Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
1976
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
English, General Literature, and Rhetoric
First Advisor
Sheldon N. Grebstein
Second Advisor
Matthew A. Corrigan
Third Advisor
Robert Kroetsch
Abstract
Vampire, a psychological novel, presents a study of two murderers who kill without reason. In writing the novel, I was most concerned with developing and explaining the twisted minds of Dyanna and Justin. I’ve done extensive research in this area of abnormal psychology, and one of the ideas I wanted to get across was that Justin alone or Dyanna alone would never have committed murder. They needed each other’s presence and support. Toward the end of the novel Allison explained that she and Justin were no good in bed together because they were both performers, and a performer needed an audience, someone who responded. Dyanna served as Justin’s audience, both in sex and in murder, their substitute for sex.
Yet of the two individuals, Justin was the passive one, and when he committed murder—just as when he threw Dyanna in the mud in what started as a rape—he was merely acting out her fantasy. Neither one alone was wholly responsible for the murders, but of the two, Dyanna was definitely the leader. She didn't understand this because she wouldn't let herself understand; in fact, she frequently referred to herself as “following” Justin. In order to live with herself, she had to lie to herself. This presented a definite problem since Dyanna was the narrator of the story, but it was a problem I very much wanted to deal with.
Recommended Citation
Greco, Anne, "Vampire" (1976). Graduate Dissertations and Theses. 323.
https://orb.binghamton.edu/dissertation_and_theses/323