Vampire Lectures

by Laurence A. Rickels

Book Overview

A wild and wide-ranging "psycho-history" of the vampire

Bela Lugosi may--as the eighties gothic rock band Bauhaus sang--be dead, but the vampire lives on. A nightmarish figure dwelling somewhere between genuine terror and high camp, a morbid repository for the psychic projections of diverse cultures, an endlessly recyclable mass-media icon, the vampire is an enduring object of fascination, fear, ridicule, and reverence. In The...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0816633924
• ISBN13: 9780816633920
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

An interesting book, but consider this before you read it...

Lawrence Rickels has a very particular writing style that is often frowned upon because the 'average' reader cannot really handle it. It is jargonistic, self-inflating, self-validating, and extremely complex. Like many other writers of critical theory, Rickels is engaging in a discourse for those 'in the know.' This is not an introductory book on the subject of vampyrism, and I would not recommend it to any reader if they are not at first familar with contemporary psychoanalytic theory. I enjoy reading Rickels' writing because he loves to play around with word puns in a very witty way. Perhaps a better introduction to Rickels' writings would be his many short articles in various art exhibition catalogues (check your local university library). I do not think I would have enjoyed this book had I not had the opportunity to listen to Rickels' lectures. This book requires an active reader who is willing to struggle with the text (that is the beauty of theory, right? A sort of painful pleasure). That said, it can be rewarding if you are up for a challenge.

invitation

This book made me feel like I was being drained for the change. The author's language or way of thinking took me by surprise, put the bite on me, and then left me there. I am thinking his thoughts! As the title admits, this isn't another book about vampirism; it participates in vampirism: vampire lectures. Enter free willingly.

A wild ride through the (popular) culture of vampires

I have always liked academics such as Carl Sagan or Stephen Gould who could take the mysteries of the universe and explain them to neophytes such as myself. Hearing Gould explain evolution in terms of baseball batting averages is as good as life gets. "The Vampire Lectures" by Professor Rickels is in that tradition, although the subject matter is not exactly top drawer. Ultimately, you will find his musings either insightful or at least provocative. But there has to be some sort of "deep meaning" behind our fascination with vampires and Rickels will at least getting you thinking about them in ways you probably never thought about before. What more could you want?

If you're lucky, this book will suck!

Rickels' book is incredibly informative and just as readable. It'll tell you all you ever wanted to know about vampires and the undead. It is very sophisticated yet also accessible. Buy it now! Check out his other books as well.