The University of Hertfordshire, Great Britain will soon be known as Goth Mecca, Emo Empire, and Soccer Mom Sanctuary. Why? Because Dr. Sam George is launching the world’s first-ever Master’s program for vampire literature.
To be fair, while I might personally be tired of The Vampire, it’s clear that a whole new generation is picking up where I left off (which was right around Poppy Z. Brite‘s “Lost Souls”). Whether or not these new movies and shows are appealing to you, the very concept of the blood-drinking undead is proving to be as immortal as the creatures themselves. So it’s no wonder that Dr. George is putting together this new program, hot on the heels of a special conference on April 16th – 17th called “Open Graves, Open Minds: Vampires and the Undead in Modern Culture”.
Featuring awesome lecture titles like “Bloody hell. Sodding, blimey, shagging, knickers, bollocks. Oh God, I’m English – Translating Spike” and “Sullied Blood, Semen, and Skin: Vampires and the Spectre of Miscegenation”, it sounds like a fantastic time for anyone even remotely interested in why the human race continues to find vampire fiction so entertaining. Is it the immortality? Is it the perfectly pale pallor? Is it the rough sex? Whatever it is, it isn’t going away any time soon, so it’s best to study it up. But honestly, aside from going on the lecture circuit, what could one do with a Master’s Degree in Vampire Literature?
