Vampires in the Romance Genre

We are currently surviving, not thriving, before we dive into Sarah J Maas' House of Flame and Shadow. This means we're discussing other book-ish topics while we prepare our analysis, and discuss topics that bring us joy. And today, that's Vamprism in the Romance genre. From Gothic villain to swoon-worthy love interest, this episode traces the vampire's transformation across literary history. We start with the folkloric roots of the vampire myth, move through Polidori's The Vampyre and Stoker's Dracula (where the vampire is pure threat, tangled up with anxieties about sexuality and contagion), and track how the genre slowly reimagines the vampire as a figure of desire rather than dread — through Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire and the rise of paranormal romance in the '90s and 2000s. We close on Twilight, looking at how Meyer's Edward Cullen crystallizes the "dangerous but devoted" vampire archetype for a new generation, and what that shift says about what readers want from a monster turned love interest. Sponsor: VIONIC Use code BOOKTALK at checkout for 15% off your entire order at ⁠⁠www.vionicshoes.com⁠⁠ when you log into your account. Share your thoughts for a chance to be featured! Submit them at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠booktalkforbooktok.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for a future mini-episode or exclusive Patreon discussion. Support the Show: Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/booktalkforbooktok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Merch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Etsy Store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Us on Social: Instagram: @BookTalkForBookTok TikTok: @BookTalkForBookTok YouTube: @BookTalkForBookTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices