Slayers and Their Vampires: A Cultural History of Killing the Dead

By: Bruce A. Mcclelland

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Synopsis: McClelland (PhD, Slavic Studies, U. of Virginia) traces the cultural meaning of vampire tales from their Slavic origins in the Balkans to recent television productions such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In doing so, he draws attention to what he sees as the equally symbolic figure of the vampire slayer and the significance of the relationship between the two. He finds the origins of the Slavic vampire in refusals to abandon pagan beliefs and rituals proscribed by the Eastern Orthodox Church, noting that this historical aspect of the vampire is implicitly present in modern times. He then traces the transformation of the vampire and the origins of the vampire slayer in the mid-eighteenth century, arguing that originally, the vampire slayer may have its origins in Central European shamanism. He later explores Western European appropriations of the vampire through scientific and Catholic perspectives and concludes with explorations of the symbology of Van Helsing in Bram Stoker's Dracula and Buffy of the above-mentioned television series. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc. , Portland, OR (booknews. com)