Vampirism and Global Power Relations: A Study of the Fictive Histories in the Swedish Adaptation of Dracula.

Stoker’s Dracula frames the entire narrative in the context of the political dynamic between London and East Europe, and the anxieties surrounding the invasion of the London public and domestic spheres by the Romanian Count. At the beginning of the novel, however, Dracula gives a lengthy account of Romania’s political rivalry with the Turks, referring specifically to the confrontation between the Voivode and the Turks across the Danube River. This political history in Stoker’s Dracula is, however, not explored beyond the initial sections of the novel. The Swedish version of Dracula, titled Powers of Darkness, and published in 1899, explores the political history in a more detailed manner. The Swedish version is not a mere translation of Stoker’s novel, as scholars had believed for long, but features additional scenes and characters, which alter the text in significant ways. This paper will argue that the change in the fictive history in this adaptation is a deliberate creative intervention meant to interpolate Stoker’s narrative with new political tensions and social drama. This changes the nature of horror itself that defines the ‘original’ Dracula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]