Pop DNA

We're getting further down the vampire funnel into allegory and metaphor--what do vampires MEEEEEAAANN???We start with some historical medical cases that give insight into what people in the past thought of vampires, with the case of Mercy Brown, and an explainer on the vampire-adjacent Chinese mythological creature the Jiangshi.We also look at a few of our favorite (or at least most foundational) examples of vampires in literary or cultural works that are used to explore social and political commentary, including Dracula, Sinners, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.Next episode we will look at vampire romance!Further Reading:More about the JiangshiThe case of Mercy BrownEdgar Allan Poe's tenuous connection to vampire loreA Colonial Reading of Bram Stoker's DraculaPsychology Today's analysis of SinnersThe Take video on adolescence, adulthood, and vampires in BuffyThe Psychology of Trauma in Interview with the VampireFollow us on Instagram

Stake it or leave it, this is our summer series!We decided to spend our summer deep diving into vampire lore and the ever evolving role of the undead in popular fiction. In our first installment, we define our terms and talk a little about the folklore origins of vampire stories. We also take a quick look at vampires in popular fiction, highlighting a few works and broader trends that we will delve into deeper in future episodes.Further Reading:Britannica entry on vampiresVampires on the mythos fandom wikiVampire historyThe migration of paranormal romance The evolving role of vampires in literatureFollow us on Instagram

Pop DNA scored an exclusive early interview with up-and-coming debut author Rhonda Watts for an intimate, no-holds-barred interview.Rhonda's debut cozy fantasy book, Spells & Sensibility, is currently on submission, so no spoilers or big news yet, but she wanted to talk about it with her friend Erin, and we recorded the conversation.We talk about Rhonda's writing process, how she got the idea for the book, making time to write with a full-time job, the importance of finding the right agent, and how to approach writing a Jane Austen retelling.Read Rhonda's blog post about the process here.Follow us on Instagram, and get ready for Vampire Summer starting in June!

Rhonda is still in her Medievalist Era and making it everyone's problem, and Erin just wants to talk about some creatures, so you could say this is a typical Pop DNA episode.We continue our exploration of LOTR's relationship to medievalism in pop culture with a look at the beloved Medieval Y2K moment, exemplified in movies like A Knight's Tale, Ella Enchanted, Shrek, and of course the Jackson Lord of the Rings films. And the Star Wars prequels.This early 2000s interpretation of the middle ages is having a moment in current pop culture, and of course influencing the popular medievalism of today.After a brief dip into Tolkien's influence on Dungeons and Dragons, Erin finally gets to talk about all her favorite Tolkien creatures. Goblins, Orcs, Trolls, Balrogs, and other potential fantasy romance love interests.Follow us on Instagram to see things we talk about, and what Rhonda wore to the Hobbit Picnic.Further Reading:Y2K Medievalism and Camp by @zombiegirlzine on SubstackOur current appreciation for Y2K medieval is nostalgia for nostalgiaTen Things D&D "borrowed" from Tolkien, but don't tell Wizards of the CoastA ranking of Middle-Earth creaturesA little more about Balrogs in case you want to write that Balrog romance

The Medieval Revival of the 1960s and '70s coincided and communicated closely with the LOTR books' surge in popularity at that time.Hippies and other sects of 1960s counterculture adopted the Shire and the Hobbits as their own, and produced expressions of art and culture that Tolkien was really kind of a curmudgeon about. In this episode we explore how medievalism (or MODievalism) permeated 1960s pop culture, in art, literature, media, and fashion. We also look at how different versions of Middle Earth were envisioned by various artists, from those influenced by the hippies' love for the books, to the artist Alan Lee, whose work reflected a reverence for Tolkien's particular preferences and went on to influence the aesthetics of the Peter Jackson films.See the images we reference on our Instagram.Further Reading:LitHub article on Alan Lee's illustrationsAmerican Cinematographer article on visualization in the Jackson filmsCollection of Tolkien's own drawings and paintingsSampling of LOTR book coversHobbits and Hippies article from BBCAnti-War Adoption of The Lord of the Rings paperMedieval revival of the 1960s and 1970s blog post