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Rated 4 out of 5 by drJack76 from Good Job, but One Caveat The course was interesting, the visuals more varied than any of the Great Courses that I've taken, and the lecturers researched and presented the material well. But I was led to expect "Multiple" lecturers, but there were only two, the same two young women, for every lecture. I ended up not being disappointed but I expected several different viewpoints. I write this because some potential students might do the same.

Date published: 2023-09-21

Rated 5 out of 5 by EPTroy from Learning so much! This is a very interesting course, full of stories and connections I never knew about, in Dracula's history. I love how they tie all of these different topics together and cover everything so broadly and deeply. The only suggestion I would have: most Wondrium courses have just one speaker and it works better - the banter/echoing between Brittany and Sara gets a little bit annoying at times when watching a course (sorry ladies!). It doesn't add anything. So my suggestion would be 1) take turns - each do a segment or a part, while the other keep quiet unless it really is a dialogue. 2) Give them more opportunities to do more Wondrium courses - they're SO knowledgeable and there is so much fascianting stuff to cover in the world of magic and fairytales!

Date published: 2023-09-12

Rated 5 out of 5 by RachVal from Obsessed As a lover of the gothic novel, this series did not disappoint!

Date published: 2023-09-07

Rated 5 out of 5 by SMBC from Delightful Dalliance with Dracula! I so enjoyed the energy between Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman (founders of The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic . . . Checkout their amazing courses if you are a fan of the fantastic!) in this series. They do wonderful job of making the lecture feel like a conversation in which the viewer is invited to participate. There is a LOT of material to synthesize, but the organization in this coursevis clear and organized, and I loved how Sara and Brittany move fluidly from thesis to foundational info before diving into fun connections between the many iterations of the vampire take and Dracula character himsef—immortal indeed! I loved seeing the connection to fairy and folk tales in a way I had never considered before! I felt inspired to revisit old and beloved texts and tales and to investigate new ones. This course was an absolute delight! Highly recommend the video version for the visuals and to feel that added layer of engagement created with the filming style (and the conversational, talking to us and each other format).

Date published: 2023-08-21

Rated 5 out of 5 by dws40205 from Fascinating Content and Scholarship The course was excellent, well-researched and presented in a thoroughly engaging manner. The instructors were knowledgeable and the content demonstrated scholarship and deep insight into the subject matter. I found the epidsode on the relationship between vampires and fairy tales particularly interesting, The presentation of historical literary context, tracing the evolution fo Dracula was also fascinating. Every episode was well-done and informative.

Date published: 2023-07-26

Rated 3 out of 5 by RandyU57 from Presentation format didn’t work for me This is a very interesting subject, and I enjoyed much of it. The professors are very knowledgeable and, when presenting individually, they are outstanding. However…. the tag team approach just didn’t work for me, and was distracting. I understand that others like that approach, but I found the repeating each other’s comments, laughing at times that didn’t make sense, etc., to take away from from the presentation. When either was discussing information on their own, they both came across as knowledgeable, interesting, informative, and confident. When they both started commenting, it changed completely for me. Just a personal preference I know, but one that came across pretty strongly. Then there was the comment in the racism lecture that even when black vampires have been shown on screen, it’s often in negative, criminal light. Such as killing people by sucking their blood. Good grief. That’s what vampires do. Overall, an interesting topic and a lot of good information, but it missed an opportunity to be much better.

Date published: 2023-07-04

Rated 5 out of 5 by Midnight Sky from Very informative about Dracula and other Vampires This was such a great course. I loved every minute of it. From the analyzation of Vampires from Dracula, other writings, and media. I learned where a lot of the history of Vampires that we know today comes from, and was delighted with every moment of this course.

Date published: 2023-06-30

Rated 5 out of 5 by Vic Q from Loving Vampires This course was magnificent. I could not stop watching the lectures. They were all fascinating and full of insights. The professors were so engaging. I would love to take more courses taught by both of them.

Date published: 2023-06-22

Overview

There are few fictional characters who have entrenched themselves so thoroughly in the popular imagination as Count Dracula. In the 10 episodes of The Real History of Dracula, folklorists Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman, of The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic, will shine a light into the dark recesses of our cultural obsession with vampires. Using folklore, literature, history, television, film, and more, Sara and Brittany will show you how—and why—vampires are a potent metaphor for what matters most about the human condition.

