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by Gareth Schott (Editor), Kirstine Moffat (Editor)
This collection of essays addresses the renewed interest in the cultural resurgence of the vampire, evident across a broad range of literature, film, television, graphic novels, and games. The appeal of vampire mythology and its associated folklore for modern audiences is examined in an age characterized by the transformative possibilities of the internet with both its low barriers to artistic expression and the erosion of the boundaries between author and audience in terms of the construction of narrative, character and fictional universes. This collection examines how audiences respond to and "use" the vampire in their own practices. From evil villains to tragic heroes, modern appropriations of the vampire, evident in popular manifestations such as the Twilight saga and the televisual adaptation of The Southern Vampire Mysteries (True Blood) are noted for their focus on the everyday. These vampires are found nested within communities, seeking to temper their urges and coexist with humans. "Drifting silently into harbour, the vampires arrived in Western Europe scarcely two centuries ago. Since then, they have become a new folklore. The rich fan cultures addressed by vibrant emerging scholars from around the English-speaking world gathered in Schott and Moffatt's collection are the true heirs of this uncanny invasion. The mix of glamour and disgust, aestheticism and dread vampires evoke offers metaphors for every form of anxiety and unholy yearning: a bloodstained laboratory for social experiment. This collection opens new corridors into the chambers of the undead, and casts an eerie light on the subterranean worlds of fans and vampires alike." -Sean Cubitt, Professor of Global Media and Communication, Winchester School of Art, UK. "Fanpires offers the preeminent collection of scholarly approaches to this immortal shape shifter. This compilation of insightful essays not only reflects the omnipresence of the vampire in popular culture, but it identifies the pivotal role of fans in revitalizing the life of the vampire." -Wendy Haslem, Professor of Screen Studies & Cultural Management, The University of Melbourne.
