True Blood And Philosophy: We Wanna Think Bad Things With You

Sep 20, 2010
Paym Bergson

True Blood: We Wanna Think Bad Things With You - book cover courtesy of FSB Associates

While not approved nor sponsored by anyone involved with the Southern Vampire novels or the TV show, this book provides food for thought to "lick your mind"

In keeping with the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series, this collection of essays and analyses on True Blood provide an indepth analysis of varying aspects of the hit TV series (renewed for a fourth season to start in summer 2011) with insight, humour and of course sexuality.

Based loosely on the Southern Vampire Mysteries novels by Charlaine Harris, the series brings to life (um, no pun intended) her town of Bon Temps where vampires and humans live side by side, and of course not peacefully, but somewhat tolerant. Each side is learning about the other.

Based on the Southern Vampire Mysteries

Most of the contributions start off with a quote from one of the major characters in the TV series, such as Sookie Stakehouse (a telepath), Jason Stakehouse (her brother), Bill Compton (a vampire). All of course point out salient features of the fiction to the reality of society, as the characters torment themselves about thinly veiled dilemmas.

While SciFi fiction has always been used to safely comment on society's ills and misbegotten morals; True Blood (the TV series) provides a more campy (and often perceived as a more receptive) approach (vampires out of the coffin, anyone?) and gets its message across to a wider audience.

Fifteen Contributions on the Philosophy of True Blood - the TV Series

It's no wonder the series provides fodder (no pun intended) for fertile minds to ponder and wax philosophically on how the series affects us humans. This book is for true fans of True Blood. If the reader only watches the show for pure entertainment or "bloodcake"* (a twist on cheesecake and beefcake to describe the undeniable sensuousness and sexuality of the characters), then it is suggested to pass on this book due to the cerebral and tongue-in-cheek humour receptors necessary to understand these articles.

Edited by George A. Dunn (also a contributor to this book) and Rebecca Housel (no stranger to editing the Blackwell series and vampires), this collection is divided into five major sections with three essays in each, for a total of 15 contributions:

"I Used To Hate Vampires, Until I Got To Know One": Vampire-Human Ethics
"Life-Challenged Individuals":The Politics Of Being Dead
"Their Very Blood Is Seductive": Eros, Sexuality, and Gender
"I Am Actually Older Than Your Jesus": Natural, Supernatural, And Divine
"Our Existence Is Insanity": The Metaphysics Of Supernatural Beings

Devoted Fans of True Blood Will Find This Collection Enticing

Even the Introduction, aptly titled "If a Tree Falls in the Woods, It's Still a Tree -- Ain't It?" (a quote from the character Jason Stackhouse) creates the mood of delving into intellectual conundrums, depravity of mind, and cravings for the soul and flesh.

True devoted fans of True Blood will not want to miss the journey this book provides into exploring the why and how of the characters, and the humanity of it all.

Book courtesy of FSB Associates.

Reference:

Dunn, George, and Housel, Rebecca, Eds. True Blood and Philosophy: We Wanna Think Bad Things with You. Hoboken, New Jersey USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2010.

* The term "bloodcake" is a creation of Paym Bergson