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Vampires Today: The Truth about Modern Vampirism
This book, about real vampires and the communities they have formed, explores the modern world of vampirism in all its amazing variety.
Long before Dracula , people were fascinated by vampires. The interest has continued in more recent times with Anne Rice's Lestat novels, Buffy the Vampire Slayer , the HBO series True Blood , and the immensely popular Twilight . But vampires are not just the stuff of folklore and fiction. Based upon extensive interviews with members of the Atlanta Vampire Alliance and others within vampire communities throughout the United States, this fascinating book looks at the details of real vampire life and the many expressions of vampirism as it now exists.
In V ampires The Truth about Modern Vampirism , Joseph Laycock argues that today's vampires are best understood as an identity group, and that vampirism has caused a profound change in how individuals choose to define themselves. As vampires come "out of the coffin," as followers of a "religion" or "lifestyle" or as people biologically distinct from other humans, their confrontation with mainstream society will raise questions, as it does here, about how we define "normal" and what it means to be human.
Long before Dracula , people were fascinated by vampires. The interest has continued in more recent times with Anne Rice's Lestat novels, Buffy the Vampire Slayer , the HBO series True Blood , and the immensely popular Twilight . But vampires are not just the stuff of folklore and fiction. Based upon extensive interviews with members of the Atlanta Vampire Alliance and others within vampire communities throughout the United States, this fascinating book looks at the details of real vampire life and the many expressions of vampirism as it now exists.
In V ampires The Truth about Modern Vampirism , Joseph Laycock argues that today's vampires are best understood as an identity group, and that vampirism has caused a profound change in how individuals choose to define themselves. As vampires come "out of the coffin," as followers of a "religion" or "lifestyle" or as people biologically distinct from other humans, their confrontation with mainstream society will raise questions, as it does here, about how we define "normal" and what it means to be human.
- GenresVampiresNonfiction
216 pages, Hardcover
First published May 14, 2009
6 people are currently reading
187 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Laycock
17 books92 followersJoseph P. Laycock is an associate professor of religious studies at Texas State University. He teaches courses on world religions, religion in America, new religious movements, and the intersection of religion and popular culture.
He is the author of several books including The Penguin Book of Exorcisms, Speak of the Devil: How The Satanic Temple is Changing the Way We Talk About Religion, Dangerous Games: What the Moral Panic Over Role-Playing Games Says About Play, Religion, and Imagined Worlds and The Seer of Bayside: Veronica Lueken and the Struggle to Define Catholicism.
He is the author of several books including The Penguin Book of Exorcisms, Speak of the Devil: How The Satanic Temple is Changing the Way We Talk About Religion, Dangerous Games: What the Moral Panic Over Role-Playing Games Says About Play, Religion, and Imagined Worlds and The Seer of Bayside: Veronica Lueken and the Struggle to Define Catholicism.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 15, 2015
IT's about time that someone analyzed the vampire movement and backed it up with some good field work, interviews and research into sociological theories and psychology. Joseph Laycock has produced such a book and it stands out from the rest. Joseph also demonstrates respect for those who identify themselves as vampires.He treats it liker a legitimate classification , which to many vampires it is.
But how do you define vampire? Those self identified vampires do not seem to have a definition. Before one could use literature and mythology to identify and define one but now a days that will not cut it. Even in literature they are evolving. These days vampires are not limited to wandering in nocturnal darkness, nor are they prevented from crossing streams or repelled by crosses and garlic. Now they can eat steak, lounge in the sun. I think you get it now.
There are categories of vampire that are much discussed. The first category is the lifestyler. This person knows that he is not a vampire but acts out the role in pretend. They go to clubs, play LARP and dress gothic. They also do not believe in the existence of vampires. The next category of vampire is the sanguinarian vampire. This vampire drinks blood. Psychic Vampires feed off of people energy. Hybrids can feed between the two. Last there are those individuals who get intiated into a magical order and become a vampire. This contrast with many vampires who awakened into their natural being.
That is quite a few categories. Literature has oft times imbued us with images of the undead. But literature is changing as well. Before the vampire was a living corpse that fed off human blood. With John Polidori the image of the vampire began to change. THe vampire became aristocratic, charming and seductive. WIth writers like Anne Rice it bace even more more sexy, outcastish and rock and roll rebellious.
Indeed how vampires see themselves is largely an interaction with literature. Lit defines their experiences it is used as an identifier. Some psi vamps cclaim they were born this way and it was not a choice. Psychologists have examined this trend to figure out what exactly caused vampirism and why some people think they are vampires. Porphyria causes pale skin, red eyes, patches of hair and sometimes even fangs. All symptoms of the vampire. Mental health experts have come up with "RenField Syndrom" where in someone is deluded into thinking they are a vampire or can become one . What type of people tend to identify as vampires. Experts say that child hood trauma and abuse is a common factor in those who identify as vampires. It gives them a way disassociate from the pain and form an alter ego . Other experts will sight that self identified vampires have a narcissistic personality disorder and they have a need to be worshipped and looked up to.
There are also general trends that need to be looked at as well. Big question, why are people embracing Vampire spirituality. There are some over all trends in society that contribute to this. Since the early seventies the vampire movement has grown, gone above ground and become more self aware. THe reason for growth is in part due to the narcissism of the modern world. Ever since world war two Americans and Westerners have become more self loving and interested. It is all about us. We have become more narcistic . Another trend is the market place spirituality attitude. People can now shop for the religion and spirituality that best suits them. The general public is just not into organized religion like it used to be. Another reason why alternative spirituality and pagan religion in general are cropping up is that life has become too mundane and technological. We are looking for a way to re enchant the world.
Michael Focault had some steps that make the vampire identity a peace of "Self technology" a way to build oneself into who they want to be. THe first step is identification, then changing definition and removing the harmful image.Finally come the individuation and self mastery .Needless to say both Maslow and Jung are discussed.
There is also a great analysis of the different vampire order. Like the Temple of Set's "Order of the Vampire" and Satanic Church's "Temple of the Vampire. Michelle Belanger is interviewed or at least quoted quite extensively. Her collaboration with Sebastian Van Houten is well documented and so is how her work has influenced Van Houten. Van Houten is a fang smith who started off as a dental technician, then made fangs at ren faires and then went on to found his own vampire orders and promote vampire events. His ideology is borrowed heavily from his work with Bellanger (or so the author reports) Temple of the Vampire and White Wolf's Role playing games.
THe last part of the book delves into vampire crimes.Most of those who commit these heinous acts are often mentally unbalanced and have severe family problems. Yet somehow vampirism and witchcraft always get the bad rap. Great psychology book and easy to read.
But how do you define vampire? Those self identified vampires do not seem to have a definition. Before one could use literature and mythology to identify and define one but now a days that will not cut it. Even in literature they are evolving. These days vampires are not limited to wandering in nocturnal darkness, nor are they prevented from crossing streams or repelled by crosses and garlic. Now they can eat steak, lounge in the sun. I think you get it now.
There are categories of vampire that are much discussed. The first category is the lifestyler. This person knows that he is not a vampire but acts out the role in pretend. They go to clubs, play LARP and dress gothic. They also do not believe in the existence of vampires. The next category of vampire is the sanguinarian vampire. This vampire drinks blood. Psychic Vampires feed off of people energy. Hybrids can feed between the two. Last there are those individuals who get intiated into a magical order and become a vampire. This contrast with many vampires who awakened into their natural being.
That is quite a few categories. Literature has oft times imbued us with images of the undead. But literature is changing as well. Before the vampire was a living corpse that fed off human blood. With John Polidori the image of the vampire began to change. THe vampire became aristocratic, charming and seductive. WIth writers like Anne Rice it bace even more more sexy, outcastish and rock and roll rebellious.
Indeed how vampires see themselves is largely an interaction with literature. Lit defines their experiences it is used as an identifier. Some psi vamps cclaim they were born this way and it was not a choice. Psychologists have examined this trend to figure out what exactly caused vampirism and why some people think they are vampires. Porphyria causes pale skin, red eyes, patches of hair and sometimes even fangs. All symptoms of the vampire. Mental health experts have come up with "RenField Syndrom" where in someone is deluded into thinking they are a vampire or can become one . What type of people tend to identify as vampires. Experts say that child hood trauma and abuse is a common factor in those who identify as vampires. It gives them a way disassociate from the pain and form an alter ego . Other experts will sight that self identified vampires have a narcissistic personality disorder and they have a need to be worshipped and looked up to.
