Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
English
Date of Award
5-2024
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Shawna Lichtenwalner
Committee Members
Chelsea Wessels, Joshua Reid
Abstract
This thesis contains an examination in the psychosocial significance of Hans Baldung Grien’s “Death and the Maiden” art motif, created during the Renaissance period following the Black Death, and its resurgence in the vampire fiction genre of both literature and film. I investigate the motif in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) and Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (1976) as well as their film adaptations by Francis Ford Coppola (1992) and Neil Jordan (1994), respectively. By examining the presence of the motif in art, literature, and film, I found that the common threads across all investigated works were the dominant social fears of their relevant historical societies and the allure of the taboo, as described by Georges Bataille and Slavoj Žižek, among others. The significance of these findings lies within the ability to gauge the values and fears of societies through their use of the motif.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Wilson, Emily, "Gentleman Death in Silk and Lace: Death and the Maiden in Vampire Literature and Film" (2024). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4403. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4403
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
Included in
Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture Commons, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, Literature in English, British Isles Commons, Literature in English, North America Commons, Modern Literature Commons, Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Other Film and Media Studies Commons