漫話吸血鬼

西方文化中歷來不缺少以吸血鬼為主題的傳奇故事。從最初的污穢亡靈到如今的超級(jí)英雄，吸血鬼已在百年的演變中從幕后走到了臺(tái)前，成為現(xiàn)代流行文化的寵兒。現(xiàn)如今，那些出現(xiàn)在書籍、熒屏和銀幕上的吸血鬼多被賦予了貴族的氣質(zhì)、俊美的外表和超人的智慧，如此魅力非凡的形象讓人們似乎忘卻了他們那令人厭惡的出身。現(xiàn)在，就讓我們一起來了解一下吸血鬼的百年演變之謎。

We currently live in a pop culture world that seems obsessed with vampires. From gothic2) vampire novels， to endless movies， television and art， the vampire archetype continues to grow in popularity and sophistication.

Vampire culture seems in stark contrast with the current technological age and advances in science. Starting out in the dim and obscure recesses3) of Eastern European folk tales and legends， the vampire has reached center stage in modern pop culture. From foul4) revenant5) of the grave to super hero status within 100 years of evolution. Why?

Early Vampires 早期的吸血鬼

The vampires of folk history were totally repugnant6) creatures. They were depicted as crude， foul smelling， reanimated7) corpses， with a single parasitic8)-like motivation for blood. They are never actually observed in their vampire state by the living， but their existence is confirmed by circumstantial evidence9) within the surrounding community.

The evidence for the existence of a vampire was thought to include such things as the sudden deaths of citizenry and livestock， under unclear or questionable circumstances. Also indicative of vampirism10) was the sudden onslaught11) of mysterious disease symptoms， especially those causing pale skin coloration and slow physical wasting.

Along comes a traveling vampire hunter， often a clergyman or other supposed learned person， with a specific knowledge of vampires and vampirism， and the cure.

The only cure， of course， for eternally damned vampire and for the welfare of the entire community， was to find the grave of the suspected vampire/corpse， dig it up， cut-off its head and drive a wooden stake through its heart. Now the dug-up vampire/corpse would show certain characteristics that would confirm the vampire identity. These vampire/corpse characteristics included such things as long fingernails (supposed proof of continued life)， reddened lips， cheeks and fingers， and finally， blood remaining in the heart， demonstrated when the stake was driven in.

There are actually many historical， documented cases in the U.S. and Europe where vampire hunts were conducted， along with the grisly cures. I will provide one such example in the U.S. in the late 19th century.

A True Story of a Vampire 一個(gè)真實(shí)的吸血鬼故事

The story of the last official case of vampirism in the U.S. is that of 19-year-old Mercy Brown of Exeter， Rhode Island， who died on January 17， 1892.

The Browns were an upstanding farming family and pillars of their community. Mercy died of consumption， which had previously killed her mother and sister and which now also seriously affected her brother， Edwin. Mercy’s father， George Brown was faced with losing his entire family to this then misunderstood and incomprehensible disease. He was frantic and there were no answers available from science or medicine to help.

To save his son and only remaining relative， George Brown gave in to the folklore suggestions of some of his neighbors， who felt the situation was indicative of vampirism in their community. It was asserted that the deaths and illnesses of his family were caused by vampirism. Edwin was slowly wasting away and it was necessary to immediately put an end to the vampirism in the Exeter community.

Mercy had been laid to rest in a temporary aboveground crypt behind the Baptist Church in Chestnut Hill Cemetery. The ground was frozen in January and she could not be buried until Spring. On March 17， 1892， George Brown and a group of neighbors went to the cemetery and inspected Mercy’s body. Finding the body suspiciously well preserved， they cut out her heart and burned it on a rock—later mixing the ashes in a liquid concoction which they gave to Edwin to drink. Mercy’s desecrated remains were then reburied in a plot next to her sister and mother. Mercy’s brother Edwin was not cured and died two months later.

Thus ends this tragic， but true tale of vampirism in the U.S. Unfortunately， due to the prevailing folklore and superstitions in the 19th century and the pervasive spread of consumption， these bizarre practices often occurred in Europe and the U.S.

The Victorian Novel Transforms the Vampire 吸血鬼的華麗轉(zhuǎn)身

In 1897， with the publishing of his novel Dracula， Bram Stoker12) successfully transformed the image and the conventions of the vampire from lowly sub-human parasite to that of an intelligent， but somewhat evil superhero. Count Dracula resides in a castle， has superhuman powers and unlimited material wealth. He is a mysterious and genius intellect， who is (almost) immortal.

