Abstract
So, in this anatomy, we will examine the vampire as abject being, specifically the postmodern vampires of Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novels, as well as examining the fearful fascination that vampires evoke in American culture. Hamilton would seem to have created a postmodern milieu that provides a framework for studying both the literary and the cultural aspects of the vampire. She has, like Stoker and Anne Rice, given us an evolutionary step in the "life" of the literary vampire. In addition, her work provides us insight into ourselves and our culture. My purpose is to further both monstrous scholarship and Hamilton scholarship in the hopes of adding something of value to cultural analysis is as a whole and to the enrichment of my own cultures in particular. Using Kristeva's notion of abjection, Foucault's theory of bio-power, and Bomstein's notion of the "third," it is hoped that insights into not only the literary vampire can be gained, but insights into American culture as well These insights will hopefully be of use far beyond the confines of a literary analysis. The Antemortem will address the theorists used in the anatomy and how they apply to Hamilton's postmodem vampire, and will also address previous cultural analyses of the vampire in order to locate the anatomy in that history. Chapter One of the Mortem addresses our fearful fascination with the vampire and how the various theorists can be used in an anatomy. Chapter Two addresses the novels of Laurell K. Hamilton directly delving deeper into the theoretical aspects of the vampire in relation to American culture. Chapter Three presents a case study using Anita's cast of vampires and how they apply to the notions presented in the first two chapters. Finally, the Postmortem presents the implications of this anatomy for both literary and cultural analysis.