The alluring vampire has consistently been one of media’s most resourceful monsters. As a human-monster hybrid, authors ascribe communal human fears to the vampiric figures—fears that often resort to villainizing the unknown or the dissenting. Vampires are often queer-coded individuals who transgress heteronormative hegemony. This queer-coding resulted in the vampire becoming a figure of excess and ultimately, the utilization of the vampire to communicate the fear of the queer. This thesis explores the intersection between queerness and vampirism. While vampirism can be a metaphor for the transgression of the status quo, the vampire’s grim fate invites speculation over queer-coding’s effectiveness—and ultimately, its intentions. To audiences, the lines between fiction and reality may blur. Therefore, the analysis of homophobic messages in vampiric fiction is necessary to understand why these tropes are employed. This thesis analyzes monumental vampiric texts, such as Dracula, Carmilla, and Interview with the Vampire to understand how each text’s manifestations of queerness mold narrative human fears.
Make this part of your paper trail
Save this paper to a shelf, write a review, and keep your own notes.