Последние . the vampires return

they’re young, they’re rebellious and they have a taste for blood. this description fits not only characters in modern vampire novels, but also many of the readers. some teenagers love vampire stories so much, it almost an addiction. but what is their appeal? is it the plot or the characters? and why are they so popular with teenagers in particular (apart from the blood)?

the modern fashion for vampire stories probably started in 1976, with the publication of interview with the vampire, a novel by the american writer anne rice. this novel and its sequels are known as the vampire chronicles and about 80 million copies have been sold around the world. they are different from earlier vampires are likeable characters. for example, the main character, louis, needs to drink blood to survive, but he hates harming people. there are two different sides to his personality and many teenagers can identify with this. when the stories were made into a film, the part of louis was played by brad pitt.

the most successful vampire books of the last ten years are the four novels in the twilight series, by stephanie meyer. the books are about the relationships between the female lead, bella swan, and a young, sensitive vampire called edward cullen. the first novel, twilight, was written in 2003. when the author finished final chapter, she wrote an epilogue … and then another, and then another. she realized she had enough ideas for more novels. that is why she wrote the sequels – and millions of teenagers around the world are glad that she did! they love the mix fantasy, horror and romance. the novels have been made into successful films too.

although twilight is a 21st –century sensation, in fact the popularity of vampire stories is nothing new. in 1897, the irish writer bram stoker wrote a novel called dracula. twenty five years later, the film director max schreck made first vampire film, nosferatu. the film was so similar to bram stoker’s novel that his family took legal action against the film studio – and won. the film studio had to destroy the film, but fortunately a few secret copies survived in 1990s, the film was seen again for the first time in seventy years. like a true vampire. nosferatu came back from the dead! and a lot of the familiar imagery of vampires which teenagers love – pale skin. black hair, red lips – dates back to the original novel and film.

horror stories are particularly popular with teenagers, and that is partly the appeal of vampire novels. but teenagers also enjoy the important themes: the fight between good and evil, or the difference between what you want to do and what you should do. for example in twilight books, can edward show his love for bella and look after her, or will the ‘vampire side’ of his personality win? these issues are interesting for teenagers, who are just starting to face life’s big questions about love, morality, good and evil. for teenagers in the real world, most problems aren’t matter of life and death, but they often feel like it.
task

1 read the text again. match headings a-f with paragraphs 1-5. there is one heading that you don’t need.

a. a 21st- century hit

b. the first modern vampire books

c. addicted to vampire stories.

d. why films are more popular than novels

e. the original novel and film

f. why teenagers love vampire stories

vocabulary. find these words related to novels in the text. then match them with the definitions below.

novels chapter characters epilogue female lead plot sequel

1. the people in a novel

2. another book which continuous the same story

3. a section of the book

4. an extra bit of story at the end.

5. the events of the story

6. the main girl or woman in the story

люди 100 ,

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