This week, still in the Halloween spirit, we bring you what is widely regarded as the first modern vampire Tale, a short story called 'The Vampyre' by John Polidori.  It is notable as the second most famous piece of literature to come out of the legendary ghost story competition held between Byron and Shelley and their friends over a wet weekend on the shores of Lake Geneva.  That contest gave us 'Frankenstein' as well as this, the first story to fuse together various and disparate folk tales of the vampyre and the undead, and give us a modern narrative that would go on to inspire Bram Stoker and a host of other gothic horror writers. 

If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale

Books - (buying anything on Amazon through this link helps support the podcast):
The Vampyre and Other Tales of the Macabre - https://amzn.to/2ZNSrVz
Vampire Classics (Illustrated) - https://amzn.to/3CHDrHt
The Diary of Dr. John William Polidori - https://amzn.to/3CFFUlT

Films
Bram Stoker's Dracula - https://amzn.to/3bAMa2l
Interview with the Vampire - https://amzn.to/3EzmuiU

I would like to thank my patrons: Toni A, Joshua Clark, Maura Lee, Jane, John Bowles, Glen Thrasher, Ruairi, Cade Norman, Chris, Britt and Silja Tanner.

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