"Twilight Zone" provides us with an interesting historical context of the vampire and his rise to fame within our culture. It also, and perhaps convincingly so, shows how the line between what is considered myth and what is considered reality can become blurred inside people's minds. To support his research, Collins Jenkins provides "interpretive" data shown through a historical lens. Deconstruct his chapter and find a sentence, a paragraph, a theme, etc that you might consider a researchable topic in relationship to the vampire (i.e. a researchable question could be: in the 21st century, do we still consider the vampire to be highest level of supernatural species?). Discuss how you might go about researching the topic. What would you need to know and why? How might you connect to a larger theme that isn't just something based around a literary analysis (i.e. given the example question above, you might bring in different anthropological theories to provide a context for how species understand a top-down order to living)?
Do some brainstorming in this blog post to see what you can begin to come up with in terms of research and vampires. I'm looking for you to be able to start to "dig deep" and see connections between vampires and research that extends beyond literature and literary analyses.
Shoot for 250-400 words. And do engage with one another.
Due: Tuesday, April 3, 2012 by class time.
In Collin Jenkin’s “Twilight Zone” I found the paragraph taken from Augustus Montague Summers very interesting. In this paragraph it talks of the foul and barbaric means that are required to kill a vampire. I think this would prove to be an insightful research topic because of how humans love the idea of immortality in themselves, but despise it in other creatures or even in other humans. Why is it that we attribute immortality to villains and demons and inherently “evil” beings, but rarely to people or creatures that possess good traits?
ReplyDeleteTo study this topic, you would need to study all of the different mythical beings that are said to be immortal and learn what makes them immortal. You would also need to figure out if they have any weaknesses that inhibit their immortality. For instance, in Dracula a vampire can be killed by driving a wooden steak through the corpse’s body and filling the mouth with garlic. In Twilight, a vampire can die if its body is ripped into pieces and burned. So really these creatures are not truly immortal, but immortal to an extent. One simply must find the weakness or certain ritual that can truly rid the earth of their existence.
On a larger theme, I think it would be interesting to study people’s thoughts and beliefs about death and immortality. Is immortality considered to be an attribute of evil creatures because death is seen as a natural process? It could be that people consider death, although sad, to be refreshingly human. It is part of our existence; we live and we die. One who defies this cycle is not considered “normal” and we tend to be afraid of the abnormal. Maybe we make our villains immortal because that is the scariest thing to us - to fight an opponent who cannot die. Although we seek to find medicines and remedies to fight illness and diseases, we accept that death is inevitable. If someone were truly to find some kind of way to prevent death, would humans be relieved or alarmed?
I would research the topic of how the myth of vampires reflects the deepest fears of the society and how those fears transformed vampires into something other. After examining diseases that may have been linked to the myth of vampires, Jenkins asserts that “some element seems to have been left out—some aspects that, if not exactly supernatural, still partake of the terrible” (18). Jenkins article gives many explanations rooted in science for the myth of the vampire; however none of these completely reach the eerie feel created by the myth as a whole. I would want to understand how the gaps between myth and these possible explanations reflect the problems the societies faced.
ReplyDeleteTo study this topic, I would have to analyze the different elements that constituted a vampire of a certain time period very specifically, and then research the problems, as well as diseases tied to vampirism, of the culture. I would then compare the diseases and vampirism and then analyze how the societal issues could produce fears in the society that would create the stretch from the disease to the supernatural.
On a larger theme, not tied to literature, I would try to understand the culture and how people dealt with problems confronted in vampirism, specifically why they came up with myths to confront disease. I would examine how to cultures that originated the myths, disease was an unknown that they had absolutely no explanation for. I would try to explain how fear stems from the unknown so the people behind these myths had to create something to help them deal with the problems. Is the unknown the greatest fear to a population, so they create something ghastly in order to not have to face the even more terrible unknown?
I like Katherine’s ideas on immortality in evil beings, because much of the vampire myth encompasses death, and the unnatural terror that is the undead. Her assertion about relating perception of death to the normalness of death and the horror of immortality seems very valid.
