Das Element des Vampirischen als Kolonialismuskritik in Der Fremde (1847) und Dracula (1897)

The aim of this Masters Thesis is to show how the figure of the vampire can be read in connection to British and German vampire literature in the 19th century. By showing the metaphor of the vampire is used in German literature to explain colonial expansion to the East and serves as a tool to reassure self-esteem as well as a sense of security in British literature, it can be understood as an intercultural analysis of German and British vampire literature in the mid- 19th century and the turn of the 20th century. The German short story Der Fremde by Carl von Wachsmann was chosen to show how the element of the vampire was used to describe fears and wishes of establishing settlements in Eastern European countries. Bram Strokers Dracula was chosen to exemplify the use of the vampire as a mean of reassurance in the British case.