1. The Insidious Poison of Degeneration: Vampires in Czech Decadence
- Author
-
Kirsten Lodge
- Subjects
česká dekadence ,česká literatura ,Jiří Karásek ze Lvovic ,Karel Hlaváček ,Moderní revue ,vampíři ,barbaři ,Czech decadence ,Czech literature ,The Modern Revue ,vampires ,barbarians ,Language and Literature - Abstract
The article examines vampires in Czech Decadent literature as polyvalent symbols that stand simultaneously for culture as a vampiric force and for decadence as a poisonous and infectious phenomenon. Vampires can also be associated with homosexuality, particularly in the work of Jiří Karásek ze Lvovic. In addition, they represent the power of the Austro-Hungarian Empire which had been draining the blood of Bohemia for centuries, leaving Prague a “dead city”, as well as the Czechs’ resistance to their subaltern status through a poisonous entropy that destroys not only the oppressors but also Czechs themselves. As such, Czech vampires have their counterpart in barbarians, who threaten to destroy the empire from without. more...
- Published
- 2015