Not Your Mother's Vampire: Vampires in Young Adult Fiction: Vampires in Young Adult Fiction

by Deborah Wilson Overstreet

Examining young adult vampire fiction and how it fits in both the contemporary and classic vampire canon, the book's analysis begins with a primer on vampire scholarship, including a brief deconstruction of ten seminal vampire representations-five literary, five cinematic-and their impact on young adult vampire novels; the evolution of vampires from scary Gothic enemies into postmodern sexualized heroes is traced throughout the book; and the influence of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles .

Subsequent chapters examine current young adult vampires novels from such popular horror authors as Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, Christopher Pike, R. L. Stine, Darren Shan, and L. J. Smith, and are divided into three categories based on narrative structure: the process of turning into a vampire, humans and vampires trying to find their way in life, and romantic relationships with a vampire partner. Analysis also addresses vampire conventions (the traditions that exist in each vampire universe), vampires and sexuality, and good and reluctant vampires. The human characters who coexist with vampires in these novels receive the same treatment. Additionally, issues of gender, age, and affectional orientation of human and vampire characters are discussed, as are postmodern constructions of good and evil.

Not Your Mother's Vampire contains an exploration of Buffy the Vampire Slayer , a television phenomenon, which has sparked an entirely new academic field: Buffy Studies. The vampire characters on Buffy and parallel series, Angel , are explored as are a few main humans (slayers and witches alike). The final chapter of the book is an annotated bibliography of seminal vampire scholarship. As the only in-depth examination of young adult vampire novels in existence, this book is essential for students and scholars of the literature.

Genres: Nonfiction, Vampires

170 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2006

Reviews

[Nikol · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a brief summary & comparison of just a sample of young adult vampire novels (and a few scholarly ideas), you won't be dissappointed. Overstreet does not strive for a highly educated, heavy-on-the-reader text (well, she's a closeted vampire fan, what did you expect?). On the contrary - her text seems to resemble a vampire-fan diary written about vampire novels read and enjoyed. From a number of 60 young adult novels she took a sample of about 20, put them in her own vampire categories (she takes in focus the vampire characters & the direction that each of the narrations takes), then compared the novels within each category & came up with some general claims based on the sample novels & backed it all up with scholarly analysis read elsewhere (very little literary analysis comes from Overstreet herself). What she managed to put together is a book of reference for anyone who wants to dig into the vampire literature genre and its branches deeper & on his own. What I found especially helpful is the last chapter called "All the Titles that Bite: Vampire Novels and Scholarship", which gives annotated list of works Overstreet worked with when writing her book. Interesting is also an appendinx presenting the reader with a chart that compares various aspects for the ten classica vampire narratives.

[Giovanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overstreet read 60 YA novels that featured vampires, then whittled the list down to 20 to discuss in this brief monograph. Alas, the book is mostly plot synopsis, rather than analysis. A few intriguing insights, though, scattered throughout.