I am Legend Post 1

I don’t believe that Neville is a hero, he has none of the standard hero qualities and he is not likeable. He thinks about raping vampire women, he drinks too much and has a really bad attitude. (I know he believes that he is the only living person, but he is kind of an ass) The definition of a hero as defined by Wikipedia is “A hero (heroine for females) (Ancient Greek: ἥρως, hḗrōs), in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion.^[1] Later, hero (male) and heroine (female) came to refer to characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self-sacrifice—that is, heroism—for some greater good of all humanity. This definition originally referred to martial [warrior] courage or excellence but extended to more general moral excellence.” Neville is in a position of danger(ish because he is immune to the disease, it is arguable whether or not they pose a threat to him) but his only concern is for himself. He definitely does not show any self-sacrifice, he drinks in excess and he is not moral as we can see when he thinks about raping the vampires.

I really enjoyed the fact that the vampire was related to science in this novel. It brought on a more realistic characteristic to the vampire. Germs are easy to understand, and when you look at a disease like syphilis which changes people’s personalities when it reaches the brain it makes vampirism seem more likely. More likely than say, the vampire being someone cursed by the gods/ God. In the novel  science can’t prevent the epidemic or find a cure. I think that shows that modern technology isn’t perfect and should not be relied on exclusively especially when we see that preventative measures from folklore were helpful in warding off and killing the vampire.

Tainted Blood

Tainted Blood: Female Sexuality and Dracula
Alix Wright
         The short film “Tainted Blood” by Marcos Xavier Herrera is a video intended to be a music video to the song “Asilos Magdalena” by the band Mars Volta, which was started in 2001. The name of the song literally means Magdalene Asylum. The Magdalene Asylums were institutions for women who were seen as sexual deviants. “The first asylum in Ireland opened on Leeson Street in Dublin in 1767, founded by Lady Arabella Denny.” (Wikipedia) The point of the asylums was to rehabilitate these “fallen women” and then send them back into society but they eventually turned prisons where the women had no hope for parole. The women were often forced to do hard labor; in Ireland they became known as “Magdalene Laundries” because they had turned into commercial Laundromats. The crimes women could commit that would put them in these places were many and were often minor they included: “[having] a child out of wedlock, a petty crime, a revealing outfit, [and] a come-hither look” (David Edelstein) The last one closed in Ireland as late as 1996.

The translated lyrics to the song are (roughly I am not fluent in Spanish):

Sick I come
And to put on myself the walk of the vagrant
Do not give me your obedience
I teach you with my body of earth
Where the skin is weak
With a hunger that I can not sing of
In my life The dark one supports me
when I saw you
in the rain you promise me your blood
I do not remain
in my life the dark one supports me
when I saw you
in the rain you promise me your blood
I do not remain
And since you fell out of this world I load
a razor my god for you
All the times you bit me
and all the times I went away
And I am already not in love
with your lies
the hell I fall asleep for that the hell is the only truth
In my life the dark one supports me
when I saw you in the rain you promised me your blood
I do not remain
in my life the dark one me sustains
when I saw you in the rain
you promised me your blood
I do not remain
Star of the morning Samael I chase you and
if I remain without wings also I die for you
song by  Mars Volta

(sorry about the poor translation)

        The song portrays a vampiric love. We are not shown whether the narrarator is a male or female but with the title, we are able to infer that the narrator is female. She has a hunger for this person she sees on the street and they exchange a look where this lover promises her their blood. The video is a black and white story depicting a man walking through central park. He meets up with a woman and she seduces him and brings him home with her. She brings him to bed and then bites him. She leaves and he wakes disoriented and groggy. He is visibly sick and so runs to the bathroom and vomits up what looks like blood. He looks in the mirror and is horrified to see that he has fangs.
        In the context of the song, (lyrics and title) we can see that this video is a social commentary on how women's sexuality is perceived.  The vampire character is a female and she seduces the innocent man. She then drinks his blood which is portrayed as a sexual act. Then, because of the act he becomes a vampire. Here vamparism can be seen as a STD in so much as it is a disease that is transferred in a sexual act.

This clip can be related to the novel "Dracula" because in the Victorian era female sexuality was a touchey topic. Women were not sopposed to be sexal beings. They were sopposed to be innocent and pure. A sexual woman was seen as a threat to the moral standing of society so places such as Magdalene Asylum were allowed to be created because of the highly phobic society.

Carmilla from Carmilla's point of view

There she was, laying with the pillows and bed covers sprawled around her. She looked so sweet and innocent. Her hair fell around her shoulders and about her pillow slightly covering her pale and glorious neck. My eyes were instantly drawn towards her trembling pulse. Desire poured over me. My mouth became dry and my lips trembled. She is such a tiny girl, I should be feeling disgusted with myself but all I can think about is my lips on her throat and chest. I floated gracefully over to her on the bedside, leaned over her, my hair brushing over her face ever so slightly. When I got close to her I could smell her. The scent made my hunger even stronger. I climbed into bed with her and held her close. I could feel her stir against me but she sank into my arms soon enough. When I could stand it no more, I let my teeth penetrate her skin. She woke with a terrible scream and I jumped out of her bed. I could hear people in the house coming to comfort her so I disappeared before I could be discovered.

            This one is special, I loved her already. She was mine.

A few years later:

         I had just finished a girl and was ready for a new one when I remembered the girl had told me she was going to go visit her father’s friend and a young girl lived there. I convinced my companion that that was where we should go next. We were riding in our carriage when we staged the accident. I lay by the side of the road listening to the commotion around me. I caught a glimpse of the child from big bed.

          I let her people bring me up to a room but I was longing to see that girl again. Luckily for me she was a curious soul. She asked to see me right away. When she entered the room I saw that she was visibly shaken at the sight of me. She remembered me. That thought brought complications but it also brought me joy that his exquisite creature would remember me. I made up some story about having a nightmare about her as well. It seemed to put her at ease a little.

         The little Imps name is Laura. We were becoming friends rapidly. She was just as attached to me as I was to her. She saw a painting of me in my first life and she wanted to keep it for herself. I have been drinking of her as infrequently as possible but my hunger is getting stronger. I love her, I don’t want her to die like all of the others have. She is becoming pale and tired. She is looking closer and closer to death. I think her father is suspecting something because he is looking at me strangely, and I have been caught twice in compromising circumstances.  I fear I will have to move on soon.