There are also general trends that need to be looked at as well. Big question, why are people embracing Vampire spirituality. There are some over all trends in society that contribute to this. Since the early seventies the vampire movement has grown, gone above ground and become more self aware. THe reason for growth is in part due to the narcissism of the modern world. Ever since world war two Americans and Westerners have become more self loving and interested. It is all about us. We have become more narcistic . Another trend is the market place spirituality attitude. People can now shop for the religion and spirituality that best suits them. The general public is just not into organized religion like it used to be. Another reason why alternative spirituality and pagan religion in general are cropping up is that life has become too mundane and technological. We are looking for a way to re enchant the world.
Michael Focault had some steps that make the vampire identity a peace of "Self technology" a way to build oneself into who they want to be. THe first step is identification, then changing definition and removing the harmful image.Finally come the individuation and self mastery .Needless to say both Maslow and Jung are discussed.
There is also a great analysis of the different vampire order. Like the Temple of Set's "Order of the Vampire" and Satanic Church's "Temple of the Vampire. Michelle Belanger is interviewed or at least quoted quite extensively. Her collaboration with Sebastian Van Houten is well documented and so is how her work has influenced Van Houten. Van Houten is a fang smith who started off as a dental technician, then made fangs at ren faires and then went on to found his own vampire orders and promote vampire events. His ideology is borrowed heavily from his work with Bellanger (or so the author reports) Temple of the Vampire and White Wolf's Role playing games.
THe last part of the book delves into vampire crimes.Most of those who commit these heinous acts are often mentally unbalanced and have severe family problems. Yet somehow vampirism and witchcraft always get the bad rap. Great psychology book and easy to read.
December 21, 2009
This is the single most accurate and even-handed analysis of the vampire community ever put to paper. Joseph Laycock really did his research and put it all in such an easy to read package. His history is as complete as the community has ever had in one place, and he doesn't demonize or justify the community. He doesn't give in to the sensationalist insults commonly flung at the community, but he doesn't hold back when the truth is unflattering either. The only flaws I could find were a. the cover. It's hideous, but if you remove the dust jacket (I did), you only have to deal with the god-awful font on the spine. And b. the misappropriation of credit as to who wrote the donor bill of rights (Belfazaar Ashantison, Not Father Todd). The former flaw is a really minor one, and both are more than forgivable, all things considered.
October 26, 2010
I wrote about this already.
Here is where I went on about it at length.
Too long to put here, but the short version is: it's a pretty great ethnography.
Here is where I went on about it at length.
Too long to put here, but the short version is: it's a pretty great ethnography.
Read
July 29, 2011Not bad, but promises more than it delivers. Instead of an ethnographic study of vampire culture, a big portion of the book relies on earlier (sensationalistic) books on real vampires. Nevertheless, a good effort at an academic approach.
October 25, 2009
This book is about the Modern Vampire Community. Read it, if you want to know about "modern" vampires.
March 11, 2017
Very interesting book about the vampire culture(?)/subculture(?)/lifestyle(?)...whatever it is. The author tried his best to not label the people who believe they are vampires, most likely for fear that he'd offend someone, which he ended up doing anyway from some of the reviews I've read. I think the problem is that there is no consensus in the community so therefore the researcher could only present all the millions of ways they self-identify and just shrug his shoulders.
I have to say I didn't realize there were people who truly, 100%, ACTUALLY believe they are vampires. I mean I've met a lot of people who believe in their existence (whether past or current), people who love anything/everything vampire (me, just not Twilight, gross), and a few people who used to LARP and got super-into pretending to be vampires. But I've never met anyone who admits that they need to ingest blood in order to survive. That part is a little...hmm....yeah. I can completely understand those who claim to be 'psychic' or 'energy' vampires. I understand the need to replenish some kind of mental/emotional energy. And as weird as that type of vampire sounds to most people, to me it's the most believable.
All in all, the parts of this book I found the most enjoyable:
-the history of some of the occult societies from the 19th century
-the goofy quotes from sources thrown in to the middle of a very serious, well-written paragraph
-the overall sincerity from most everyone involved
I think this book could have done without that sensationalized cover, too. Otherwise I think I learned a lot about the community and kudos to all those who are a part of it and live their lives they way they want to.
