■在德國法蘭克福的證券交易所外頭，一名男子打扮成吸血鬼的模樣，圖攝於2010年9月15日。（圖文／路透）

上週末一名美國男子遭到逮捕，該男子闖進一名女子的住家，試圖要吸取女子的血液。這起事件激起美國社會討論吸血鬼題材書籍和電影對美國青少年文化所造成的影響。

The arrest of an American man who broke into a woman's house and tried to suck her blood over the weekend has sparked discussion about the impact of vampire （1）books and movies on U.S. youth culture.

流行文化對於這起攻擊事件有多大影響，目前仍不明朗。被指控搶劫罪名的19歲攻擊者班斯利，現在被拘留在德州的加爾維斯敦監獄，等候接受精神狀態評估。

Whether pop culture played a role in the attack remains to be seen, as 19-year-old Lyle Monroe Bensley awaits a psychiatric evaluation in jail on burglary （2）charges in Galveston, Texas.

加爾維斯敦的警察局長海耶斯表示，班斯利被人發現時僅穿著四角平口內褲，在一處停車場中嚎叫並發出嘶吼聲。這名全身穿洞並刺青的年輕人聲稱，他是5百歲的吸血鬼，需要「進食」。

Found growling and hissing in a parking lot and wearing only boxer shorts, the pierced and tattooed Bensley claimed he was a 500-year-old vampire who needed to "feed," Galveston Police Capt. Jeff Heyse said.

自從史鐸克1897年的小說《德古拉》出版之後，吸血鬼一直是文學作品熱愛的題材之一。然而，隨著描寫青少年吸血鬼的《暮光之城》和電視影集《噬血真愛》廣受歡迎，近年來美國大眾，尤其是年輕人對於吸血鬼的著迷，攀上了高峰。

Vampires have been a focal point of literature since Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, "Dracula". But fascination, particularly among young people, has peaked in recent years with the popularity of the "Twilight" books about teenage vampires and the television series, "True Blood."

「我認為吸血鬼是局外人的一種象徵，反映了我們每個人內心屬於掠奪者的這一面。」安．萊斯表示。她的吸血鬼系列小說，從1970年代開始便擄獲許多恐怖小說迷的心。

"I think the vampire is a metaphor for the outsider and the predator （3）in all of us," said author Anne Rice, whose Vampire Chronicles series has captured the imaginations of horror fans since the 1970s.

班斯利目前被羈押於加爾維斯敦縣立監獄，因搶劫住家及意圖重傷，以4萬美元保釋。海耶斯表示，受攻擊的女子住在班斯利家附近，並不認識班斯利。她毫髮無傷地逃過了攻擊。

Bensley is now being held in the Galveston County Jail on a $40,000 bond for home burglary with intent to commit a felony. The woman, who lived near Bensley and did not know him, escaped the attack unharmed, Heyse said.

於德州大學教授吸血鬼傳說的賈札表示，年輕人之所以會想要如同吸血鬼一般，可能是因為吸血鬼能夠抗拒死亡，永世保持美貌、權力和青春。

Dr. Thomas Garza, who teaches a course in vampire lore at the University of Texas, said young people might aspire to be like vampires because they cheat death and are able to stay beautiful, powerful, and youthful for eternity （4）.

他補充說道，與斯拉夫舊世界中的吸血鬼相比，流行文化中的現代吸血鬼更有吸引力、更文雅、穿著更時髦，增添其魅力的復甦。

The modern vampire in popular culture is more attractive, suave, and fashionably dressed than the Old World Slavic vampires, adding to the resurgence of their appeal, he added.

「我認為，特別是《暮光之城》傳說吸引了更年輕的粉絲。這是由於，該電影中的愛德華是個『非常安全的』吸血鬼；如果你要說的話，他是那種為了剛入門者所設計的『入門吸血鬼』。」

"I would say that it is the Twilight saga in particular that has brought out the younger teen fans. In that connection, Edward is a very 'safe' vampire, a kind of 'starter vamp' for beginners, if you will," Garza said.

「他非常俊美，所以他具有誘惑力。不過，他對於與貝拉之間的情慾誘惑冷靜自持。他能夠在白天出門，甚至在日光下還會『閃耀』，這些都讓他成為一個不具威脅性的角色。他甚至還開一台Volvo，我的老天！」

"He's pretty, yes, so the seduction's （5）there, but he's more than reluctant to act on his and Bella's sexual desires. He can go out in daylight - and even 'sparkles' in the sun, giving him a completely non-threatening character. He drives a Volvo, for goodness sake."

雖然說班斯利在德州的古怪行為引起全球注意，事實上已有其他刑事案件起因於嫌犯自我認知為吸血鬼。

While Bensley's Texas antics have captured international attention, the delusion of actually being a vampire has been a contributing factor in other criminal cases as well.

1996年，一名沉迷於角色扮演遊戲「吸血鬼扮裝舞會」的16歲肯塔基州少年，招募了其他3名青少年與他一起前往佛羅里達州，協助他殺害前女友的雙親。

In 1996, a 16-year-old Kentucky youth obsessed with the role-playing game, "Vampire, the Masquerade," enlisted three other teenagers to go with him to Florida to help kill the parents of his former girlfriend.

2年後，有一名自稱為2千歲吸血鬼的舊金山男子，因為砍傷4名遊民的脖子而被捕，其中1名受害者因而死亡。英格蘭在1949年逮捕的一名連續殺人犯，據說他殺害6人以後，飲用每名被害人的一杯鮮血。

Two years later, a San Francisco man claiming to be a 2,000-year-old vampire was arrested for slashing the necks of four homeless people, one fatally. A serial killer arrested in England in 1949 allegedly drank a cup of blood from each of his six victims.

著有《吸血鬼紀事》系列小說的萊斯曾與數以千計的小說書迷互動；然而，她表示，對吸血鬼有如此深厚的個人認同實在是「我無法想像的事」。

Rice has interacted with thousands of fans of her Vampire Chronicles novels, but said such intense personal identification with vampires was "quite beyond me."

（路透Reuters）

1. vampire

(n.) 吸血鬼

2. burglary

(n.) 入室竊盜

3. predator

(n.) 掠奪者

4. eternity

(n.) 永恆不朽

5. seduction

(n.) 引誘

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