A Drop of True Blood
University of Granada
Faculty of Philosophy
A drop of True Blood: subversion of heteronormative stereotypes in American society.
Laura Carpinelli
Supervisor: Margarita Carretero
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter I:
Byronic heroes and romantic fantasies
Chapter II:
From the darkness to the light
Chapter III:
True Blood: Queer sensuality and homosexual desire
Chapter IV:
Vampire: the hidden desire to be human
Conclusion
Bibliography
Videography
MA dissertation structure
In the opening credits of True Blood , based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, the viewer is overwhelmed by a blend of bizarre
Southern American images – gospel, dead animals, religious ceremonies, strange people and strippers.
But the most significant image is a Christian advise which simply states: God hates
fangs.
It is about a takeoff on the famous statement God hates fags, used in hate campaigns of the American Baptist church.
The TV serie True Blood is a complex universe, in which Christian Southern values have to face and co-exist with a world of supernatural beings – vampires, shapeshifters, menads, witches, werewolves and werepanters.
The hidden secrets of the small Louisiana town BonTemps are revealed to the main character Sookie Stackhouse, a freak outsider who has telepathic skills and comes into contact with vampires, who have recently announced their existance to the human race.
But it is not only about a love story between supernatural creatures and human beings. Even if they have come out of the coffin – and the reference is not accidental vampires have to fight for their rights and prejudices because of their ambiguous nature. Due to the leading idea that True Blood is a complex web of romance, queer sexuality and Americaness, this current study investigates the subversion of heteronormative stereotypes in modern American society.
1
The word vampire has always suggested an ancient,
Faculty of Philosophy
A drop of True Blood: subversion of heteronormative stereotypes in American society.
Laura Carpinelli
Supervisor: Margarita Carretero
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter I:
Byronic heroes and romantic fantasies
Chapter II:
From the darkness to the light
Chapter III:
True Blood: Queer sensuality and homosexual desire
Chapter IV:
Vampire: the hidden desire to be human
Conclusion
Bibliography
Videography
MA dissertation structure
In the opening credits of True Blood , based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, the viewer is overwhelmed by a blend of bizarre
Southern American images – gospel, dead animals, religious ceremonies, strange people and strippers.
But the most significant image is a Christian advise which simply states: God hates
fangs.
It is about a takeoff on the famous statement God hates fags, used in hate campaigns of the American Baptist church.
The TV serie True Blood is a complex universe, in which Christian Southern values have to face and co-exist with a world of supernatural beings – vampires, shapeshifters, menads, witches, werewolves and werepanters.
The hidden secrets of the small Louisiana town BonTemps are revealed to the main character Sookie Stackhouse, a freak outsider who has telepathic skills and comes into contact with vampires, who have recently announced their existance to the human race.
But it is not only about a love story between supernatural creatures and human beings. Even if they have come out of the coffin – and the reference is not accidental vampires have to fight for their rights and prejudices because of their ambiguous nature. Due to the leading idea that True Blood is a complex web of romance, queer sexuality and Americaness, this current study investigates the subversion of heteronormative stereotypes in modern American society.
1
The word vampire has always suggested an ancient,
Bibliography: vampire myth. London: Reaktion Books, 2008. Desire. Indiana University Press, 1994 - "Heteronormativity." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2008. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2007. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 1993.