Dorothy Ivey Wotherspoon
(Teză de master)
Winter Park, Florida. Rollins College. Hamilton
Holt School. Master of Liberal Studies Program, May 2010, 70 p. (pdf.)
Introduction (fragment)
„The vampire has been a
horrific figure in mythology from early civilization up to the modern age. The
vampire calls on our most primitive instincts as humans and our fascination
with fear and safety, death and eternal life, pain and pleasure, hatred and
love, certainly bodies and blood, but most of all it brings forth the
unremitting human intrigue with superstition and has done so for centuries. It
is a myth that transcends both culture and region. Perhaps one of the most
interesting characteristics of the vampire myth is the utter persistence with
which humanity transforms and redefines it into a modern form that is relevant
for current times. The most current television, motion picture, and book depictions
of the vampire are influencing mainstream and popular culture to believe that vampires
are nothing more than misunderstood creatures with super-human qualities that make
for the perfect friend, lover, or spiritual confidant. Charliane Harris in The Southern
Vampire Mysteries details the exploits of vampires who have proclaimed their existence
and right to equality under the law. The story takes place in a backwater town in
Southern Louisiana. Co-existence is made possible because the creation of
synthetic blood negates their need to feed on humans. The novel series is bursting
with sex between humans and the undead and vampire bars where humans seek to be
fed on. Vampire blood called “V” is the new drug of choice for the living that
desire to escape reality. Home Box Office bought the rights to Harris’s work
and turned True Blood into a critically acclaimed television series for mature
audiences. A widely popular book series currently enjoyed by people young and
old is the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer. This story chronicles a group of
vampires in the far northwest United States who secretly co-exist with humans
and choose a “vegetarian” pattern of eating. This diet consists of hunting and
feeding on panthers, grizzly bears, and other various wild animals instead of
humans. Meyer’s vampires do not need sleep and only stay out of the sun because
they sparkle in sunlight. In order to keep their existence secret, these
vampires stay in areas that are persistently overcast. The main attraction of
the Twilight Series is the dynamic tension between the vampire boyfriend, Edward,
and his female human love interest, Bella. The sexual tension between Edward and
Bella is palpable. Bella, however, must strike a balance between sexual
curiosity and Edwards’s natural instinct to feed on her. This mass media
portrayal of the vampire myth is only one of the most recent examples of the
human need to perpetuate the myth into present times with enormous commercial
success. Why is a mythological figure that should incite fear and repugnance
now the dark hero of popular culture? Scholar Joseph Campbell suggests that it
is the very nature of mythology to evolve as humankind and civilization
advances” (pp.6-7)
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments 5; Introduction 6; Chapter 1: Historical
Origins of yhe Vampire Myth 12; The Pre-Christian Vampire 15; Vampires in the
Early Christian Era 19; Chapter 2: Implementations of the Vampire Myth 28;
Christian Burial 28; The Vampire and Sex 38; Witchcraft 41; Lycanthropy 45;
Inquisition 49; Chapter 3: The Balkan Vampire and Dracula 52; Chapter 4: The
Vampire Sightings in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries 56; Conclusion
63; Bibliography 66.
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