ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with cases of narrative ecosystems for which the character is the epicenter of their evolutionary development. It defines the typologically as the "character-centered narrative ecosystem." The chapter explores an example of this type of ecosystem: narratives that place the figure of the vampire at their epicenter. It also explores how the figure of the vampire is portrayed in the television series as the result of an evolutionary process that may have been influenced by cultural, social, and economic factors. It explores how the Vampire Narrative Population (VNP) has evolved from its beginnings, with Bram Stoker's extremely popular foundational text, to the current vampiric ecosystems on television, considering the literary and cinematic universes as influential sources. The chapter focuses mainly on the character of Barnabas Collins in the ABC series Dark Shadows. It presents the basic premise of which is to define the vampire narrative as a kind of ecosystem of ecosystems.
