The Vampire in Aleksei Tolstoy’s 'The Family of the Vurdalak' and 'Упырь' as an Ambivalent Marker of Slavic Identity

• In Event: Folklore in Literature: The Function of Narrative

Abstract

The vampire in Aleksei Tolstoy’s “The Family of the Vurdalak” and “Упырь” is simultaneously a marker of Slavic identity and an indication of infection and uncleanness. While the vampire is solely negative in Slavic folklore, Tolstoy’s use of it reflects the ambivalence that the Western-looking Russian upper class felt about their own identity as a Slavic people and as Westernizers. In this presentation I will address this ambivalence and its significance as it is portrayed in Tolstoy’s vampire tales.

Author

• Erin M. Collopy, Texas Tech U