This unique study explores the vampire as host and guest, captor and hostage: a perfect lover and force of seductive predation. From Dracula and Carmilla, to True Blood and The Originals, the figure of the vampire embodies taboos and desires about hospitality, rape and consent. The first section welcomes the reader into ominous spaces of home, examining the vampire through concepts of hospitality and power, the metaphor of threshold, and the blurred boundaries between visitation, invasion and confinement. Section two reflects upon the historical development of vampire narratives and the monster as oppressed, alienated Other. Section three discusses cultural anxieties of youth, (im)maturity, childhood agency, abuse and the age of consent. The final section addresses vampire as intimate partner, mapping boundaries between invitation, passion and coercion. With its fresh insight into vampire genre, this book will appeal to academics, students and general public alike.
"Presents a multitude of perspectives and analyses ? . Each writer has a unique outlook with extremely well-supported arguments, with some thought-provoking discussion that stays with you when consuming vampire fiction. A range of texts are analysed, from literature to film to television shows, covering a wide variety of classic and contemporary fiction. The essays all build on previously made points regarding literary vampirism, without rehashing old debates. All-in-all, this volume is a refreshing and provocative read." (Robin Moon, Journal of Vampire Studies, Vol. 2 (1), 2021)
"With its fresh insight into vampire genre, this book will appeal to academics, students and general public alike. ? this proves itself a worthy edition to vampire studies by looking at hospitality (and, of course, invitations), rape and consent and how the vampire film/story examines and explores those concepts." (Taliesin meets the vampires, taliesinttlg.blogspot.de, December, 2017)
