Family Concerns in The Vampire Diaries

Abstract

This paper examines the TV series The Vampire Diaries to show how the programme responds to traditional gothic tropes and transforms them for the television medium. Vampires and humans shall be read as both preoccupied with the ties of family, in story arcs that explore complex and often dark familial relationships. Especially in the early seasons of the series, objects such as magic rings, compasses, precious stones and magical devices are given fundamental importance for the development of the plot, the interactions among the characters, and the representation of familial bonds. Specifically, the search for and retrieval of the heirlooms shall be interpreted as instrumental to the representation of the characters’ relationships with their respective families, which I argue is a characteristic theme of gothic fictions at large.