The Vampire in American History and Culture
GUIDE TO READING RESPONSE ESSAYS
You must complete THREE out of a possible six reading response essays during the term. Reading response essays are due in Harvey no later than 6:00 p.m. in pdf format on the day that we discuss the vampire novel on which the reading response is based. See course schedule. No late responses will be accepted.
You may NOT complete a reading response essay for the class period during which you do your group teaching presentation. So, for example, if you are part of the Dracula teaching group, you will not be permitted to hand in a reading response essay based on Dracula.
Jules Zanger has written about what he calls the evolution of the vampire since the time of Dracula from the “old” to the “new” vampire, or from the metaphoric vampire to the metonymic vampire. The metaphoric vampire is characterized as a demonic, magical, mystical other, while the metonymic vampire is a sympathetic, humanlike outsider. ORDER YOUR PAPER NOW
For each vampire novel that we read in this class, you will consider whether the vampires(s) in the story are mainly metaphoric or metonymic by describing their relationship to each category, below. In so doing, be sure to:
—Be thorough in your response to each category. Be specific, detailed, and descriptive. Each response should be one full paragraph.
—Draw from a range of specific examples and evidence from the vampire novel. Draw your evidence and examples from throughout the novel, not just one or two parts.
—Use citations from the novel, including specific page numbers.
—Respond to every category. Do not leave any category blank.
As a whole, your essay should be at least 750 words. Write out the category you are responding to before writing the actual response. Single space each response. Use the rubric below to construct your essay:
Your name________________
Name of the vampire novel_____________________
Due Date_____________________
IN YOUR READING RESPONSE ESSAYS, describe how the vampires in the story that you read are:
Dissimilar OR similar to humans
Unambiguously evil OR morally ambiguous
An antiChrist/demonic figure OR secular and humanist
Simple and singularly motivated OR complex and conflicted with a range of emotions
Solitary OR communal
Possessive of transfigurative powers OR not possessive of transfigurative powers
Foreign and mysterious OR American
Kills humans OR does not kill humans