Abstract

Popular culture and fandom provide a setting where people can reflect on the questions of life. A television show defines for many of its fans what it means to be human. It also discusses the way things are, and the way they should, or could, be in our reality. In this article the author shows that tele­vision shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood and the Vampire Diaries have made the same kind of impact on their fans. The fan writings of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood and the Vampire Diaries show that these popular texts, and the communities they have formed, have greatly affected the lives of fans. People have found on their TV screens stories they can get strength and hope from. The vampire shows deal with the supernatural – vampires, werewolves, and witches – and place them in our contemporary world as if they are a natural part of it. Television vampire stories revolve around topics of death, good and evil, and humanity. These stories have created massive fan communities and even life changing fan experiences. The reflections upon existential questions, and the way the shows have empowered fans, make this phenomenon important to study in the context of today’s religions reality.

Highlights

  • Popular culture and fandom provide a setting where people can reflect on the questions of life

  • In this article I will argue that the fandom of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood and the Vampire Diaries have many aspects that connect them to religion

  • The reflection and action upon the values pre­ sented in the vampire narratives is clear in many fan texts. This is about True Blood: There are a lot of shows out there that make you think about life and death, but this show brings to the table so much more

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Summary

Introduction

Popular culture and fandom provide a setting where people can reflect on the questions of life. In this article I will argue that the fandom of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood and the Vampire Diaries have many aspects that connect them to religion. The cur­ rent fascination and visibility of vampires in popular culture is largely due to the Twilight phenomenon, based on the books of Stephanie Meyer This phe­ nomenon has made it possible for True Blood and the Vampire Diaries to be aired, even though they portray very different kinds of vampire stories. True Blood and the Vampire Diaries are all shows that have formed their own fan bases. The world of True Blood is filled with supernatural features and beings such as vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, fairies and witches In all of these groups there are good and bad individuals, just as there are among humans. As in Buffy the evil vam­ pires are beaten by the community of Elena’s friends, which includes a witch, a vampire, a werewolf and Elena’s brother who is a regular guy with a lot of courage

Fandom and popular culture
Vampire fans and the internet
Fandom and the practical and ritual dimensions
Experiential and emotional dimensions
The narrative or mythic dimension
The doctrinal and philosophical dimension
The ethical and legal dimension
The social and institutional dimension
The material dimension
Conclusion
Full Text
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