True Blood and Philosophy

GEORGE A. DUNN is a lecturer at the University of Indianapolis and Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University, China. He contributed to Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy, X-Men and Philosophy, Terminator and Philosophy, Twilight and Philosophy, Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy, Iron Man and Philosophy, and Mad Men and Philosophy. REBECCA HOUSEL, a former professor of writing and popular culture, is now an author and editor serving on editorial advisory boards for the Journal of Popular Culture and the Journal of American Culture. She coedited Twilight and Philosophy and X-Men and Philosophy. WILLIAM IRWIN is a professor of philosophy at King’s College. He originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books as coeditor of the bestselling The Simpsons and Philosophy and has overseen recent titles, including Batman and Philosophy, House and Philosophy, and Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy.

• Acknowledgments: For the “Supes” We Just Can’t Live Without ixIntroduction: “If a Tree Falls in the Woods, It’s Still a Tree—Ain’t It?” 1Part One “I Used to Hate Vampires, Until I Got To Know One”: Vampire-human Ethics1 To Turn or Not to Turn: The Ethics of Making Vampires 7Christopher Robichaud2 Dressing Up and Playing Human: Vampire Assimilation in the Human Playground 19Jennifer Culver3 Pets, Cattle, and Higher Life Forms on True Blood 33Ariadne Blayde and George A. DunnPart Two “life-challenged Individuals”: The Politics of Being Dead4 Signed in Blood: Rights and the Vampire-Human Social Contract 51Joseph J. Foy5 “Honey, If We Can’t Kill People, What’s the Point of Being a Vampire?”: Can Vampires Be Good Citizens? 65William M. Curtis6 Un-True Blood: The Politics of Artificiality 79Bruce A. McClellandPart Three “their Very Blood Is Seductive”: Eros, Sexuality, and Gender7 Coming Out of the Coffin and Coming Out of the Closet 93Patricia Brace and Robert Arp8 “I Am Sookie, Hear Me Roar!”: Sookie Stackhouse and Feminist Ambivalence 109Lillian E. Craton and Kathryn E. Jonell9 Sookie, Sigmund, and the Edible Complex 123Ron HirschbeinPart Four “i Am Actually Older Than Your Jesus”: Natural, Supernatural, and Divine10 Let the Bon Temps Roll: Sacrifice, Scapegoats, and Good Times 139Kevin J. Corn and George A. Dunn11 Are Vampires Unnatural? 157Andrew Terjesen and Jenny Terjesen12 Does God Hate Fangs? 175Adam BarkmanPart Five “our Existence Is Insanity”: the Metaphysics of Supernatural Beings13 A Vampire’s Heart Has Its Reasons That Scientific Naturalism Can’t Understand 187Susan Peppers-Bates and Joshua Rust14 Keeping Secrets from Sookie 203Fred Curry15 Vampires, Werewolves, and Shapeshifters: The More They Change, the More They Stay the Same 215Sarah GrubbContributors: “I Don’t Know Who You Think You Are, but Before the Night Is Through .” 229Index: Sookie’s Words of the Day 237

Can John Locke's memory theory explain the nature of vampire identity? Is there a PETA message buried in True Blood's take on vampire-human relations? These and other biting issues constitute the smart and amusing essays in the latest William Irwin-edited Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series (after Mad Men and Philosophy). Authors invoke the likes of Kant, Sartre, and Freud and approach their topics with the seriousness of a devoted fan balanced with the levity and wit the series is known for. More than one essay focusing on God and vampires duplicate efforts, but highlights include Christopher Robichaud's examination of consent in creating a vampire, William M. Curtis's discussion of metaphor and the mainstreaming of blood suckers, Ron Hirschbein's exploration of the "Edible Complex," and Patricia Brace and Robert Arp's analysis of the not-so-subtle similarities between vampire rights and gay rights. These easily-digestible philosophical morsels are perfect for fans of Jon Stewart and anyone else who likes to laugh while they learn. (June) (PW.com, August 16, 2010)