English 324 - Seminar: Vampires

Vampires are inescapable. Figures of incomparable (often simultaneous) threat and desire, vampires enable one to delve into an immense array of anxieties that can include but are not limited to complex distinctions regarding race, class, gender, and power, and representations of lifeblood, bloodlust, contagion, addiction, disability, temporality, xenophobia, queer and non-monogamous sexualities, the human and non-human. Readings track literary bloodlines from the nineteenth century to the present, centering on major novels, including Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Jewelle Gomez’s The Gilda Stories, and Octavia Butler’s Fledgling. The course also explores myriad shorter narratives in this ancient and ongoing tradition, critical essays, and films ranging from Nosferatu (1922) to Sinners (2025). Cannot be taken S/U. Restrictions: Juniors and seniors only. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission required.

[CE] JR/SR only