[Sca-cooks] Puritans, was: Canadian Friends

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Volker Bach wrote:

> "Laura C. Minnick" schrieb:
>
>>As to temptation- I dunno- how come vampires wear black and white? Think
>>about the erotic links there... ;-]


What erotic links? I ask because I really have no reason to believe the
novel has any more to do with repressed Victorian sexuality than it does
with marked increases in sexual freedom in both England and America in
both the 1920's and the 1970's. Stoker claimed Dracula was largely
inspired by an evening of too much cold lobster and cucumber salad. Now,
the Romantic links go back at least to Byron and Polidori's Lord
Ruthven, said to be loosely based on him. It may be that vampires on the
stage (which occur long before Dracula) dress in a somber fashion, if
not in actual grave garments.

OK, garb mavens, does anybody have any comment on the question of
traditions of dressing our dead in clothes specifically intended for
burial, as opposed to real clothes?


> I think the reason vampires wear black and white
> is that they all descend, to some extent or other,
> from Count Dracula, Varney and The Vampyre. All
> those fictional examples were gentlemen, and
> therefore would wear what the age demanded a
> gentleman wear. However, they were also strange,
> romantic and eerie which meant tweeds, bathrobes
> or bottle-green lounge suits were right out :-)


Except in the case of the occasional tasteful, quiet tweed for Sherlock
Holmes. Let's not forget our German expressionist film makeup and sets,
either.



> Result: put them in a black suit and opera cloak.
> It emphasises their connection with the night and
> nicely conveys the 'darkly noble' touch.
>
>>From the first stage adaptation the costume just
> stuck. Once you have a visual reference point you
> can play around with it, but you can not simply
> refuse to use it.


I dunno, the Coppola Dracula did, more or less. Not that it improved the production any to do so (people _will_ insist on portraying Dracula with a shred of sympathy, something I believe Stoker never intended), but Ol' Prince Vlad appears almost entirely in bright colors throughout.


Adamantius, partisan of Le Fanu's Carmilla and "Mrs. Amworth" (either
Benson or Jacobs, I forget which)
--
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com

"It was so blatant that Roger threw at him.  Clemens gets away with
things that get other people thrown out of games.  As long as they
let him get away with it, it's going  to continue." -- Joe Torre, 9/98