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Spike, sex and subtext: intertextual portrayals of the sympathetic vampire on cult television
[journal article]
Abstract The vampire Spike of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the latest in a long line of a mbiguous but sympathetic vampires which have caught the public imagination, stretching back to Polidori’s Byronesque vampire, Lord Ruthven. This article argues that the vampire image that circulates across contemporary v... view more
The vampire Spike of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the latest in a long line of a mbiguous but sympathetic vampires which have caught the public imagination, stretching back to Polidori’s Byronesque vampire, Lord Ruthven. This article argues that the vampire image that circulates across contemporary vampire fan cultures is one that exceeds any individual depiction of the vampire; the sympathetic vampire operates as a metatext for vampire fans who draw on textual cues to interpret vampires sympathetically, even when the text itself does not. In the case of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the text overtly encourages a sympathetic subtextual reading of Spike by linking his glamour, sex appeal and rebellion to a hinted-at unseen suffering, which is easily recognized by fans. Fans read Spike’s bad-boy pose as symbolic of hidden pathos. Indeed, the text adopts conventions associated with fan fiction in order to encourage and sustain a surrounding fan culture.... view less
Classification
Impact Research, Recipient Research
Broadcasting, Telecommunication
Cultural Sociology, Sociology of Art, Sociology of Literature
Free Keywords
Buffy; cult TV; fan culture; intertextuality; metatext; outcast; slash fiction; subtext; sympathetic vampire
Document language
English
Publication Year
2005
Page/Pages
p. 289-311
Journal
European Journal of Cultural Studies, 8 (2005) 3
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/1367549405054863
Status
Postprint; peer reviewed
Licence
PEER Licence Agreement (applicable only to documents from PEER project)