Images of the vampire across time display a cohesive relationship with the genre of Gothic literature due to its complex and contradictory nature. The rise of Gothic literature as an artistic interplay between the scientific and the supernatural played with a tantalizing paradox that extended beyond simple themes and motifs. It manifested itself in the characters themselves. Dating back to the 1700s, the introduction of a paradoxical character derived from Lord Byron's numerous works appears in many vampiric characters as the Byronic hero. Also an aspect of Gothic literature, monstrosity has served and serves an important purpose in our culture. Whatever aspect of humanity and society manifests in the monstrosity reveals said society's deepest fears. When it comes to vampirism, both violence and sexual liberation inform the reader a lot about the current state of cultural tenets. A comparison between modern vampire imagery and older images in literary texts suggests that our culture is simply drawn to paradox and can empathize with the complexity of vampiric figures. The difference in the components of the paradoxes reveals the ways in which the values ​​of our culture have changed at the origins, while a theme of contradiction has remained present. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay As established, Gothic literature itself is founded on the paradox of science and the supernatural. The unwavering popularity of the Byronic hero's complicated and multifaceted presence in our culture over time also supports the claim that we are caught up in paradox. The Byronic hero hates the reality of being a monster. It is at once creative and destructive, human and monstrous, sensitive and distressing, and both us and each other. Most of Byron's poems included versions of the Byronic hero and Byron's sentiments also support the popularity of the paradoxical existential lens also present in Gothic literature. In his poem “Manfred,” Byron writes, “Pain is knowledge: those who know best / Must weep most deeply for the fatal truth” (Byron 11-12). Byron's awareness in general was something that weighed on his thoughts, and while knowledge was prized and sought after, truth was something "fatal" and had to be mourned. A typical example of a vampiric Byronic hero is Varney the vampire who is tortured by his own monstrosity. Although Varney was present in the 1840s, his archetype can be seen manifested in many of today's characters, supporting our culture's long-standing fascination with duality and paradoxes. In the Twilight series, the main character Edward Cullen faces torture strikingly similar to that of Varney and even Lord Byron. The knowledge of his current state weighs on him, and even though he is painfully aware of his monstrosity, he continues to brutalize in a relatively existential manner. He knows he should stay away from his love interest, but he can't bring himself to do so because he is the pinnacle of overlapping humanity and monstrosity. Even centuries later, this tragically but fascinatingly torn character commands the attention of our society by evoking more and more of our empathy. The interest in this paradox tells us about the relationships of our culture with individuality and the other. Since the Byronic hero is a form of pure expression of individuality and at the same time personifies our culture's fear of the other, his popularity suggests that society and individuals struggle to successfully experience and define ourselves. Because of the natural and often conflicting dualitythat most people experience, becoming indistinguishable from others is one reason our culture can embrace monstrosity so much. It cleverly lends itself to appealing to our individuality. Another more modern and ambiguous version of the vampire appears in the television series Dexter. Dexter Morgan is extremely aware of his monstrosity, yet he chooses to express it by killing other killers. This raises a tantalizing ethical dilemma for viewers that holds that the complexity of the monstrosity implicates our culture. In the very first episode he says, “Blood. Sometimes it sets my teeth on edge, other times it helps me control the chaos. Blood is undoubtedly one of the greatest symbols of the vampire in literature and lyrics, which is why Dexter can be considered not only the archetypal Byronic hero but also a form of the modern vampire. The popularity of both the show Dexter and the Twilight series informs us that our culture can identify with monstrosity while also justifying it through empathy. Dexter struggles with his monstrosity, his need to kill, and his attraction to blood, while remaining a controversial figure in the public's mind as his horrific actions could result in a net positive. One reason society is so drawn to this paradox is because individuals identify monstrosity in themselves and at the same time use characters like Dexter and Edward as vehicles for accepting monstrous parts of themselves. While the presence of paradox is evident through Gothic literature and vampiric figures, the aspects that make up these paradoxes go beyond simple violence and monstrosity. Changes in paradoxical components parallel in structure to changes in our culture's fears and expectations. The way vampire imagery has always been portrayed is shown through the lens of that author and/or society's cultural standards. For example, Bram Stoker's personification of the female vampire sends very clear messages about how women fit into society in line with the rigid structure and values ​​they are expected to adhere to. The character Lucy in Bram Stoker's Dracula expresses intellect and sexuality in a way that was clearly threatening for the time as she is actually punished in the text. Stoker then goes on to imply that since Lucy may have had sexual experiences with multiple men, her punishment for this sexual release is death. This text is clearly written by someone who believes in and is enforcing the ideals of a monogamous, patriarchal society. At the time, sin was easily classified as simple disobedience to religious values: purity is divine and sexuality is sinful. As the value of religion in our culture has declined since Stoker wrote Dracula, the source from which our culture derives and follows its values ​​has changed following the decline of religion, forcing society to find ways to reinforce and dictate itself such values. Vampire literature has always contained an element of menacing sexuality, especially when it comes to the female monster. Lillith was extremely sexually liberated and described as the mother of all monsters while Carmilla was a seductive vampire who drained and seduced those around her. Whether in the Bible, Stoker's works, or even Sheridan LeFanu's Carmilla, all threats to female sexuality were written at the same time or through the lens of a culture with significant religious values. In the show The Vampire Diaries, the character of Nina Dobrev is portrayed as seductive and vampiric with little emphasis on religion or sin. The show is surprisingly more graphic.?