De Volonté & the vampire bite: how Gothic vampire literature of the 19th century influences female members of the Goth subculture

Barclay, Hayleigh (2019) De Volonté & the vampire bite: how Gothic vampire literature of the 19th century influences female members of the Goth subculture. DFA thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This thesis consists of two separate elements which, when combined, form my practice-based research into 19th Century Gothic vampire literature, and the contemporary Goth subculture.
The novel is set on a fictional Scottish island during the 19th Century, and features a female assassin who discovers she’s part of a long lineage of vampires. Only by confronting her own fears, uncovering an ancestral curse, and stopping a war designed to wipe out her kind, can she find her true identity.

The critical component investigates if/how the identity of female contemporary Goths is inspired by 19th Century literary female vampires. The research uses interview-based data and textual analysis of vampire literature, e.g. Dracula and Carmilla to demonstrate how readers’ interactions with literary characters can provide insight into contemporary social culture and interpretations of the past. Within the study, the analysis demonstrates the opportunities for creative writers to develop and evolve the figure of the literary female vampire to appeal to contemporary female audiences. The interview demographics include individuals who identify as female; between the ages of 18 and 56+; and span 14 countries.

By combining the two elements, they work together, to deliver an analysis of contemporary approaches to writing/reading the literary female vampire.

• Item Type: Thesis (DFA)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Keywords: Vampire, Gothic literature, 19th century literature, Goth subculture, feminism, Dracula, Carmilla, female vampire, Anne Rice, Twilight, gender, subculture, identity, folklore, LGBT, Victorian.
• Subjects: P Language and Literature > PR English literature
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies
• Supervisor's Name: Strachan, Dr. Zoe and Jess-Cooke, Dr. Carolyn
• Date of Award: 2019
• Embargo Date: 3 May 2023
• Depositing User: Dr Hayleigh Barclay
• Unique ID: glathesis:2019-70975
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 15 May 2019 11:40
• Last Modified: 10 Aug 2022 12:19
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.70975
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/70975