Such fiction began with 18th - century poetry .
Such fiction continued with 19th - century short stories , the first and most influential of which was John Polidori 's The Vampyre ( 1819 ) , featuring the vampire Lord Ruthven .
Such fiction began with 18th - century poetry and continued with 19th - century short stories , the first and most influential of which was John Polidori 's The Vampyre ( 1819 ) , featuring the vampire Lord Ruthven .