This thesis represents a survey of the development of a Romanian image of Vlad Tepes Dracula (c. 1431 to 1476), focusing on the work developed during the time when Nicolae Ceausescu was the communist dictator.
The work includes an analysis of the effects of both communism and nationalism on the image of Vlad Tepes Dracula (which draws significantly on the work of Katherine Verdery), a brief biographical sketch of the medieval prince, and a brief historical sketch of twentieth century Romania. The majority of the work focuses on Romanian biography, but includes a survey of English language biography, as well as Bram Stoker's novel, for the sake of comparison between Romanian and western approaches to Vlad Tepes Dracula.
The most significant figures examined include Nicolae lorga, Matei Cazacu, Nicolae Stoicescu, and Stefan Andreescu, among Romanian historians, and Radu Florescu and Raymond T. McNally, and Kurt W. Treptow among western historians.
