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Historically, zombies have been portrayed in films and television series as mindless, shuffling monsters. In recent years, this has changed dramatically. The undead are fast and ferocious in 28 Days Later... (2002) and World War Z (2013). In Warm Bodies (2013) and In the Flesh (2013-2015), they are thoughtful, sensitive and capable of empathy.
These sometimes radically different depictions of the undead (and the still living) suggest critical inquiries: What does it mean to be human? What makes a monster? Who survives the zombie apocalypse, and why?
Focusing on classic and current movies and TV shows, the author reveals how the once-subversive modern zombie, now more popular than ever, has been co-opted by the mainstream culture industry.
List of contents
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Preface: Dawn of a Zombie Scholar
Introduction: The Shifting Culture of the Modern Zombie
1.¿Romero and the Modern American Zombie
2.¿The Evolution of Women in Romero's Dead Series
3.¿Of Monsters and Men: Flipping the Script on Masculinity and Monstrosity
4.¿For the Love of Zombies: The Return of Heteronormativity in Zombie Works
5.¿Heteronormative Heroics in AMC's The Walking Dead
6.¿Zombie Women Take the Lead
7.¿Embodying the Zombie In the Flesh
Conclusion: Zombies Past and Future!
Chapter Notes
Works Cited
Index
About the author
B>Elizabeth Aiossa is a professor of English and Humanities at College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois. She teaches science fiction, screenwriting, and composition.