The new vampire is fantastically seductive and is almost omnipotent in his knowledge and power over humans. However， he is a tragic hero whose eternal damnation and demise can be hastened by sunlight and wooden stakes through the heart. He is also vulnerable to the beauty and innocence of attractive mortal women， whom he must pursue， corrupt and discard. Although impressively handsome and lonely， he can no longer experience the love and true companionship of a mortal woman.

The new literary vampire was incredibly popular， as the attractive， evil protagonist13) of the new Victorian Gothic novel. He became an enduring symbol of the anti-hero.

Some writers have suggested that the Dracula novel represents the underlying sexual repression of Victorian society and the desire for male domination and the subjugation14) of women. Clearly the dark lover representing dangerous and forbidden sex would have been a popular character in a society where open sexual expression was forbidden to women. Vampires embodied both forbidden sexuality and escape from death but their wretched form of existence was punishment for their transgression15).

Today’s Popular Super Anti-Hero 當(dāng)今盛行的超級(jí)反英雄

I think there are lots of subtle and not so subtle reasons that vampires have become a hit in our popular culture. Let’s consider the modern vampire myth and what it offers， primarily to the young.

1. Vampires are sexually attractive and charismatic.

2. They have superhuman intelligence and powers， such as the ability to fly and to crawl through tight spaces.

3. They can use mind control and telepathy16) with humans to get what they want.

4. They inspire fear and nobody messes with them without suffering dire consequences.

5. Vampires have pretty much conquered death and achieved immortality. Modern vampires have even developed a remarkable vaccine which allows them to function as normal humans during the day and to hide their true vampire identity.

6. Vampires can also use their powers to enslave other lowly creatures.

7. Vampires are really starting to come around and to form loving relationships with humans. It is now the opinion of many that vampires have been grossly mistreated and misunderstood in the past and that they have endured centuries of cruelty and wooden stakes through the heart from ignorant humans.

Vampires are interesting symbols which have truly come alive and evolved through literature and the gothic romance. The real fear and superstition of vampires has been transformed into an impotent but entertaining media genre in little more than 100 years’ time.

當(dāng)下，在我們生活的流行文化世界里，似乎人人都為吸血鬼著迷。從哥特式的吸血鬼小說到數(shù)不清的電影、電視劇和藝術(shù)作品，吸血鬼形象越來越流行，也越來越成熟。

吸血鬼文化似乎與當(dāng)前的技術(shù)時(shí)代和科學(xué)進(jìn)步形成了強(qiáng)烈的反差。起初，吸血鬼只是在那些不為人知的東歐民間故事和傳說中出沒，如今卻走到了現(xiàn)代流行文化的舞臺(tái)中央。在一百年的演化過程中，吸血鬼從墓穴中的污穢亡靈演變成了超級(jí)英雄，原因何在？

民間傳說中的吸血鬼極其令人厭惡。他們被描述成粗鄙的和散發(fā)著惡臭的復(fù)活僵尸，像寄生蟲一樣，唯一的嗜好就是吸血。事實(shí)上，活著的人從沒見過吸血鬼的樣子，但是，坊間卻有大量的間接證據(jù)證明著他們的存在。

關(guān)于吸血鬼存在的證據(jù)，人們一般認(rèn)為包含特定的情形，比如在不明或可疑情況下人和牲畜的突然死亡。還有一種情況也能和吸血鬼扯上關(guān)系，那就是突然染上某種神秘的疾病，尤其是那些導(dǎo)致膚色蒼白、日漸消瘦的疾病。

吸血鬼的出現(xiàn)催生了游走四方的吸血鬼獵人。他們通常是牧師或者人們眼中的博學(xué)之士，對(duì)吸血鬼和吸血鬼的慣常行為有一套專門的知識(shí)，也知道怎么對(duì)付吸血鬼。

