Subtropical Gothic: New Orleans and Posthuman Supernaturals in The Originals

Abstract

Vampires in the 21st century have continuously become more human-like. In line with posthuman ideology and its rejection of simple binaries, The Originals denies its audience the previously common practice of allegorical displacement. No longer are vampires and other supernatural creatures shown to be morally inferior to humans, instead, the series’ supernatural communities mirror contemporary society in all its positive and negative aspects. This paper aims to uncover the ways in which New Orleans, as a posthuman gothic locale, is the ideal place to discuss discourses that characterize the period, location and context in which the vampires, werewolves and witches – as products of their time – were created (as texts). The Originals with its setting in New Orleans, hence the Deep South of America, reflects and challenges the continuously dominant-hegemonic discourse and practice of spatial separation in contemporary America. I will carve out how the distribution of space (e.g. the French Quarter, the bayou, Tremé, etc.) depicts this cultural phenomenon, which, as I argue, has regained attention and importance after events such as Hurricane Katrina and the election of President Trump.