The Subversive Zombie

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.

Elizabeth Aiossa is a professor of English and Humanities at College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois. She teaches science fiction, screenwriting, and composition.

Kyle William Bishop is an associate professor of English and film studies and serves as the Honors Program director at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah. He has presented and published on a number of zombie-related texts and has authored two other monographs with McFarland.

Elizabeth Aiossa. Series Editor Kyle William Bishop
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 194
Bibliographic Info: bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2018
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6673-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3188-2
Imprint: McFarland
Series: Contributions to Zombie Studies

Acknowledgments v
Preface: Dawn of a Zombie Scholar 1
Introduction: The Shifting Culture of the Modern Zombie 5
1. Romero and the Modern American Zombie 17
2. The Evolution of Women in Romero’s Dead Series 43
3. Of Monsters and Men: Flipping the Script on Masculinity and Monstrosity 77
4. For the Love of Zombies: The Return of Heteronormativity in Zombie Works 99
5. Heteronormative Heroics in AMC’s The Walking Dead 119
6. Zombie Women Take the Lead 139
7. Embodying the Zombie In the Flesh 151
Conclusion: Zombies Past and Future! 166
Chapter Notes 177
Works Cited 178
Index 183