當(dāng)然，對(duì)付永遠(yuǎn)遭受詛咒的吸血鬼的唯一辦法，同時(shí)也是保護(hù)整個(gè)社區(qū)平安的唯一辦法，就是找出那個(gè)人們懷疑的吸血鬼或尸體的墳?zāi)梗阉诔鰜恚车羲念^，再用木樁插入他的心臟。此時(shí)，被挖出來的吸血鬼或尸體所顯示出的某些特征能夠證實(shí)其吸血鬼身份。這些特征包括長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的指甲(據(jù)說這表明其生命仍在延續(xù))，赤紅的嘴唇、臉頰和手指，以及當(dāng)木樁插入心臟時(shí)濺出的殘留的血液。

實(shí)際上，美國和歐洲歷史上存有大量有據(jù)可查的案例，記載著人們對(duì)吸血鬼的搜捕行為以及恐怖的治療術(shù)。下面我就講述一個(gè)這樣的故事，故事發(fā)生在19世紀(jì)末的美國。

美國官方記錄的距今最近的一個(gè)吸血鬼案例發(fā)生在羅德島的埃克斯特。1892年1月17日，那里一個(gè)名叫莫希·布朗的19歲姑娘死了。

布朗一家都是正派、誠實(shí)的農(nóng)民，是社區(qū)里的頂梁柱。莫希死于肺癆，先前這個(gè)疾病已經(jīng)奪去了她媽媽和姐姐的生命，現(xiàn)在又在嚴(yán)重威脅著她弟弟愛德溫的生命。當(dāng)時(shí)，肺癆是一種遭人誤解的病，人們不明白它的起因。因?yàn)檫@個(gè)病，莫希的父親喬治·布朗面臨著失去整個(gè)家庭的災(zāi)難。他著急得發(fā)瘋，但當(dāng)時(shí)無論科學(xué)還是醫(yī)學(xué)都無法給他一個(gè)答案。

為了救兒子——他唯一幸存的血親，喬治·布朗只好采納了幾個(gè)鄰居根據(jù)民間傳說提出的建議。他們認(rèn)為布朗一家的遭遇表明他們居住的社區(qū)里有吸血鬼。人們斷言，布朗家人死的死、病的病，全都是因?yàn)槲碓谧鞴帧鄣聹厝諠u消瘦，必須立即制止吸血鬼在埃克斯特社區(qū)為非作歹了。

此前，莫希被安放在栗子山公墓浸信會(huì)教堂后一個(gè)臨時(shí)的地上墓穴里。由于一月份她去世時(shí)地面還結(jié)著凍，只有等到春天才能將她掩埋。1892年3月17日，喬治·布朗和一群鄉(xiāng)鄰來到墓地查看莫希的尸體，發(fā)現(xiàn)尸體竟保存完好。他們覺得實(shí)在可疑，就挖出她的心，放在石頭上用火燒，然后將灰燼混在調(diào)好的液體里讓愛德溫服下。莫希受到摧殘的遺體被重新安葬在她姐姐和媽媽的墓穴旁。然而，莫希的弟弟愛德溫并沒有痊愈，兩個(gè)月后，他也離世了。

這個(gè)發(fā)生在美國的悲慘而又真實(shí)的吸血鬼故事就這樣結(jié)束了。不幸的是，由于19世紀(jì)盛行的民俗、迷信以及肺癆的肆意蔓延，這類離奇的做法在當(dāng)時(shí)的歐洲和美國經(jīng)常上演。

1897年，布拉姆·斯托克出版了小說《德拉庫拉》。在這本小說里，他成功地將吸血鬼的傳統(tǒng)形象從一個(gè)為人類所不齒的卑賤的寄生蟲轉(zhuǎn)變成一個(gè)睿智但又有點(diǎn)邪惡的超級(jí)英雄。德拉庫拉伯爵居住在城堡里，有著超能力和無盡的物質(zhì)財(cái)富。他神秘而又智慧超凡，幾乎是永生不滅的。

新的吸血鬼形象極富魅力，在知識(shí)和能力方面幾乎無所不能，人類難以望其項(xiàng)背。然而，他又是個(gè)悲劇英雄，陽光和刺入心臟的木樁就能讓他立陷萬劫不復(fù)之地，魂飛魄散。另外，對(duì)于迷人的凡間女子，他也無法抵擋其美貌與純真，總要追求、毀掉，然后拋棄她們。雖說他極其英俊，又深感孤獨(dú)，然而他卻無法和凡間女子相愛，也無法真正和她們廝守在一起。

