Ladies of the Night, Unite!

Damon Versus the Feminist Vampire Movement

by Jon Skovronon The Vampire Diaries

The Vampire Diaries is a perfect example of an age-old battle between opposites. Not Good and Evil, of course. Neither the book nor the show is so didactic as to portray any character as purely Good or purely Evil. No, I’m talking about that other age-old conflict: Boy Vampires vs. Girl Vampires. The conflict began a long time ago, in a place kind of far away . . .

The year was 1816. Many called it the “Year without a Summer” because of a series of strange weather events in northern Europe that extended the rains of spring straight into fall. The earnest young English physician John William Polidori found himself in a Gothic villa near Geneva with his good friend and frequent traveling companion, the poet Lord Byron, and guests Claire Clairmont, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Since they were forced to stay indoors by the … read more»

Recent Free Essays (Still Available!)

Available Until
Tue 1/26

Modeling the Writer’s Life

by Lois McMaster Bujoldon Anne McCaffrey and the Dragonriders of Pern series

The first Anne McCaffrey tale I ever read was also one of the most memorable works of its era. Sometime in the mid to late ’60s, which was my mid to late teens, I encountered the short story “The Ship Who Sang” quite by chance in my random SF reading, … read more»

Available Until
Mon 1/25

Introduction: The Psychology of Dexter

by Bella DePauloon Dexter

Dexter may well be one of the most psychologically delicious
treats in television history. We love Dexter. We
root for him, season after season.

But he’s a killer–a serial killer! Why do we relish Dexter so
much? And why don’t we at least feel guilty about … read more»

Available Until
Fri 1/22

Lost in Love

by Lani Diane Richon Lost

I must confess: I’m not big on worst-case-scenario entertainment. Plane crashes, train wrecks, little boys floating in rafts with tigers . . . it’s just not my thing. Watching people in high-stress situations makes me highly stressed, and it’s just not my cup of tea.

Me, I like love stories. No, … read more»

Available Until
Thu 1/21

Girls Gone Wild

by Heather Swainon the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series

A good story demands transformation and for Protestant America’s buck, not much beats virtuous Christian girls tumbling into depravation. The mother/whore, the fallen angel, the good girl gone bad rivets readers to the page. When the preacher’s daughter winds up the pregnant homecoming queen (or for that matter, the vice-presidential … read more»