The vampire is now a fixture in popular fiction. Such fiction began with 18th-century poetry and continued with 19th-century short stories. Over time, some attributes now regarded as integral became incorporated into the vampire's profile: fangs and vulnerability to sunlight appeared over the course of the 19th century. Implied though not often explicitly documented in folklore, immortality is one attribute which features heavily in vampire film and literature. Much is made of the price of eternal life, namely the incessant need for blood of former equals.

The critic August Nemo selected seven short stories that were essential to the formation of the vampire's folklore:

- The Vampyre by John William Polidori
- Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
- Mrs. Amworth by E. F. Benson
- Dracula's Guest by Bram Stoker
- Ligeia by Edgar Allan Poe
- Clarimonde by Théophile Gautier
- The Lair of the White Worm by Bram Stoker

For more books with interesting themes, be sure to check the other books in this collection!