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 Blood: Investigating Vampires and Southern Gothic" explores the hidden depths of "True Blood's" vampire bars, small town communities and haunted bayous.
Contents:
Introduction
Before the Night is Through: True Blood as Cult TV
Brigid Cherry
Part 1
The True Face of Vampires: Production and Style
TV Love Fangs: The Televisuality of HBO Horror
Stacey Abbott
More Than Cold and Heartless: The Southern Gothic Milieu of True Blood
Caroline Ruddell and Brigid Cherry
Part 2
There's a Bigger Picture: Myths and Meanings
'I'm a Fairy? How Fucking Lame!': True Blood as Fairy Tale
Mikel J. Koven
Drink in Remembrance of Me: Blood, Bodies, and Divine Absence in True Blood
Gregory Erickson
Minoritarian Romantic Fables in HBO's True Blood
Dennis Rothermel
Part 3
A Button You Can Push On People: Characters and Identities
Mad, Bad and Delectable to Know: True Blood's Paranormal Men and Gothic Romance
Ananya Mukherjea
Blacks and whites, trash and good country people in True Blood
Victoria Amador
The Homosexual Vampire as a Metaphor For ... the Homosexual Vampire?: True Blood, Homonormativity and Assimilation
Darren Elliott-Smith
Part 4
Knowing What It Means To Love: Marketing and Fandom
It's Not Television, It's Transmedia Storytelling: Marketing the 'Real' World of True Blood
U. Melissa Anyiwo
The Fangtasia Experience: True Blood Fans, Commodification & Lifestyle
Maria Mellins
'Oh Great! Now I Have to Deal with Witches?!': Exploring the 'Archontic' Fan Fiction of True Blood
Erin Hollis
Episode Guide/Index