A theme on page 10 really stood out to me. It starts by saying that "The vampire also enjoys a special prestige in the pantheon of ghouls. Given the choice, says Peter Nicholls, editor of the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, it's better to be a vampire than a werewolf or a zombie" and goes to explain why. Then, it says "The vampire, who started life like that shambling zombie, has climbed the social ladder. In fact, he has pulled a very neat switch. Once the epitome of corruptible death, he has become a symbol of life - of life lived more intensely, more glamorously, and more wantonly, with bites having become kisses, than what passes for life on this side of the curtain."
ReplyDeleteThis theme is basically that the vampire, out of all of the "ghouls," is the best one to be...something like a celebrity among the ghouls. While this theme could be taken in many, many different directions, it would be interesting to see trends in how the vampire has risen to this status. It could be done by researching vampire media from the beginning of the craze, starting out as dead, like the zombie, then seeing its slow progression into "a symbol of life". One angle that could be taken is how the vampire went from dead, gross, scary, to sexy, beautiful, alive, like my favorite: Edward Cullen. He is nothing CLOSE to what a "shambling zombie" brings to mind, so I feel like it would be very interesting to find out more about how this progression happened.
To write about this topic, taking the angle of sexuality and appeal, I would probably research the most popular vampire stories in each decade, and learn more about the vampire’s qualities in that story – how the vampire was viewed by the audience; if he was appealing or not, and why. Since culture has much to do with this progression, I would look for culture trends by decade and find the connection. I would assume that as sexuality became more and more prominent in everyday life, it became less taboo to make the vampire a sexual, attractive, “glamorous” being.
To tie it to a larger theme, if the vampire was once seen as a symbol of “corruptible death,” but is now seen as “a symbol of life,” what does that have to say about the way media has shaped society, or the way society has shaped media? Why is it that we are now more attracted to a vampire that is more alive? Now, we would rather read about vampires that are more similar to us, while in the past, they would rather read vampire stories that revolved around death. It says a lot about the way society and culture has changed.
I also really like what Haley said about disease. I was fascinated about the paragraphs about rabies and porhyria and how they could have brought about vampiric theories. Her research idea is somewhat similar to mine – tying together culture with the diseases that emerged.
Overall it seems to be very obvious that culture has had a profound effect on vampire themes as the “craze” progressed.
The history of the vampire could be a very interesting potential research topic. According to the reading, there are quite a few origin stories that deal with the vampire. For instance, one origin story that takes place in Ancient Egypt centers on the idea that an evil spirit “fused with the flesh of Queen Akasha”. The fusion proceeded to mutate the queen physically as well as mentally. After infecting her husband, the king, the two began infecting many others throughout Egypt. There are a bunch of supernatural stories dealing with the origin of vampires, but there are also natural stories that explain the influences behind vampirism. One of the more interesting examples given dealt with rabies. Human's suffering from rabies sometimes have a tendency to bite people, which transmits the disease. Furthermore, rabies can cause insomnia and, in some cases, extreme sexuality. According to the reading, rabies affects “the centers of the brain that help regulate sleep cycles and sex drive”. This would explain the nocturnal and sexual habits of vampires. Before the rabies vaccine came out in 1885, some rabies victims were reported to have sex up to 30 times in one night.
ReplyDeleteResearching this topic would be very interesting, and probably not too difficult. The main reason for this is that I would gladly accept contradictions that would arise from reading separate origin stories. I wouldn't be trying to find out which stories are correct and which are incorrect. Instead, I would try to find connections between the tales, without actually trying to remove credibility. I would try to research stories from different times period and different places, as well as supernatural and natural stories. To go even deeper, I would then probably attempt to connect the various origin stories to each other, but also connect them to the time period in which they were created. For example, I would find out what was happening in Egypt in circa 4000 B.C., that influenced the Queen Akasha story.
