Does it feel like we’re living in a vampire renaissance? In the past few years there’s been a resurgence of contemporary vampire stories in both literature and film. People are recovering from the domestic, sparkle-clad stint of housebroken monsters and returning these fanged creatures to their horrific roots.
But then, that’s always been the case, hasn’t it? Vampires have their tides, their ebbs and flows through human consciousness. In fact, vampire literature can be a pretty great lens for examining what’s going on in society at any given time. We’ll be talking a lot about the way cultures use monsters to express their social fears and desires in our upcoming workshop, Writing the Monstrous, on October 26th! Plus, you’ll learn how to take the vampire legend and give it your own fresh twist.
In the meantime, here are a few examples of stories where authors have used a classic trope in a new way.
American Vampire by Scott Snyder et al.
This long-running comic book series explores the idea that vampires, like all creatures, can evolve and adapt to their surroundings. When classic European vampires infiltrate the American colonies, they inadvertently create a new kind of vampire: one who draws power from the sun, who’s weakest at the new moon, and who can only be killed by solid gold.
“Krishna Blue” by Shveta Thakrar
This short story uses a speculative lens to examine themes of isolation and oppression. Its artistic main character, Neha, learns that she can absorb colours around her — first through paint, and then through everything else. But what happens to the colourless people left behind? This is a great example of how blood isn’t necessarily the only form of nourishment that you can feed your vampires.
Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman
It’s no secret that here at The Storied Imaginarium, we’re suckers (hah!) for a good fairy tale retelling. Neil Gaiman takes a hard look at the classic story of Snow White and asks… why is her skin so pale and her lips so blood red? And what’s all this about sleeping in a glass coffin? This story is a creative, subversive take on fairy tale horror. (You can read it online free here!)
And that’s only the beginning! Join us on October 26th for Writing the Monstrous, where we’ll discuss how to upcycle tired tropes into something new. See you there!