The Vampire Diaries: Books or Adaptation? Hint; why the Show was Fangtastic!
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The story is as old as time – girl meets vampire(s), girl falls in love with vampire(s) and then problems arise with their enemies, sometimes of the same species. When people think of vampires they may think of hot, brooding, mysterious night-time predators and their love for blood and a human. And the CW’s 2009 hit tv series The Vampire Diaries based on the books written by L.J Smith is no exception to this niche that is demanded by society— specifically preteens and young women.
I must admit I am one of the many millions of people who are fascinated by deathly terrifying vampires, but melt when they show a softer side by falling in love.
Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Twilight, or even HBO’s True Blood. Here the main protagonist is a young, impressionable girl who strives for an ounce of normality, but quickly reconsiders it when an encounter with death changes her— literally! You’d think that by now this erotic thrill would end, but even after five years since its run, fans of the show have remained as fanatical and loyal as they were since the very start. Some fans even linger onto the idea of a reboot. I haven’t seen this much devotion to a fandom since Twilight, when it seemed like vampires were everywhere!
The Vampire Diaries Novels
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In 1991 and 1992, best-selling author L.J. Smith published the first four books of The Vampire Diaries, and in 2009, Smith jumped back into the world revolving around Elena, Stefan, Damon, Bonnie, and Meredith. Several months later after the publication of the two additions to the series, the CW released the pilot of The Vampire Diaries created by award-winning screenwriter Kevin Williamson, and tv producer Julie Plec, beginning another vampire craze.
Though the story is the same, the CW’s adaptation and Smith’s fiction differ in various ways— from the setting, to the characters, to the plotlines of the story.
Setting
"Mystic Falls. I was born here, this is my home."
"And mine."
"And mine."
CW’s The Vampire Diaries 4x01
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In the novels, the story takes place in Virginia in a quiet small town called “Fell’s Church” with no mention of what year the story takes place. However, in the show, the town is known as “Mystic Falls” and is set in the year 2009. As the series progressed, the years passed by too. When the eighth and final season aired, it ended with a time jump far from the year 2017.
Characters & Plot Themes
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The Vampire Diaries follows Damon and Stefan Salvatore, Elena Gilbert, and her friends Bonnie and Meredith. Joining them are secondary characters like Caroline, Matt, Tyler, Alaric, Katherine, and Klaus. Although both media had the same characters, the show expanded on them and made noticeable changes that only fans of the books would notice. One of the main changes from the pages to the screen was the characters' backgrounds and personalities.
In the novels, Smith’s characters were all Caucasian and were two-dimensional with little, or no personality. They were also downright awful, not to mention unlikeable. In the show, all of the main characters, even the villains, have layers and depth. Surprisingly, the TV version of Klaus had my sympathy, while in the books, it was just the opposite. I found him bland and unmemorable, but Williamson and Plec created a character that instantly became a fan favourite on the show. I'm biased as he was played by the talented Joseph Morgan who won a People’s Choice Award for his portrayal of the villian/anti-hero on the spin-off The Originals.
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Even with these drastic changes like the disappearance of Meredith or revamped characters like Margaret and Aunt Judith who then became Jeremy and Jenna, it didn’t bother me because there was more diversity on screen. In fact, the series branched out and covered crucial topics like sexual orientation, addiction, loss, abuse, and mental illness. As a result of times and society constantly changing, there was room for the story to endeavour into a world outside of the supernatural.
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In the end, the story was so much more than a love triangle between a girl and two vampire brothers. Instead, its message was to live life to the fullest, whether you’re immortal or not. For that, my love for The Vampire Diaries will remain for eternity.
KYLIE MILNE— Hi, my name is Kylie, I’m a twenty-one-year-old Professional Writing student with a mild case of Cerebral Palsy and a caffeine addiction, so I decided to write a series about it. I love analyzing films, television shows, and literature. When I’m not passionately dreaming of the next creative idea in my head, I enjoy spending time with my friends and family.
