When considering the current developments in popular culture, the steadily rising popularity of v... more When considering the current developments in popular culture, the steadily rising popularity of vampire narratives is stunning: from Interview with the Vampire to Twilight, a wide range of different conceptions of the vampire circulates. The introspective, dark, brooding and attractive vampire whose nature becomes highly eroticised is present everywhere, but what about the undeniable dark side of a ruthless killer that every vampire necessarily possesses? In other works, such as The World on Blood written by Jonathan Nasaw in 1996, the vampire is not even considered supernatural anymore and instead is simply a human whose genetic predisposition makes him or her addicted to drinking blood. At the same time, there is a steadily growing fascination with the concept of evil and villainous characters in both popular and academic culture, with several current academic conferences dedicated precisely to this matter. This paper analyses the way vampire identity is dependent on evil and how ...
Recently, and particularly in the wake of the 40th anniversary of punk in the United Kingdom, the... more Recently, and particularly in the wake of the 40th anniversary of punk in the United Kingdom, there has been a growing trend to reflect on the importance of defining and understanding the legacy of punk and its importance in shaping our cultures and societies both in Europe and beyond. There is no doubt that punk as a countercultural movement created reverberations that have, over four decades, had tangible effects both on individuals who identify themselves as punk and those outside the scene. Punk has encouraged a spirit of questioning and provided a counterpoint to apathy and blind acceptance of authority and convention in far-reaching aspects of all our lives. However, the nostalgic Zeitgeist of our academic reflection has also brought a number of complex issues to the fore that now demand a re-examination of how punk has entered our collective memory and our lived experience.
In recent years there have been an increasing number of biographies and autobiographies written b... more In recent years there have been an increasing number of biographies and autobiographies written by the leading figures of the British punk scene of the Seventies and Eighties. As we pass the 40th anniversary of 1977, it can be argued that the British punk scene has also ‘come of age’ in academia with a number of retrospectives that examine not only the contemporary impact of punk in the Seventies but also the legacy of the punk movement in shaping British culture. With a focus on John Lydon’s text Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs (1993) and Viv Albertine’s Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys (2014), this article will examine how these autobiographies draw attention to ways in which the British sub-cultural scene offered a platform through which British culture and identity could be reassessed as anti-American and anti-capitalist. This study will also highlight to what extent the self-reflexive framing of these personal narratives within the larger po...
When considering the current developments in popular culture, the steadily rising popularity of v... more When considering the current developments in popular culture, the steadily rising popularity of vampire narratives is stunning: from Interview with the Vampire to Twilight, a wide range of different conceptions of the vampire circulates. The introspective, dark, brooding and attractive vampire whose nature becomes highly eroticised is present everywhere, but what about the undeniable dark side of a ruthless killer that every vampire necessarily possesses? In other works, such as The World on Blood written by Jonathan Nasaw in 1996, the vampire is not even considered supernatural anymore and instead is simply a human whose genetic predisposition makes him or her addicted to drinking blood. At the same time, there is a steadily growing fascination with the concept of evil and villainous characters in both popular and academic culture, with several current academic conferences dedicated precisely to this matter. This paper analyses the way vampire identity is dependent on evil and how ...
Recently, and particularly in the wake of the 40th anniversary of punk in the United Kingdom, the... more Recently, and particularly in the wake of the 40th anniversary of punk in the United Kingdom, there has been a growing trend to reflect on the importance of defining and understanding the legacy of punk and its importance in shaping our cultures and societies both in Europe and beyond. There is no doubt that punk as a countercultural movement created reverberations that have, over four decades, had tangible effects both on individuals who identify themselves as punk and those outside the scene. Punk has encouraged a spirit of questioning and provided a counterpoint to apathy and blind acceptance of authority and convention in far-reaching aspects of all our lives. However, the nostalgic Zeitgeist of our academic reflection has also brought a number of complex issues to the fore that now demand a re-examination of how punk has entered our collective memory and our lived experience.
In recent years there have been an increasing number of biographies and autobiographies written b... more In recent years there have been an increasing number of biographies and autobiographies written by the leading figures of the British punk scene of the Seventies and Eighties. As we pass the 40th anniversary of 1977, it can be argued that the British punk scene has also ‘come of age’ in academia with a number of retrospectives that examine not only the contemporary impact of punk in the Seventies but also the legacy of the punk movement in shaping British culture. With a focus on John Lydon’s text Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs (1993) and Viv Albertine’s Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys (2014), this article will examine how these autobiographies draw attention to ways in which the British sub-cultural scene offered a platform through which British culture and identity could be reassessed as anti-American and anti-capitalist. This study will also highlight to what extent the self-reflexive framing of these personal narratives within the larger po...
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