People from across the world are expected to travel to a conference about vampires being held at the University of Northampton next month.
TV Fangdom: A Conference on Television Vampires will take place at the university’s Avenue campus in St George’s Avenue from June 7 to 8.
Attendees will spend two days examining the various interpretations of vampires across television schedules, including TV shows such as True Blood, Being Human and The Vampire Diaries.
They will consider the audience these programmes attract and the ways vampires have been portrayed across different TV genres.
Dr Jowett said: “I’m looking forward to sampling the wide range of topics we have on the programme: a fascinating diversity of papers will examine all aspects of vampires and television from handicrafting to fandom, from kid’s TV to parodies of the vampire, from musical themes to costuming.”
The university is expecting people to travel to the conference from seven different countries, as well as from British institutions.
The event has been organised by the University of Northampton’s Dr Lorna Jowett and media lecturer Dr Michael Starr, in partnership with Dr Stacey Abbott at the University of Roehampton.
Speakers at the conference will include Marcus Recht, author of Der Sympathische Vampir and Catherine Spooner, author of Contemporary Gothic.
They will discuss the topics of sexuality, parody and Americanisation.
Vampires which feature in children’s television will also be discussed and the conference will welcome Young Dracula (CBBC) writer Simon J. Ashford for a late afternoon session on the Saturday.
Dr Jowett added: “The TV Fangdom conference aims to put the university on the map as a location where exciting media research is happening, to encourage research in all areas of television studies.
“We want to demonstrate to our own students, at all levels, that we have a dynamic research community and environment.”
To reserve a place, visit http://tvfangdom.wordpress.com/registration/