The University of Wisconsin-Platteville College of Liberal Arts and Education opens the 2022-23 season of the LAE Faculty Forum Series on Thursday, Oct. 6 with Dr. Adam Stanley’s presentation of “How the Undead Came Alive: The Vampire in European Culture” with Dr. David Gillota, associate professor in the English department, as the respondent.
“European folklore has long included myriad tales of various monsters and evil creatures, but the vampire as a particular phenomenon has arisen and gained wide currency only in the past few centuries,” said Stanley, professor and chair of the Department of History at UW-Platteville. “This presentation will be a historical examination of the emergence of the vampire image in European culture, culminating with the publication of Bram Stoker's ‘Dracula’ in 1897.”
In addition to exploring evolving cultural beliefs about vampires and their alleged characteristics, the presentation will connect questions surrounding vampires' nature and existence to wider historical developments, such as European scientific and medical practice, spiritual and philosophical currents, and ideologies of gender and sexuality.
Open to the public, the forum will take place in Room 136, Doudna Hall from 5-6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be provided.
The LAE Faculty Forum Series, a program instituted in the fall of 2004, is sponsored by UW-Platteville's College of Liberal Arts and Education. The purpose of the forum is to allow faculty to present information in their research areas. Presenters tailor their presentations to a general audience.