Take a Bite

by Nancy Schumann

Vampires: marginalised, blood-sucking, sexy ... it's hard to avoid these glamorous, dangerous creatures as they hold sway over the Western imagination. But, as the Twilight generation eagerly flocks to the cinema to watch film after film, do we really understand how and why these mythical creatures have come to dominate popular culture? And, more importantly, how do women feature in this phenomenon - in our so called `modern' society does an empowered vampire queen exist, or are we all just lusting after Edward?
In this innovative analysis of folklore and Anglo-American literature, Nancy Schumann explores the representation of vampires and vampiresses from the Romantic era through to the Post-Modern. Tracing the development of blood-sucking figures from their origin through to Le Fanu's Carmilla and Bram Stoker's Dracula, before concluding with the Twilight and True Blood sagas, Take a Bite is a thorough and engaging analysis that puts women centre stage. Looking at both popular and less well-known texts, this engaging study tells the untold stories of vampiresses for the first time.
Whilst this text will have particular appeal to those approaching the topic from an academic angle, her extensive research and succinct style ensures it's suitable for anyone with an interest in vampires. With its particular focus on women, Take a Bite emerges as a subtle and carefully constructed piece of feminist literature that engages with many issues still relevant in the 21st century.
The book also features images by renowned artist Emma Tooth and fantastic photographs by Martin Small and Grant Mitchell.

138 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 2011

About the author

Nancy Schumann is a writer of dark fiction and academic texts in English and German. Her works have been published in both languages. Nancy's particular interest, in fiction and academically, are female vampires. Nancy's masters’ thesis on female vampires through the ages formed the basis to Take A Bite, which traces female vampire characters in folklore and literature.

For further information see www.bookswithbite.in

Publications

• Biscuits & Catatonia. NonBinary Review Issue #36: Heredity. Zoetic Press 2024.
• Picknick zum Abendbrot. In: Unvergessliche Schicksale. Net Verlag. 2023
• The House on the Cliff. 580 Split. Issue 25.Fever Dreams. 2022
• Alice at Leicester Square IN: Freshwater Literary Journal 2022
• Sleeping with the Vampire. Gothic Studies, November 2021, vo. 23, No. 3 : pp. 316-331.

Reviews

[Nancy Schumann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vampires: marginalised, blood-sucking, sexy ... it's hard to avoid these glamorous, dangerous creatures as they hold sway over the Western imagination. But, as the Twilight generation eagerly flocks to the cinema to watch film after film, do we really understand how and why these mythical creatures have come to dominate popular culture? And, more importantly, how do women feature in this phenomenon - in our so called `modern' society does an empowered vampire queen exist, or are we all just lusting after Edward?
In this innovative analysis of folklore and Anglo-American literature, Nancy Schumann explores the representation of vampires and vampiresses from the Romantic era through to the Post-Modern. Tracing the development of blood-sucking figures from their origin through to Le Fanu's Carmilla and Bram Stoker's Dracula, before concluding with the Twilight and True Blood sagas, Take a Bite is a thorough and engaging analysis that puts women centre stage. Looking at both popular and less well-known texts, this engaging study tells the untold stories of vampiresses for the first time.
Whilst this text will have particular appeal to those approaching the topic from an academic angle, her extensive research and succinct style ensures it's suitable for anyone with an interest in vampires. With its particular focus on women, Take a Bite emerges as a subtle and carefully constructed piece of feminist literature that engages with many issues still relevant in the 21st century.
The book also features images by renowned artist Emma Tooth and fantastic photographs by Martin Small and Grant Mitchell.