US vampire attack puts popular culture in frame
Source: Agencies |
August 19, 2011, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE arrest of an American man who broke into a woman's house and tried to suck her blood over the weekend has sparked discussion about the impact of vampire books and movies on United States youth culture.
Whether pop culture played a role remains to be seen, as 19-year-old Lyle Monroe Bensley awaits a psychiatric evaluation in jail on burglary charges in Galveston, Texas.
Found growling and hissing in a parking lot, wearing only boxer shorts, pierced and tattooed Bensley claimed he was a 500-year-old vampire who needed to "feed," Galveston Police Captain Jeff Heyse said.
Vampires have been a focal point of literature since Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, "Dracula." But fascination, particularly among young people, has grown in recent years with the popularity of the "Twilight" books about teenage vampires and television series, "True Blood."
"I think the vampire is a metaphor for the outsider and the predator in all of us," said author Anne Rice, whose Vampire Chronicles series has captured the imaginations of horror fans since the 1970s.
"We're all conscious at times of being alone, of being alienated, of being a secret self that fears exposure to the judgments of others. So we feel like vampires," she said.
Bensley is now being held in the Galveston County Jail on a US$40,000 bond for home burglary with intent to commit a felony.
The woman, who lived near Bensley and did not know him, escaped unharmed, Heyse said.
Kevin Petroff, chief of the Galveston County District Attorney's office, said no defense attorney has been appointed to date, and if Bensley had hired a lawyer privately, no notice had yet been filed.
Dr Thomas Garza, who teaches a course in vampire lore at the University of Texas, said young people might aspire to be like vampires because they cheat death and are able to stay beautiful, powerful, and youthful for eternity.
"I would say the Twilight saga in particular that has brought out the younger teen fans," Garza said.
Whether pop culture played a role remains to be seen, as 19-year-old Lyle Monroe Bensley awaits a psychiatric evaluation in jail on burglary charges in Galveston, Texas.
Found growling and hissing in a parking lot, wearing only boxer shorts, pierced and tattooed Bensley claimed he was a 500-year-old vampire who needed to "feed," Galveston Police Captain Jeff Heyse said.
Vampires have been a focal point of literature since Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, "Dracula." But fascination, particularly among young people, has grown in recent years with the popularity of the "Twilight" books about teenage vampires and television series, "True Blood."
"I think the vampire is a metaphor for the outsider and the predator in all of us," said author Anne Rice, whose Vampire Chronicles series has captured the imaginations of horror fans since the 1970s.
"We're all conscious at times of being alone, of being alienated, of being a secret self that fears exposure to the judgments of others. So we feel like vampires," she said.
Bensley is now being held in the Galveston County Jail on a US$40,000 bond for home burglary with intent to commit a felony.
The woman, who lived near Bensley and did not know him, escaped unharmed, Heyse said.
Kevin Petroff, chief of the Galveston County District Attorney's office, said no defense attorney has been appointed to date, and if Bensley had hired a lawyer privately, no notice had yet been filed.
Dr Thomas Garza, who teaches a course in vampire lore at the University of Texas, said young people might aspire to be like vampires because they cheat death and are able to stay beautiful, powerful, and youthful for eternity.
"I would say the Twilight saga in particular that has brought out the younger teen fans," Garza said.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