I also really like Katherine's idea of a research topic concerning immortality. Why do we associate immortality to the most powerful, and evil of all creatures. Could this be simply because providing an alluring characteristic, such as immortality, to an evil creature makes the character more appealing, and therefore more interesting, complex, and brutal enemy. Or, perhaps it's because immortality and other supernatural gifts like it are merely used to give power to an evil creature. Regardless of the answer, this topic is definitely well worth researching.
After reading Mark Jenkins’ “Twilight Zone”, I think that I would most like to research more about the medical explanations for the different symptoms and behaviors most often associated with vampirism. I found it fascinating that so many symptoms many people believed were indicative of vampirism turn out to have originated from diseases such as rabies, porphyria, and pellagra. I believe that this would be an interesting topic to discuss and research during this course. Before what we consider to be modern science, people thought up supernatural sources to attempt to explain what they did not know, resulting in the wildly varied mythologies central to each culture around the world, including several different versions of the vampire. Where did these diseases originate from and how have they influenced society’s understanding and explanation of the vampire myths and history?
ReplyDeleteTo be able to study this research topic, you must first begin by researching the causes and symptoms of these diseases. This part is fairly easy because quite a bit of these criteria are already found in “Twilight Zone”, but the excerpt did not cover everything. This research is important because knowing how these diseases were contracted will allow us to get a better look into the living conditions of the locations where the vampire myths originated and took hold. Next, you would research the history of the vampire as a mythical creature and – by comparing it to the data found in the research of diseases such as rabies, porphyria, and pellagra – you can see how people lived during these highly superstitious times.
To connect to a larger theme, I think that this sort of research will yield valuable insight into the inner workings of medical sciences (or lack thereof) during the heyday of vampire legends and, in the process, peel back the layers of history and exaggeration surrounding these legends.
I like what Haley said about the fears created by the story of the vampires as well. While science can explain some things of the mythology, there is still an unmistakable eeriness about the vampires as well as a sinister side that reflects our deepest fears of creatures that are not quite human. I also like what Eric said about researching the different origin stories of vampires and using these stories as a sort of roadmap to unraveling the connections between cultures throughout the world.
While reading “Twilight Zone” I was really intrigued by the section about the real-world medical explanations of vampirism. One sentence, specifically, stuck out to me. On page 15 it says, “Little surprise, then, that the medicine in recent decades has stepped forward to offer its own explanations of vampiric origins.” I think it would be very interesting to research more about the medical explanations for vampirism. More specifically I would focus on the ways in which each disease affects the minds of the afflicted. Most of the diseases discussed in the article had physical symptoms, but also mental ones. I would like to research more about how the mental symptoms of the diseases would lead people to believe that the afflicted are vampires.
ReplyDeleteTo research this topic I would need to consult multiple medical publications that deal with mental problems the come with the diseases described in the chapter we read. One such text would be the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which describes the numerous symptoms of different mental disorders that could be seen in “vampires.” I would need to know the specific mental symptoms of the different diseases described in the article as well as possible variations to each mental disorder that could explain vampire-like behavior. This would be useful to know because it would lead greater insight in to how people of previous eras could mistake common mental symptoms of diseases as vampirism.
While it would be fascinating to simply research the medical explanations of vampirism, I also think this could be research topic could be expanded by looking at medical explanations for many of the popular ghouls seen in the pages of stories from throughout the world. To do this I would again consult texts such as the DSM to see what mental disorders are accompanied with certain diseases. I would do research into local explanations for ghouls and extrapolate these ideas to match them with real life diseases.
-Katherine.
I think your research topic would be fascinating to know. It is really interesting how humans are selfish in that they only want immorality for themselves and view it as evil whenever another creature has it. I also think that your last line about humans finding ways to make them immortal and the effects it would have on them is a great point. I would definitely do more research into the idea of whether people would truly want immortality if it were offered to them.
-Steph.
I also think that your research question is really interesting. I was in the Zombies FSEM this past quarter and we discussed the rising and falling of popularity in zombies and how closely it related to societal feelings and fears. It would be really interesting to see how the people of a culture view the zombie and how this view changes.
