| Abstract [eng] |
The aim of this paper is to answer whether the figure of the vampire can be interpreted as an embodiment of Nietzsche's “übermench” and whether such an interpretation is justified, considering the interpretations existing in the scholar literature. This is done by presenting and discussing the existing interpretations, then by analysing the main ideas of Nietzsche and extracting the characteristics of the “übermench”, and finally by examining three different novels – Bram Stoker's “Dracula”, Anne Rice's “Interview with the Vampire”, and Charlaine Harris's “Dead until Dark” – to determine whether the vampires in these novels have the attributes of a “übermench”. The main argument of this paper is that interpretation of the vampire figure as the embodiment of F. Nietzsche's “übermench”, even if it is based on the German philosopher's ideas, is unjustified because of the fundamental difference between the vampire figure and the “übermench”: the vampire figure represents a being that has already died and been resurrected, who has to take on the life of other beings in order to live, while the “übermench”, by stimulating the life forces within himself and by constantly overcoming himself, is independent. In the first chapter, after discussing the existing interpretations of the vampire as “übermench”, I highlight the main “übermench” qualities of the vampire: the representation of "Evil" (going beyond morality), immortality, hyper-humanity, the perception of reality, the lack of Christian values and the constant self-improvement. In the second chapter, after discussing Nietzsche's insights and thoughts, I identify the following characteristics of the “übermench”: self-transcendence, affirmation of life, going beyond morality, self-overcoming and re-evaluation of old values, “amor fati”, cheerfulness and power, and the absence of suffering and guilt. In this chapter I also draw attention to Nietzsche's use of the metaphor of the "vampire", which the philosopher uses to criticize Christianity, morality and the philosophy that denies the senses. In the third chapter of the thesis, I attempt to apply mentioned characteristics of the übermench to the vampires of the different novels. I conclude that Count Dracula, although most often presented as a possible embodiment of the “übermench”, should not be regarded as such, because even if he is aristocratic, has control of his instincts and behaves contrary to the morals of the vampire hunters, he is not what one would expect from a “übermench”: he seeks revenge and feels anger towards his enemies, he is characterized by a lack of self-overcoming, which is how his escape from London is interpreted. While discussing “Interview with the Vampire”, I note that the novel's protagonist and narrator, Louis, cannot be interpreted as an example of the “übermench”: his constant suffering, which results in his complete emptiness, his passivity and constant oscillation between denying his instincts or giving in to them, his constant concern with the questions of the 'meaning of life' and 'evil', mean that Louis does not have a “übermench” characteristic. Another passive vampire encountered in “Dead Until Dark” is the human "lover" Bill. Bill is a passive vampire, a conformist who tries to assimilate into human society by following its norms and denying his own instincts, while at the same time strictly following the laws of the vampire world. I note that while charismatic vampires are encountered in “Interview with the Vampire” (Lestat) and “Dead until Dark” (Eric), the details given about them in the novels do not provide enough substantiated information to interpret them as “übermench”. I note that it remains possible that their behaviour is a manifestation of active or passive nihilism. |
