Publisher's Synopsis
The Vampyre is a short work of prose fiction written in 1819 by John William Polidori. The tale is often viewed as the progenitor of the romantic vampire genre The story begins when Aubrey, a young Englishman, meets Lord Ruthven, a man of mysterious origins. Aubrey accompanies Ruthven on a trip through Rome and Greece, where the young man learns about the legends of the vampire. Shortly after that, Ianthe, Aubrey's love, is killed by a vampire. Aubrey does not connect Ruthven with the murder and rejoins him in his travels after grieving the death of the girl he was in love with. The pair is attacked by bandits and Ruthven is mortally wounded. Before he dies, Ruthven makes Aubrey swear an oath that he will not mention his death or anything else he knows about Ruthven for a year and a day. Aubrey returns to London and is amazed when Ruthven appears shortly thereafter, alive and well. Ruthven reminds Aubrey of his oath to keep his death a secret. Ruthven then begins to seduce Aubrey's sister, and Aubrey finally discovers Ruthven's true identity.
