> > > >> the
> > > >> > nineteenth century, a Tolstoyan account of
> > > >> calamity."
> > > >> >
> > > >> > That's all I can tell you about _Fangland_,
> > which
> > > >> I
> > > >> > acquired at my local library just today. (I
> > also
> > > >> > ordered _Children of the Night_--on the basis
> > of
> > > >> > Doug's recommendation--thanks for the tip.)
> > > >> >
> > > >> > I'm curious, Doug, about your interest in
> > this
> > > >> > material. Can you say something about that?
> > > >> >
> > > >> > Candice
> > > >> >
> > > >> > There is throughout no statement of past
> > things
> > > >> > wherein memory may err...
> > > >> > (Bram Stoker)
> > > >> >
> > > >> >
> > > >> >
> > > >> >
> > > >>
> > > >
> >
>_______________________________________________________________________
> > > >>
> > > >> > _____________
> > > >> > The fish are biting.
> > > >> > Get more visitors on your site using Yahoo!
> > Search
> > > >> Marketing.
> > > >> >
> > > >>
> > > >
> >
>http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/arp/sponsoredsearch_v2.php
> > > >> >
> > > >> >
> > > >> Douglas Barbour
> > > >> 11655 - 72 Avenue NW
> > > >> Edmonton Ab T6G 0B9
> >
>=== message truncated ===
>
>
>
>
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