Description

“Dreams and beasts are two keys by which we are to find out the secretsof our nature.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The recent revivals in all things vampire and zombie have elicited a number of explanations, from the economic to the psychological. This AmericanStudies course examines the history and evolution of these two monstrous figures, their diverse representations in popular culture, and the numerous parodies and rewritings they have elicited. We will see how vampires and zombies have become social phenomena, and how their characteristics have merged in recent years.

In preparation for this class, you are encouraged to explore the canon of vampiric and zombie studies and watch and read as many works you can get your hands on as possible. Vegetarian vampires fans beware: this class might include some Twilight-bashing.

A bibliography will be available online on the moodle page for the class.