Opaline

Interesting article, and very thorough research! This article definitely sparked my interest in learning more about the political and social connotations associated with vampire literature. In particular, The Vampyre seems to be abundant in this respect. As Emily noted in reference to Polidori’s text, “a vampire as not only a villain, but an aristocrat who utilizes his supernatural and economic power to harm those with less means than himself.”

Also, didn’t realize that The Vampyre’s inception occurred at the same gathering as Shelley’s Frankenstein. That must have been one inspirational night for these literary figures!

Baz is definitely one of my favorite filmmakers. I’m also a huge fan of his film Australia, starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. While Australia doesn’t contain a writer-hero like the films named in this article, it does feature a main character (Nicole Kidman) who finds herself in an unfamiliar environment and culture. In the film, Kidman’s friendship with Jackman enables her to acclimate to the culture through his extensive knowledge of the Aboriginal culture. Just wanted to point out this similarity between Australia and this article’s comments on the friendships featured in Get Down and Gatsby.

I find the author’s argument in this article interesting. What stuck with me as significant is the author’s mention of the Christian undertones in many of Andersen’s stories, and in The Little Mermaid. With these Christian themes in mind, it’s interesting that the mermaid essentially sacrifices her earthly life and happiness to gain eternal life. Tying this along to the Christian theme that the author presents, the mermaid’s sacrifice mirrors Christ’s own sacrifice on the cross, in that both sacrifices merit eternal life through the price paid in earthly suffering.