Semiotic Study of Vampires and Vampires Lore
MICA | Semiotic Study of Vampires and Vampire Lore | Individual Assignment for Semiotics | | | |
Submitted by:
Payel Basu
Roll No: 113B
A semiotic study of vampires and vampire lore, with an eye on the different cultural implications that arise through the ages. |
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A semiotic study of vampires and vampire lore.
The field of semiotics exists because of the realization that society has a desire to create and produce signs because it serves as an important aspect and purpose to life. We are capable of performing semiosis and representation to demonstrate the knowledge in which we come to understand the world, and conversely, it is through the same process that the world becomes familiar with the culture in which we inhabit. (WriteWork, 2003)
The vampire is one of the most popular and widely recognised myth/folklore of modern times. The semiotic analysis of vampires has changed along with changes in society, making the vampire a vehicle for the oppositional of the era. Marxists considered Dracula as an allegory for capitalism. At various times the vampire has been thought to symbolise everything from gay acceptance to homophobia, women’s subjugation to empowerment.
Vampires have also gone through the whole gamut of representation. Starting off with the despicable creature that lurks in the night and feeds off peasants, to the elusive, mysterious nobleman, to now, somehow, the glittering teenager.
The present day vampire narrative resembles a sort of parallel alternative universe to human existence. Replete with ‘human’ behaviour and morality. These stories have imbued familial structures, emotional depth and hierarchies and interpersonal conflicts into the previous dark hued world of the vampire.
Initial representation of vampires was quite crude. Almost self explanatory.
The vampire was shown to sleep in a coffin. Using Saussure’s model to analyse this, a coffin was a place where you
Submitted by:
Payel Basu
Roll No: 113B
A semiotic study of vampires and vampire lore, with an eye on the different cultural implications that arise through the ages. |
-------------------------------------------------
A semiotic study of vampires and vampire lore.
The field of semiotics exists because of the realization that society has a desire to create and produce signs because it serves as an important aspect and purpose to life. We are capable of performing semiosis and representation to demonstrate the knowledge in which we come to understand the world, and conversely, it is through the same process that the world becomes familiar with the culture in which we inhabit. (WriteWork, 2003)
The vampire is one of the most popular and widely recognised myth/folklore of modern times. The semiotic analysis of vampires has changed along with changes in society, making the vampire a vehicle for the oppositional of the era. Marxists considered Dracula as an allegory for capitalism. At various times the vampire has been thought to symbolise everything from gay acceptance to homophobia, women’s subjugation to empowerment.
Vampires have also gone through the whole gamut of representation. Starting off with the despicable creature that lurks in the night and feeds off peasants, to the elusive, mysterious nobleman, to now, somehow, the glittering teenager.
The present day vampire narrative resembles a sort of parallel alternative universe to human existence. Replete with ‘human’ behaviour and morality. These stories have imbued familial structures, emotional depth and hierarchies and interpersonal conflicts into the previous dark hued world of the vampire.
Initial representation of vampires was quite crude. Almost self explanatory.
The vampire was shown to sleep in a coffin. Using Saussure’s model to analyse this, a coffin was a place where you