The Literary And Pop Culture Vampire Of The 1950s

The Literary and Pop Culture Vampire of the 1950s The following paper illustrates the cultural function of vampire legends and beliefs in the context of literature and pop culture of the 1950s. Using the following film and novel, Curse of the Undead (1959) and I Am Legend (1954) to analyze the cultural function of vampire during this era. The paper uses historical references of 1950s to depict hidden meanings portrayed in the novel and film. Themes of threatening external invasion were paramount in Curse of the Undead (1959) and I Am Legend (1954). In addition, the metaphor of disease happens to appear in both film and novel. Interpretive elements of the Cold War are present amongst the literary and pop culture vampire which presents the vampire as diseased human, and, or vampire as victim of nuclear war. Curse of the Undead (1959) can be interpreted as anti-communism propaganda. The film is a composite of western and horror film, although it does not directly state, the vampire is casted as the communist disease. The disease metaphor relates the vampire to the spread of Communism infecting the America way of life. In a testimony in front of the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee), FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover used a disease metaphor to discuss the communist threat. This metaphor became part of cold war rhetoric. Hoover states that: â€Å"Victory will be assured once communists are identified and exposed, because the public will take the first step of quarantiningShow MoreRelatedGothic Realism And The Vampire Sub Cultures1512 Words   |  7 PagesSince the 18th century, Vampires have ultimately transcended narrative boundaries and genre divides and the Vampire sub-cultures flourish in neo-gothic aesthetic from science fiction and fantasy, romantic and young adult literature and in celluloid. Vampire graphic narratives are finding increased popularity and have since developed into an â€Å"Iconic popular culture phenomenon drawing an obsession and fascination globally†. (Jacqueline, Ng, 2014) So what inspired this new genre of graphic narrativeRead MoreGlee Essay9324 Words   |  38 Pagesme, ultimately about the series demonstrating its own voice and its space within the world of contemporary musicals. I don’t know what exactly I expected when I heard Joss Whedon would be directing, although it did send me diving for my Buffy The Vampire Slayer sing-along DVD. What I didn’t expect was an episode that didn’t feel like Whedon at all but felt intensely like Glee, more specifically the Glee that endeared itself to me in the first half of the season. What has always appealed to me aboutRead MoreAmerican Slang Essay 115481 Words   |  62 Pagesas CD booklets, songs and video clips, magazines and Web sites. Through the media, young people enter fan communities where they learn to incorporate certain forms of English into both their speech and writing to show that they’re a part of youth culture. As a result, American slang and related resources ha ve become a global code for youth worldwide embedded in a local code — the national language. â€Å"American,† writes H. L. Mencken,† shows its character in a constant experimentation, a wide hospitalityRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 PagesRastafari This page intentionally left blank Rastafari From Outcasts to Culture Bearers Ennis Barrington Edmonds 2003 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford It furthers the Universitys objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata Kuala