One part that I found interesting in Jenkin’s “Twilight Zone” was the origins of vampirism being a physiological disease. I choose the quote “Where vampires once were believed to cause epidemics here epidemics spawn vampires” as the single sentence that I would like to research.
ReplyDeleteTo investigate this, I would start by looking into the terminology behind the word vampire. Especially because researchers have already connected it to the Greek word nosophorus that means, “plague carrier.” I am interested with the connection between how many vampires have disease origins, beyond I Am Legend’s atypical vampires. It makes me ponder if a vampire being epidemic-born reclassifies them as a new species of monsters. Similar to mad-cow disease giving rise to the fear of zombies in certain movies, it would be interesting to see if certain diseases gave rise to fears of vampire. To do this, I would research the origins of vampires through different time periods and gather statistics. For example, I would map the connection between vampire origins and certain time period’s fears. Also I would like to see if a vampire being disease-born shifts our feelings of fear of the vampire to feelings of pity and empathy. Has this lead to the current romanticizing of vampires?
On a larger scale, if vampirism is associated with a physiological disease rather than the supernatural, what does this show about our fears or hopes? Are we not afraid of an individuals’ potential to cause harm and cause an epidemic? Has our fear shifted to the fear of the epidemic’s repercussions and its potential for mass chaos, cannibalism, or dystopia? I would then research the modern day sociology concerning fears. In a world where we keep discovering the unknown, are we beginning to fear each other more? Vampires have almost been “defanged” in some cases, is that because we strive with scientific advancements to become immortal? As Billy said, we researched this briefly in our zombie FSEM and I’m curious if a similar link exists between society and vampires.
I agree in particular with Haley’s comment “fear stems from the unknown” and wonder if the vampire is losing its horror, taking on its more romantic side, because we can explain where the vampirism myth came from and the inability to capture immortality. Like my other classmates, I found Katherine’s remarks on immortality very interesting with trying to explain why we have vampires in our culture.
In evolutionary biology, an atavism is an evolutionary throwback. It’s when traits or characteristics disappear from a species then returns to that same species – usually a very LONG period of time. When I read the section “Prey is Prey”, the concept of atavisms immediately popped into my mind. Man had to learn to dislike the taste of blood. The species could not have propagated without preying on other warm-blooded animals. When I first read this section I initially thought, “I really like vampire movies and television shows but clearly these individuals need severe psychiatric treatment.” After considering the evolutionary implications, I still think these individuals are in clear need of severe psychiatric help!! I mean, come on!! Eating people?? Really?! However, I am sure that these individuals became a case study that was probably well noted and published. Many people are on the fence about evolution. Some people, even educated people do not believe in it as a concept. My goal would not be to convince people that evolution is or is not the nature of life on earth rather it would be to shed light on changes through time that animals underdo. Also, if I were to conduct some research on vampires, I would like to study the stigma of bloodlust. Why is it normal for us to understand that vampires need blood – but not us? Humans are the only species on earth that cooks its food, why? Why are humans that prefer the taste of blood seen as crazy? No, I will not start snacking on my classmates but now I really am curious – if a friend told me that he likes to drink blood, would I call the cops immediately? Probably, but I would still be really curious (and he would never be invited over to watch reruns of True Blood again). Such curiosities should be viewed from a distance.
ReplyDeleteKatherine – with ill regard to vampires, the study of how we view death and immortality could be of great significant value. I am not familiar with any studies in particular but anthropologists have long been involved in this topic. I have always been curious “When and why did we start burying our dead?”
