“He thought, in fine, that the dreams of poets were the realities of life.” 

Coming into existence in the same contest that led to the writing of ‘Frankenstein’, Polidori’s ‘The Vampyre, is an extremely fast paced tale of many deaths and supernatural occurrences as the protagonist Aubrey travels Europe with his friend Ruthven. The major points of this novella seem to come in such fast succession and so man individuals suddenly have unexplained deaths or fall to the trope I despise of ‘dying of heartbreak’. I was generally quite underwhelmed by the plot and didn’t think it the best written, especially in its pacing. ‘Frankenstein’ was the clear triumph of that fabled night.