Open Graves, Open Minds: Representations of Vampires and the Undead from the Enlightenment to the Present Day

by Sam George, Bill Hughes

This collection of interconnected essays relates the undead in literature, art and other media to questions concerning gender, race, genre, technology, consumption and social change.

A coherent narrative follows Enlightenment studies of the vampire's origins in folklore and folk panics, the sources of vampire fiction, through Romantic incarnations in Byron and Polidori to Le Fanu's Carmilla. Further essays discuss the undead in the context of Dracula, fin-de-siècle decadence, Nazi Germany and early cinematic treatments. The rise of the sympathetic vampire is charted from Coppola's film, Bram Stoker's Dracula, to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Twilight. More recent manifestations in novels, TV, Goth subculture, young adult fiction and cinema are dealt with in discussions of True Blood, The Vampire Diaries and much more.

Featuring distinguished contributors, including a prominent novelist, and aimed at interdisciplinary scholars or postgraduate students, it will also appeal to aficionados of creative writing and undead enthusiasts.

Genres: Vampires, Nonfiction, Literary Criticism, Occult, Academic, Books About Books, 19th Century

320 pages, Hardcover

First published December 17, 2013

Reviews

[Barb]

Twilight deserves better (yes, I am biased, but so are they)

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fresh and evocative exploration of the vampire sub-genre, beginning with its folklore roots in the 18th century and following it through to the 21st century. I found this a frequently fascinating read, especially the erudite opening chapters which tackle a well-worn subject in a scholarly, expertly-written way. As the book wears on, things move to the present day with a lot of similar analysis of the likes of TRUE BLOOD, TWILIGHT and THE VAMPIRE DIARIES; nothing I'm particularly interested in, but engaging nonetheless. One of the finest books on fictional vampires you'll find.

[Bailey]

Thus far, I have only read one article: "The vampire as dark and glorious necessity in George Sylvester Viereck’s 'House of the Vampire' and Hanns Heinz Ewers’s 'Vampir'" by Lisa Lampert-Weissig
This will remain unrated until I have read all of the articles, but so far it seems to be a great collection.