Abstract
Vampire is a perfect embodiment of the Other. Vampire narratives show an immanent and ever-present rule organising society, the division into ‘us’ and ‘the Other’. This domain has been researched from many angles, but there is an important gap, which I propose to fulfill: ecological and postman questions in vampire narrative. I propose the new method of research: analysis of the narrative as a structure (till now researchers mostly concentrate on Vampire figure only), composed of significative triad: Vampire - victim (beloved) - slayer; examined with the aid of diverse theoretical tools, and put in social and cultural contexts. I concentrate on vampire narrative as an embodiment of biomedical and ecological discourses as well as the realm of construction of subject/object, person/non-person division, built on the fundament of human/non-human division. This division was primary in (modern scientific) Western culture: discursive deprivation of humanity imposed on minorities, disabled or females was the main tool of depersonalisation and objectification. In nineteenth century narratives, vampire could be submitted to everything; because it wasn’t human. In twenty-first century Vampires become positive heroes. This can be seen as the accordance of agency, subjectivity, or even personhood to many beings. Moreover, such a positive vampire frequently promotes “vegetarian” lifestyle. However, this is not the only type of vampire narrative in twenty-first century, and even this type can rather support anthropocentricity than subvert it: vampire “vegetarianism” consists on non hunting humans only. Furthermore, the ecology is usually a conservative white-male one.
Presenters
Patrycja Pichnicka TrivediPhD Candidate, Institute of Polish Culture, University of Warsaw, Poland
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Vampire Narrative, Posthuman Studies, Ecological studies, Biomedical discourses, Narrative structure