在具有維多利亞時(shí)代風(fēng)格的新哥特式小說中，吸血鬼成了魅力十足的邪惡主角。不可思議的是，這種嶄新的吸血鬼文學(xué)形象竟然大受歡迎。他成了反英雄的不朽象征。

有些作家認(rèn)為德拉庫拉式的小說反映了維多利亞時(shí)代暗涌的性壓抑，以及對(duì)男權(quán)至上的追求，對(duì)征服女性的渴望。在一個(gè)禁止女人公開表達(dá)性訴求的社會(huì)中，代表著危險(xiǎn)與禁忌性愛的黑暗情人無疑會(huì)成為一個(gè)受歡迎的角色。吸血鬼既象征著禁忌的性愛，也體現(xiàn)著對(duì)死亡的超脫，但他們凄楚的生存狀態(tài)是一種懲罰，懲罰他們?cè)傅淖镄小?/p>

吸血鬼之所以在流行文化中大受歡迎，我覺得是由很多微妙和不太微妙的原因所致。我們來審視一下現(xiàn)代吸血鬼神話，看看它給人們——特別是給年輕人——帶來哪些啟迪。

1. 吸血鬼具有性方面的吸引力和超凡魅力。

2. 他們具有超人的智慧和威力，比如飛行以及爬越密閉空間的能力。

3. 他們能利用思想控制和與人類通靈的法術(shù)來獲得自己想要的東西。

4. 他們令人恐懼，任何膽敢招惹他們的人都沒有好下場(chǎng)。

5. 吸血鬼已在很大程度上戰(zhàn)勝死亡，獲得了永生。現(xiàn)代吸血鬼甚至研發(fā)出了一種非同凡響的疫苗，這種疫苗能隱藏他們的吸血鬼身份，使他們白天能像正常人一樣生活。

6. 吸血鬼還能用他們的威力奴役其他低級(jí)的生物。

7. 吸血鬼真的會(huì)來到我們身邊，與人類建立起友愛關(guān)系。現(xiàn)在許多人都認(rèn)為，吸血鬼過去一直遭受令人發(fā)指的虐待與誤解。幾百年來，他們一直忍受著愚昧人類對(duì)他們的殘忍迫害以及木樁刺心的痛苦。

作為有趣的文學(xué)形象，吸血鬼已從文學(xué)作品與哥特式的傳奇小說中成功復(fù)活并完成演變。在短短一百多年的時(shí)間里，對(duì)于吸血鬼的真實(shí)恐懼與迷信已轉(zhuǎn)變成一種震撼力不夠卻娛樂性十足的媒體類型。

1.vampire [#712;vaelig;mpa#618;#601;(r)] n. 吸血鬼

2.gothic [#712;ɡ#594;θ#618;k] adj. 哥特式小說風(fēng)格的(著重描繪怪誕、恐怖和孤寂的小說風(fēng)格的)

3.recess [#712;ri#720;ses] n. 深處，幽深處，隱秘處

4.foul [fa#650;l] adj. 污穢的，惡臭的

5.revenant [#712;rev#601;n#601;nt] n. 幽靈，亡魂

6.repugnant [r#618;#712;p#652;ɡn#601;nt] adj. 使人反感的，引起厭惡的

7.reanimate [ri#712;aelig;n#618;me#618;t] vt. 使復(fù)活

8.parasitic [#716;paelig;r#601;#712;s#618;t#618;k] adj. 寄生生物(似)的

9.circumstantial evidence：間接證據(jù)，旁證

10.vampirism [#712;vaelig;mpa#618;#601;r#618;z(#601;)m] n. 吸血鬼的習(xí)慣行為

11.onslaught [#712;#594;n#716;sl#596;#720;t] n. (疾病)突然侵襲，發(fā)作

12.Bram Stoker：布拉姆·斯托克(1847～1912)，愛爾蘭作家，因其小說《德拉庫拉》而享有“吸血鬼之父”的稱號(hào)。

13.protagonist [pr#601;#650;#712;taelig;ɡ#601;n#618;st] n. (戲劇、故事、小說中的)主角

14.subjugation [#716;s#652;bd#658;#650;#712;ɡe#618;#643;#601;n] n. 征服

15.transgression [traelig;nz#712;ɡre#643;(#601;)n] n. 違反，犯罪

16.telepathy [t#601;#712;lep#601;θi] n. 傳心(術(shù))，通靈(術(shù))