RE-VAMPING THE SYSTEM: VAMPIRES IN THE CLASSROOM

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - For centuries vampires have haunted the human imagination - immortal fiends, thirsty for blood. Traditionally they lurked in Gothic castles and empty tombs, confined to the night. But now, through trends in popular literature, vampires are walking into the daylight of academic respectability on college and university campuses across the nation.

On any bright morning, for instance, vampires can be found on the University of Arkansas campus as the featured guests of literary reviews, discussion groups and classroom lectures.

The vampire legend extends back through centuries of folklore and superstition. But it was 1897 before the creature was embraced by modern, popular culture through the publication of Bram Stoker’s defining novel, "Dracula." Since then, the undead have acted as stock characters of B-grade cinema and serial fiction.

In recent years, these immortal creatures gave enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in modern literature and imagination. Modern authors have, in a sense, dusted off the age-old myth. It is this vampire renaissance that inspired two University of Arkansas professors to invite the undead into their classrooms and offices as objects of scholarly study.

Nancy Arenberg, a professor of French, recently published an article that analyzed the French-Canadian vampire novel "Heloise" by Anne Hebert. Within the text, Arenberg finds a vein of morbid fascination as well as a redefinition of beauty that could qualify as drop-dead good looks.

"Hebert arranges her scenes as transitions from the world of the living to the world of vampires," Arenberg said. "What happens in the novel as these two worlds converge is that both the characters and the reader lose interest in the living. Life becomes less interesting, and the dead come to hold our fascination."

Part of this fascination comes from Hebert’s portrayal of the vampiric characters. She dresses them in Victorian clothes, according to Arenberg, making them not just immortal but timeless. Their figures are stark and cadaverous, "yet there’s this malevolent, sensual allure that enchants the victim," said Arenberg. "It’s a redefinition of beauty. No longer is beauty linked to vitality, but it becomes a dark appeal."

This reversal of interests and images is typical of French-Canadian literature, said Arenberg. She finds that texts like "Heloise" help her teach French language and literature because they are "accessible" to students.

Mark Cory, director of the Fulbright College humanities program, agrees. Cory uses Anne Rice’s novel "The Tale of the Body Thief" to help teach a class called "The Faust Motif in World Literature."

Rice’s novel puts a twist on the traditional Faust legend, said Cory. Where the original Faust character makes a pact with the devil for immortality, Rice’s vampire, Lestat, makes a pact to become mortal.

Cory holds a double stake in this vampire novel. First, the fact that Rice could translate classical themes into a work of modern storytelling "shows the vitality of the Faust motif," he said. But what interests Cory more is the way that Rice’s novel appeals to students, the way it makes the Faust legend accessible and exciting to a young, modern audience.

"There is a felt need to find the connection between works of classic literature and the students’ young lives," said Cory. "It is the quest for relevance, the desire to show contemporary college students that it is worthwhile to take these courses in classical literature and history because they relate directly to modern culture."

When asked why he believes the vampire myth holds such wide appeal, Cory said: "There is a tingle that is set off in Gothic literature and films that people find pleasant. We enter a world of imagination, expecting to be scared but knowing that we’re not in danger. We can enjoy the thrill while knowing we won’t have to pay the consequences.

"What’s important is that we reach the student," Cory added. "Perhaps the one lasting benefit of the vampire legend is that it allows us to escape into a very dangerous realm, a realm of the unknown, of transgression. Then we can close the book or leave the theater and return to our own unthreatened lives."