The vampire as numinous experience : spiritual journeys with the undead in British and American literature / Beth E. McDonald.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McDonald, Beth E., 1950-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Horror tales, English--History and criticism.

Horror tales, English.

Vampires in literature.

Religion and literature--English-speaking countries.

Religion and literature.

English-speaking countries.

Horror tales, American--History and criticism.

Horror tales, American.

Belief and doubt in literature.

Spiritual life in literature.

Good and evil in literature.

Immortalism in literature.

Future life in literature.

Physical Description:

vii, 200 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., Publishers, [2004]

Summary:

This critical work examines the vampire as a spiritual figure -- whether literal or metaphorical -- analyzing how the use of the vampire in literature has served to convey both a human sense of alienation from the divine and a desire to overcome that alienation. While expressing isolation, the vampire also represents the transcendent agent through which individuals and societies must confront questions about innate good or evil, and belief in the divine and the afterlife. Textual experiences of the numinous in the form of the vampire propel the subject on a spiritual journey involving both psychological and religious qualities. Through this journey, the reader and the main character may begin to understand the value of their existence and the divine. A variety of works, poetry and fiction by British and American authors, is discussed, with particular concentration on Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, as representative of the Romantic, Victorian, and late twentieth century periods of literature. A conclusion looks at the future of the literary vampire.

Contents:

1 Dreadful Revelations: The Numinous and the Vampire 11

2 Surrendering the Self: The Numinous and the Vampire in Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" 39

3 Recreating the World: The Sacred and the Profane in Bram Stoker's Dracula 86

4 Eros and the Thanatotic Hero: Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles 129

Conclusion: Vampires for a New Age 169.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 187-193) and index.

ISBN:

0786419474

OCLC:

55208438