About

Brittany Warman

Previous Bio Prev Next Bio Next

Vampires are a way to bridge things that scare us—or that we’re not fully comfortable with—with what we desire.

ALMA MATER

The Ohio State University

INSTITUTION

The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic

Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman are folklorists, teachers, and writers who cofounded The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic, where they show creative souls how to reenchant their lives through folklore and fairy tales. They both earned PhDs in English and Folklore from The Ohio State University. They have authored more than four dozen publications and lectured at venues such as the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Maryland Renaissance Festival. The Carterhaugh School won the Dorothy Howard Prize from the American Folklore Society.

By This Expert

Sara Cleto

Previous Bio Prev Next Bio Next

Dracula and other vampire stories are touchstones—ways to talk about big concepts like sex, race, globalization, disease, and death while pretending you’re talking about something totally different.

ALMA MATER

The Ohio State University

INSTITUTION

The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic

By This Expert

Trailer

01: Why Dracula Frightens and Seduces Us

Meet your experts, Sara and Brittany, and explore Dracula in popular culture, as well as the roots of the vampire in European folklore that preceded Bram Stoker’s creation. Close with a consideration of why the vampire is such a seductive yet terrifying monster and why it continues to have such a powerful presence in contemporary media.

27 min

02: Surprises from Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Dracula was first published in 1897 and was only moderately successful in the beginning. As you will see, over time, the novel changed the way we think about vampires and what they represent. Explore the creation of the novel, examine its plot and structure, and consider how it became such an integral part of Western culture and media.

26 min

03: Vampires and Bloodlust before Dracula

Examine the folkloric, literary, and historical sources that influenced Stoker’s creation of Dracula, including figures like Vlad the Impaler, the demon Lilith, Jack the Ripper, and others. Take a closer look at the Irish and Eastern European folklore traditions that likely inspired Stoker’s conception of the vampire.

25 min

04: How Dracula Became a Count

Prior to Dracula, most vampires were considered little more than overgrown leeches; so why did Stoker make his vampire an elegant, sophisticated count? Look back to the year 1816. Trace the origins of the prototype for the aristocratic, Byronic vampire that was born in John Polidori’s short story The Vampyre.

28 min

05: Vampire Romance On-Screen

One of the major contributing factors for the popularity of vampires, and Dracula in particular, is Dracula’s proximity to the birth of the film industry in the early 20th century. Consider the way the vampire has become more attractive and romantic in modern renditions and what these stories say about both our desires and our anxieties.

28 min

06: Why Dracula and Disease Travel Together

Vampires are not just monsters that can kill you—they are monsters you could become. As you will see, this association with contagion or infection taps into very specific anxieties about death, disease, endangering the community, and more. You will also see how Dracula and other vampire narratives have affected the real-world discourse of disease.

29 min

07: The Vampiric Threat from Abroad

Dracula is part of a tradition of the “imperial Gothic,” a sub-genre of the late Victorian period that often presented the fear of foreign invasion or loss of power through the lens of the supernatural. And consider: How do more recent vampire stories challenge the racist fears and imperial anxieties of their predecessors?

26 min

08: How to Kill a Vampire

Where did the typical weapons used against vampires—wooden stakes, garlic, and crosses—develop from? And why have the methods to fight vampires changed so much over time? Consider the traditions and superstitions that have been associated with vampires and see how Bram Stoker brought various sources together in his definitive vampire story.

25 min

09: Once Upon a Vampire

Vampires have found their way into numerous genres beyond horror and supernatural thrillers. Follow the vampire into the fairy tale and see what kind of shadow his presence casts there. Trace the parallels between vampire stories and several different versions of the famous fairy tales “Bluebeard” and “Snow White.”

25 min

10: The Vampires among Us

Close the course with a look at the impact of the vampire in the real world. From the harmless hobbies of legend tourism, vampire balls, and roleplaying games to the much darker realm of “vampire” serial killers, the allure of the vampire has crossed over from fiction into reality in a range of ways.

30 min