Presentation at Monsters: An Inclusive Interdisciplinary Project, 1st December 2019 – 2nd December 2019, in Prague, Czech Republic

Abstract:

A monster can be, and in fact often is, marked physically by difference. Werewolves have claws, excessive body hair, and animalistic facial features; zombies are covered in gashes, are missing appendages, and wear torn clothing; vampires are pale, have elongated teeth, and lack a reflection. These physical differences allow audiences to easily identify monsters, but they also marginalize them.

In the world of Anita Blake, The Vampire Hunter, where zombies, werewolves and vampires literally walk among us – vampires actually have citizenship status in Blake’s United States of America – it is not only monsters that are physically marked by difference. The main character, Anita Blake, bears scars from injuries that she sustained in the line of duty as a monster hunter. While some characters are drawn to her scars, others are repulsed or frightened by them. Healed claw marks, vampire bites, bullet and blade wounds all signal that she is other. They associate her with the supernatural world and call into question her humanity.

Using the book series and graphic novels from Anita Blake, The Vampire Hunter, this paper explores how notions of ability and disability are articulated through the use of the monster metaphor. In particular, this paper considers how physical difference marks the abled body from the disabled body by comparing how physical differences mark the monstrous and non-monstrous in the series.

For more information on this Interdisciplinary Conference, click here.