I have no idea why, but if I see something absolutely vile, something that makes my skin crawl and itch, I do the obvious thing and look again. Whether it be a body bag at the scene of a car accident or a picture of some hideous genetic deformity in my textbook from last semester. (Suggestion, if you ever read about a genetic disorder in a textbook don't google it, especially neurofibromatosis) I am tempted to take a closer look despite the repulsion I feel. I know I am not alone in this, books have been written around the concept, heart of darkness; people have become famous because of humanities obsession with the disfigurements they sport, Joseph Merrick (Elephant Man). This strange complex led me during the reading to google and read more about all of the vampiric sociopaths mentioned in the reading. As I learned more about these cases I was amazed that an icon such as the vampire could drive a person to pursue such distorted and primal urges. What I wondered however was what came first the chicken or the egg. Before the tales of vampires there was Elizabeth Bathory and Vlad the Impaler. Jenkins asks, “But does clinical vampirism help explain the historical origin of vampires, as Dr. von Krafft-Ebing suspected? Or might it be a convenient label to affix to the file rawer of case histories. (Jenkins, 34). Simply, does the tales of guide those sick individuals who exhibit clinical vampirism, or were these traits already prevalent as in Elizabeth Bathory to be attributed to the legend of vampires.
ReplyDeleteTo study this question I would have to explore the minds of people who exhibit clinical vampirism. The question to answer is whether these grotesque urges naturally occurred in their sick minds, or if the ideas were brought forth by the legends and inherent power of a vampire. On a greater scale these grotesque acts are that infatuate the public. As portrayed in Heart of Darkness, people have a fascination with the abomination. This is a problem that has answers in both psychology and literature. Where did these abominable ideas appear first in writing? This dark question is like the chicken and the egg. What came first? Elizabeth Bathory or the Vampire?
I found Jason's evolutionary approach to vampirism to be very interesting. His assertion that we as humans are the only species on earth that cooks its food opens many questions. His idea that if told by a friend that he drinks blood he would be disgusted and report him, but interested all together is true for me too. Where does both the natural disgust for blood and the unusual want for it arise from.
I think it would be interesting to research why people feel a need to base the existence of something that most would say is fiction in reality. The entire chapter, specifically, the natural and supernatural sub- section, talks about the possible historical and scientific roots of the vampire myth. Ironically each of these suggestions aren’t really treated like evidence that debunks the vampire myth, by explaining the symptoms and origins rationally, but instead proof that elements of the vampire myth are true. Billy and Zack even talk about how they would be interested in further researching the scientific and historical connections between vampire myths and reality. I feel like this along with the subject matter of the chapter proves that people like to draw connections between fictional stories and reality. Subsequently, I think it would be interesting to research why people try to base the vampire myth in reality and whether or not that process of rationalization makes what the vampire offers seemingly more attainable.
ReplyDeleteFirst I would have to round out my understanding of the origin stories of vampires and the scientific explanations of their physical characteristics. “Twilight One” would definitely be a good start because it seems to be a pretty solid collection of the more well-known real world examples of vampires and vampirism. This research would be primarily historical and scientific. Becoming familiar with these rationalizations would be important because I’m ultimately asking what drives people to draw up these, at times, contrived connections between vampires and reality.
I would then have to tie this literary, scientific and historical research to the psychological explanations behind people’s need for fiction to be more than a story. Specifically, whether or not these connections between vampires and reality are an attempt to make what the vampire offers seem more attainable. This would require familiarizing myself with various theories in psychology that explain peoples’ need to live out fantasy.
One theme that struck me the most in “Twilight Zone” was how dramatic and influential certain individuals were in the creation of the vampire myth as we understand it today. The two individuals discussed, Augustus Montague Summers and Sean Manchester, provide very interesting and awfully real embodiments of the characteristics of and problems that arise from the presence of the vampire.
ReplyDeleteIn order to further research the influence of certain individuals’ influence on vampire lore, it would be crucial to first look at the environmental influence of the time period and why the fear of supernatural beings such as vampires became so predominant in so many cultures. In this I agree with Haley’s approach in that it is necessary to look at how fears of real elements stretch into fears of the supernatural. I would also want to look at the individuals themselves and understand where they came from, and how and why they became so influential in the creation and evolution of vampires. It would also be good to research the cultural attitudes of the time and how these individuals and their actions are viewed by the wider population, and whether or not these views separated the individuals from the fear in order to create the myth, or if the individual’s actions were interpreted through the lens of an existing supernatural myth.
