ENG 120-03 - Literary Analysis

4 credits (Spring)

“Vampires.” Why are we so fascinated with vampires? How have they become a metaphor for “things that go bump in the night?” Why are vampires in America often portrayed as objects of desire? What do vampires tell us about the relationship between fear and desire? In an effort to answer these questions, we will analyze vampire stories in literature, film, folklore, and popular culture, from Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Jewelle Gomez’s The Gilda Stories to the television adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. We’ll also explore symbolic vampirism as shown through the television show What We Do In The Shadows. Throughout the course we will discuss the roles gender, sexuality, ethnicity, class, and power positionality plays in vampire folklore, literature and film.

Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Lavan