Date of Award
5-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
English
Committee Chair/Advisor
Kimberly Manganelli
Committee Member
Jon Correa Reyes
Committee Member
David Coombs
Abstract
In the 1897 novel Dracula, Bram Stoker opens the vampire's coffin, unleashing the monstrous figure meant to terrify and control the inhabitants of late Victorian England. Following the vampire's journey from Transylvania to England, Stoker traces its desire to gain entrance into society through the British country house. Nevertheless, the vampire transforms as it makes its next journey to America. Leaving behind its haunting presence and adopting a loving, romantic personality that has rooted itself in our contemporary literature. It's also through this journey that the vampire is drawn to the lingering effects of colonization and is led to the Southern plantation house, rooted in American slavery. Found within recent years, the vampire has returned to its monstrous forms in the novel The Southern Book Club Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix and the film Sinners by Ryan Coogler. In its contemporary gothic form, the vampire sheds its loving exterior, revealing that the haunting figure is not our friend but an extension of colonial power imposed on marginalized communities.
Recommended Citation
Hatchett, Emily, "The Everlasting Bite of the Colonizer In Contemporary Vampire Narratives" (2026). All Theses. 4700.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/4700
Included in
African American Studies Commons, English Language and Literature Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, Modern Literature Commons