A review by bramblebox
The Vampire Defanged: How the Embodiment of Evil Became a Romantic Hero by Susannah Clements

2.0

what’s interesting is that i didn’t hate this. — the book is decently researched & the author tends to at the very least attempt to be objective. however, i feel the author picks & chooses which media to use as examples with the knowledge she will be able to bring her bias to life by examining them. leaving out a lot of context or examples altogether. i also feel like the vampire simply being a symbol of ‘ sin & evil ‘ within this narrative is wildly narrow minded, as vampires ( along with many other traditional monster stories ) were often created at times to represent marginalized communities. therefore, the ‘ defanging ‘ of vampires over time isn’t necessarily making them more secular, it’s reflecting the changing world, the allowing of these communities to no longer be seen as monsters, but as complex creatures & people. but of course, letting people be themselves even if they’re outside the norm does tend to get on the bad side of religion doesn’t it?