I like Billy’s idea to look at the medical history of vampires. I think a lot of the fear that many experienced in the past was caused by diseases that no one knew anything about. These diseases often lead to strange symptoms that closely resemble the characteristics of vampires. I also think it’s interesting the strong focus on mental illness that Billy takes. The lore of vampires has led to many modern cases in which a person truly believes that they are a vampire. It’s interesting to look into the mental state such people are in, and to understand what may be causing their warped perception of reality.
Twilight One by Collin Jenkins made many references to historical explanations of the origins of the vampire. When reading the chapter I found one sentence which was not about vampiric origins intriguing. Jenkins quotes Augustus Summers, who stated that “…there is no figure so terrible, no figure so dreaded and abhorred, yet dight [adorned] with fearful fascination, as the vampire.” If I were to research a concept in Twilight One it would be the concept of the repulsion yet attraction that the vampire holds. I could study controversy over gore and horror in the more historical vampire works; then I could combine this with studying the more modern progression of sex and explicit material in vampire pieces. Certainly 50 years ago, when couples weren’t even shown sleeping in the same beds on TV, a show like True Blood would have been deemed immoral and banned. Yet, here we are with a new hit series and no matter how explicit it becomes (whether it be rape, or nudity or gore) we are further drawn to these horrifying yet captivating details.
ReplyDeleteI would specifically need to find historical and recent texts opposing the image of the vampire. I could use the controversy to exemplify the allure that the vampire holds over us, regardless of being so “…dreaded and abhorred.” In the larger picture I think that this would tie immaculately into the psychological concept of being drawn to what we fear. I could analyze society or human nature as a whole, and question if we actually desire for our lives to have a component of horror and unrestrained passion—for I feel that on some level everybody does. Vampires may be exactly the way for us to escape the societal regulations we’re restricted to and let loose with unbridled emotion (fear, lust, love).
When Jordan commented about feeling the need to keep looking at something terrible, or vile, despite his initial repulsed response, this showed exactly the human tendency that I am referring to. Also, when Miles pointed out that each explanation is treated factually it caused me to think of another aspect that I could research. Perhaps the safety of associating vampires with fiction has not allowed their horror to develop to the full extent that our underlying psyche craves. We now strive to bring them into reality, where their powerful influence can grip us and terrify us stronger than ever.
Unfortunately, I am plagued with a left-sided brain. All I can think about is the neuronal synapses that are allowing my fingers to type this blog post right now. I associate any subject with concepts I have learned in biology, chemistry, and physics. Therefore, I was instantly attracted to Jenkins’ biological descriptions of vampirism in the “Twilight Zone”. I was particularly interested in Jenkins’ explanation of rabies. Dr. Gomez-Alfonso “found that nearly 25 of rabid men have a tendency to bite other people.” I believe it would be interesting to combine modern science with superstition in the mythical world. I mean, why not provide a scientific explanation to even the most obscure of mythical creations. Although vampires may be a manifestation of society’s concept of evil, it may be entertaining to find a connection between human anatomy and superstition. Perhaps vampires serve as society’s blame for lust and sin. However, I believe that there must be a biological reason for the sustained image of the vampire in our society through the years.
ReplyDeleteIn order to study this topic, I would not only have to delve deeper into the diseases that are associated with vampires, but I would also have to research the past of the vampire itself. Not every association between vampires and concrete human biology has been made. I believe this would be an opportunity to forge a connection between modern medicine and the ancient folktales of this bloodsucking demon. In addition, I would have to research the different cultures that accepted and changed the image of the vampire. The context of the vampire, similar to a rhetorical situation, is essential in creating discourse proposing its possible biological explanation. Therefore, an interdisciplinary approach would be necessary. Research in topics concerning anthropology, archeology, paleontology, anatomy, and chemistry would yield the most accurate biological explanation for vampires.
I am particularly interested in studying how diseases, such as rabies and pellagra, affect endocrinal circuits in the human body. Obviously rabies victims suffer from spasms due to strong olfactory or visual stimulation. These responses are due to both neuronal and endocrinal circuits that are either disturbed or enhanced in the body. I would love to research the unique hormones or enhancement factors that lead to increased libido (sex drive) in rabies victims; perhaps associated diseases such as hyperthyroidism influences the amount of testosterone flowing through the body. These are just a few examples of the biological factors concerning vampires I would love to find more about.
I believe that Katherine’s idea about society’s views of death and immortality would be very interesting to research about. Perhaps we do view immortality as something unnatural; therefore, we associate it with evil. Death, being a natural process, can only be attributed to “normal” human beings. Why do immortal beings prey on the living, instead of helping them instead? I also find what Haley says to be very intriguing. Maybe it is the disease of rabies or pellagra itself that caused the myth of the vampires to arise. I intend to research the biological connection between disease and vampirism, while Haley is interested in the cause-and-effect relationship between the myth and the anatomy.
After reading “Twilight Zone,” a cornucopia of subject matter echoed in my mind and tugged at my heartstrings. However, my passion for medicine and the human anatomy abetted in accelerating “medical vampirism explanations,” into the first-place position of captivation. The human anatomical information centered upon rabies, porphyria, and pellagra injected a gravitational pull on my intrigue to all rationalizations of vampirism.
ReplyDeleteThe different diseases and symptoms tied all the strings of inquiry fixated on vampires together. I especially found the following mesmerizing, “Porphyria as an epidemiological rationale for vampirism offers this bonus: Too much garlic is known to destroy the functioning heme in the liver.” It was spellbinding to gain knowledge on how even the most intricate of details that encompass the vampire could be explained with a scientific speculation. For instance, I found the brain degeneration stimulated symptoms of pellagra being parallel with typical vampire-esque actions, quite astonishing. From insomnia to violence, these behavioral attributes could be escalated to exude the character of our novel and film constructed vampire profiles. Additionally, I found it immensely entrancing victims of rabies were considered nonthreatening and socially acceptable if they could stand the sight of their own image in the mirror.
A research topic I am fervent to pursue is the intertwining and competing topic of psychological and physiological disorders that lead to symptoms and behavior in line with the characteristic demeanor of the vampire. Possible streams of research questions that play off of this main theme are as follows. What are possible diseases and explanations for people in society possessing vampire dispositions? Are there more diseases currently and yet to be discovered that match with vampirism? How have past diagnostics played a substantial role in explaining people that resemble vampires? Do these diagnoses hold a heavier credibility weight now or in earlier vampire eras? Do different diseases allude to different reactions or levels of sympathy from society? Can these sicknesses be cured? Does society want people of these illnesses to be cured or ejected from humanity? Are people who have been cured from a disease that causes vampire-esque symptoms viewed differently than someone who has just overcome cancer?
The generation of research would begin by pealing back the layers of vampire history and interlaced diseases. Case files and past incidences of people would be unearthed and dissected to reveal the intricacies that fell in line with society’s viewpoints. The competing factors of the monstrosities of disease and vampires would become the foundation of this research target. I would require a foundation of past occurrences of vampire-esque diseases to compare to current cases. Thus, I could construct a basis of examples and expound upon these by deciphering and discovering how society perceives the medical explanations. Research behind the complexities and deficiencies of the body that lead to interlacing vampire and human behavior would be a vital point of investigation. Examination of what encompasses the diseases would be a pillar of prominence in evidential support for societal reactions.
Jason’s thought of incorporating the facet of atavism into a research strategy is a colossal idea with exceptional potential. I think the interlinking of evolutionary biology with understanding why society possesses the standards of cooking our meat and bloodlust will provide a remarkable and fascinating correlation. Another question I thought when I read this was, “How does society differ in accepting people with a disorder such as schizophrenia as opposed to people with a psychological disorder that instigates vampire behavioral qualities?”