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Profs and Pints DC presents: “Vampires Revamped,” a look at how vampires got transformed into pop-culture icons, with Stanley Joseph Stepanic, who teaches a course on Dracula and vampire folklore as an assistant professor of Slavic languages and literature at the University of Virginia.
Today the vampire looms as one of the most recognizable figures in popular culture. You can find vampires in a wide assortment of films offering laughs, lust, battle scenes, and even piercing social commentary. They make appearances in real-estate company ads (moving from Transylvania to Pennsylvania) and in popular video games such as Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodhunt.
Yet back in the day vampires were simply minor demons in Slavic folklore and mythology, figures that people connected to disease more than anything else.
How did vampires go from such humble upbringings to becoming A-list celebrities, the Vs in VIP?
Join vampire expert Stanley Stepanic for a look at how the original vampire of European folklore became the figures we know, love, and fear today. As part two of a vampiric doubleheader offered in the dark confines of DC’s Bier Baron Tavern, he’ll discuss how Dracula and other literary works changed how we perceive vampires, how Broadway and Hollywood sank their fangs into the idea of vampires as stars of the show, and how the vampire keeps being revamped again and again to suit our cultural needs.
It’s a talk that will leave you with a much deeper understanding and appreciation of the fanged ones around you. (Advance tickets: $12. Doors: $15, save $2 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later. Please allow yourself time to place any orders and get seated and settled in. The Bier Baron will be requiring event attendees to purchase a minimum of two items, which can be food or beverages, including soft drinks.)
Image from Pixabay.
