True Blood: Investigating Vampires and Southern Gothic (Investigating Cult TV) by Brigid Cherry


True Blood: Investigating Vampires and Southern Gothic (Investigating Cult TV)
Title : True Blood: Investigating Vampires and Southern Gothic (Investigating Cult TV)
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 1848859406
ISBN-10 : 9781848859401
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 213
Publication : First published August 17, 2012

As seen in HBO's "True Blood", vampires have never been more edgy, gory or sexy. Since its arrival on screen in 2008, Alan Ball's adaptation of "The Southern Vampire Mysteries" by Charlaine Harris has exploited the creative freedoms of the HBO brand and captured a cult audience with its passionate, blood-drenched visuals and stories. From viral webisodes depicting vampires announcing themselves on TV to the steamy title sequence and the show's uninhibited use of language, sex and gore, "True Blood" has quickly gained status as cult TV with bite. "True Blood" posed the question of what would happen if vampires 'came out of the coffin' and this book considers the representations of sexuality, race and class in a series that engages directly with prejudice and civil rights. It also considers "True Blood's" generic roots in television horror, paranormal romance and Southern Gothic, the wider contexts of fairy tales and religion, the marketing of the series and the activities of its fans. Written for students, scholars and fans, "True Investigating Vampires and Southern Gothic" explores the hidden depths of "True Blood's" vampire bars, small town communities and haunted bayous.

True Blood: Investigating Vampires and Southern Gothic (Investigating Cult TV) Reviews

  • Hans Emmanuel

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  • Kayleigh Marie Marie

    This is a fantastic collection of essays on contemporary vampire fiction. Very useful if you're writing a paper or doing some research on the subject, but a fascinating, insightful read otherwise too.

  • Alysa H.

    This collection is a cut above some previous ones on True Blood that came out a few years earlier -- and NOT because it has more seasons of the show to work with! These essays are really dealing with the meta-topics that permeate the show and its fanbase.

    The writing is academic but not inaccessible and (usually) not overly dry, with and each piece bringing something interesting to the discourse.

    The book is split into four sections, with 2 or 3 essays in each. I preferred the sections on "Genre and Style" and "Characters and Identities" to the sections on "Myths and Meaning" and "Marketing and Fandom". My preference was not due to my having particular areas of topical interest but due to my response to different writing styles, tone, or methodology in a few cases.

    This is a good jump-off point for True Blood/TV Studies. Some of the contributors' names will be familiar to repeat readers of other TV studies collections. And one can always skip around between the essays that seem the most appealing.

  • Siobhán Carlson

    There are some very strong chapters in this collection of essays, and some that are less so. Given the structure of some of the arguments, it is a shame that this book was only written after season three. I suspect that some of the conclusions would be different, if the remainder of the series was included.

  • Susan Sullivan

    Thorough and entertaining