Vampire Legends in Contemporary American Culture : What Becomes a Legend Most (9780813148120)

While vampire stories have been part of popular culture since the beginning of the nineteenth century, it has been in recent decades that they have become a central part of American culture. Vampire Legends in Contemporary American Culture looks at how vampire stories—from Bram Stoker's Dracula to Blacula , from Bela Lugosi's films to Love at First Bite —have become part of our ongoing debate about what it means to be human. William Patrick Day looks at how writers and filmmakers as diverse as Anne Rice and Andy Warhol present the vampire as an archetype of human identity, as well as how many post-modern vampire stories reflect our fear and attraction to stories of addiction and violence. He argues that contemporary stories use the character of Dracula to explore modern values, and that stories of vampire slayers, such as the popular television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer , integrate current feminist ideas and the image of the Vietnam veteran into a new heroic version of the vampire story. While Vampire Stories Have Been Part Of Western Culture Since The Beginning Of The Nineteenth Century, It Has Been In Recent Dccades That They Have Become A Central Part Of American Popular Culture. Vampire Legends In Contemporary American Culture Examines How Vampire Stories - From Bram Stoker's Dracula To Blacula, From Bela Lugosi To Love At First Bite - Have Become Part Of Our Ongoing Debate About What It Means To Be Human. William Patrick Day Looks At How Writers And Filmmakers As Diverse As Anne Rice And Andy Warhol Present The Vampire As An Archetype Of Human Identity And How Many Postmodern Vampire Stories Reflect Our Fear Of And Attraction To Addiction And Violence. He Argues That The Prevailing Tendency Of Authors In The First Half Of The Twentieth Century To Use Vampire Characters To Caution Against Succumbing To Sexual Impulse Has Since Changed; Today, In The Vampire's Struggle Between Embracing And Denying Its Nature, We See Reflected Our Own Uncertain Balance Between Moral Restraint And Liberation.--jacket. 1. Vampire History -- 2. The Vampire Liberation Front -- 3. The Dracula Variations: Part I -- 4. Post-human Vampires: We Are Animals -- 5. The Dracula Variations: Part Ii -- 6. Return Of The Slayer -- Conclusion: The Persistence Of Legend. William Patrick Day. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 173-187) And Index. "While vampire stories have been part of Western culture since the beginning of the nineteenth century, it has been in recent dccades that they have become a central part of American popular culture. Vampire Legends in Contemporary American Culture examines how vampire stories - from Bram Stoker's Dracula to Blacula, from Bela Lugosi to Love at First Bite - have become part of our ongoing debate about what it means to be human.". "William Patrick Day looks at how writers and filmmakers as diverse as Anne Rice and Andy Warhol present the vampire as an archetype of human identity and how many postmodern vampire stories reflect our fear of and attraction to addiction and violence. He argues that the prevailing tendency of authors in the first half of the twentieth century to use vampire characters to caution against succumbing to sexual impulse has since changed; today, in the vampire's struggle between embracing and denying its nature, we see reflected our own uncertain balance between moral restraint and liberation."--BOOK JACKET. While vampire stories have been part of popular culture since the beginning of the nineteenth century, it has been in recent decades that they have become a central part of American culture. Vampire Legends in Contemporary American Culture looks at how vampire stories — from Bram Stoker's Dracula to Blacula , from Bela Lugosi's films to Love at First Bite — have become part of our ongoing debate about what it means to be human. William Patrick Day looks at how writers and filmmakers as diverse as Anne Rice and Andy Warhol present the vampire as an archetype of human identity, as well as how many post-modern vampire stories reflect our fear and attraction to stories of addiction and violence. He argues that contemporary stories use the character of Dracula to explore modern values, and that stories of vampire slayers, such as the popular television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer , integrate current feminist ideas and the image of the Vietnam veteran into a new heroic version of the vampire story. "While vampire stories have been part of Western culture since the beginning of the nineteenth century, it has been in recent decades that they have become a central part of American popular culture. Vampire Legends in Contemporary American Culture examines how vampire stories - from Bram Stoker's Dracula to Blacula, from Bela Lugosi to Love at First Bite - have become part of our ongoing debate about what it means to be human." While vampire stories have been part of popular culture since the 19th century, it is only in recent decades that they have become a central part of American culture. This book examines how the stories have become part of the ongoing debate about what it means to be human. Amid the economic turmoil, Native American warfare, and political unrest following the Revolutionary War, the leadership of the Tennessee Valley declared their region independent from North Carolina and formed the state of Franklin. In The Lost State of F