The seminar is at the same time an homage to and an analysis of the world's most famous (and arguably most creepy) vampire: Count Dracula. Approaching the topic from a neo-Victorian angle, the course aims to trace the aspects that inspire and eventually necessitate a revision of this Victorian revenant. Revisiting this character will lead us to address issues as diverse as gender and sexuality, colonization, drug addiction, fans, fandoms and intertextuality. Consequently, we will discuss a number of Victorian and neo-Victorian texts, all of which have in common that they engage in a confrontation with the past in order to reassess and rewrite Victorian horror stories whose influence shape British culture up to the present day.


Please read/ watch:

Polidori, Jon. "The Vampyre." 1819. The Vampyre and Other Tales of the Macabre. Oxford: OUP, 2008. 1-24. Print.
Sheridan Le Fanu, J. "Carmilla." 1872. In a Glass Darkly. Oxford: OUP, 2008. 243-319. Print.
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. 1897. Eds. Nina Auerbach and David J. Skal. New York and London: Norton, 1997. Print.
Interview with a Vampire. 1994. Dir. Neil Jordan. Perf. Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Christian Slater, Antonia Banderas, and Kirsten Dunst. Warner Bros., 2003. DVD.
Ed Wood. 1994. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, and Bill Murray. Buena Vista Pictures, 2003. DVD.
Twilight. 2008. Dir. Catherine Hardwicke. Perf. Kristen Steward and Robert Pattinson. Summit Entertainment, 2010. DVD.