I have to say I didn't realize there were people who truly, 100%, ACTUALLY believe they are vampires. I mean I've met a lot of people who believe in their existence (whether past or current), people who love anything/everything vampire (me, just not Twilight, gross), and a few people who used to LARP and got super-into pretending to be vampires. But I've never met anyone who admits that they need to ingest blood in order to survive. That part is a little...hmm....yeah. I can completely understand those who claim to be 'psychic' or 'energy' vampires. I understand the need to replenish some kind of mental/emotional energy. And as weird as that type of vampire sounds to most people, to me it's the most believable.
All in all, the parts of this book I found the most enjoyable:
-the history of some of the occult societies from the 19th century
-the goofy quotes from sources thrown in to the middle of a very serious, well-written paragraph
-the overall sincerity from most everyone involved
I think this book could have done without that sensationalized cover, too. Otherwise I think I learned a lot about the community and kudos to all those who are a part of it and live their lives they way they want to.
September 25, 2017
This book explains sanguines and psy-vamps fairly accurately as well as throwing in some history to boot.
January 6, 2014
Despite the sensational cover, this is a serious study on the phenomenon of modern day vampirism.
It is a real page turner, even for those who have only a mild interest in the subject. The author describes the vampire concept through time (from Slavic folklore through occult writings and into gothic fiction), and describes the different types of vampires that are out there in the shadows.
For example, there is the awakened vampire: one who realizes that they are different from ordinary people and that they must drink blood to be healthy. But there is also the psychic vampire: an awakened vampire who feeds on energy rather than blood. There are other types as well.
It even has illustrations!
The book has some typos, and I wished the author elaborated a bit more on what it means to "manipulate energy", which is something that communities of vampires with a metaphysical bent do.
All in all this is a must read for anyone who is interested in alternative modes of self-understanding. In this sense the vampire is grouped with the werewolf, pagan, witch and otherkin.
It is a real page turner, even for those who have only a mild interest in the subject. The author describes the vampire concept through time (from Slavic folklore through occult writings and into gothic fiction), and describes the different types of vampires that are out there in the shadows.
For example, there is the awakened vampire: one who realizes that they are different from ordinary people and that they must drink blood to be healthy. But there is also the psychic vampire: an awakened vampire who feeds on energy rather than blood. There are other types as well.
It even has illustrations!
The book has some typos, and I wished the author elaborated a bit more on what it means to "manipulate energy", which is something that communities of vampires with a metaphysical bent do.
All in all this is a must read for anyone who is interested in alternative modes of self-understanding. In this sense the vampire is grouped with the werewolf, pagan, witch and otherkin.
December 20, 2014
This book although sounding great it is probably the most inaccurate, bias and poorly researched book on the subject.
Joseph is supposedly a Harvard student which makes this even worse. If universities are graduating authors like him then our society is in trouble.
He lured people in to contribute and twisted their words. Disrespecting agreements on privacy and allowing people to provide unproven accusations on others. Hardly objective.
The worst Wikipedia article is more accurate.
Feel free to read it but take it with a grain of salt, according to the largest vampire covens which exist this book is not recommended.
Disappointing as it could have been a great work of Joseph did proper research and had a little bit of honor in his soul.
Joseph is supposedly a Harvard student which makes this even worse. If universities are graduating authors like him then our society is in trouble.
He lured people in to contribute and twisted their words. Disrespecting agreements on privacy and allowing people to provide unproven accusations on others. Hardly objective.
The worst Wikipedia article is more accurate.
Feel free to read it but take it with a grain of salt, according to the largest vampire covens which exist this book is not recommended.
Disappointing as it could have been a great work of Joseph did proper research and had a little bit of honor in his soul.
April 2, 2016
If you want to know about present-day vampires (not the supernatural kind) this book is a reliable guide. Vampire culture has been around for a few decades now and most academics won't approach the topic with garlic and crucifix in hand. Joseph Laycock does an admirable job laying out what vampires believe about themselves, what they do, and how they fit into the larger social picture. Very interesting reading. For further thoughts on the book, please see my blog post on it: Sects and Violence in the Ancient World.
November 17, 2013
Very well written and great outsiders view!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews