Bonus video! The first gay vampire novel
Hello there! There's a Cabaret video coming your way next Sunday, all about the making of the film and why Berlin was such a tantalizing pla
Hello there!
There's a Cabaret video coming your way next Sunday, all about the making of the film and why Berlin was such a tantalizing place for queer people in the 1920s (until it very suddenly was decidedly NOT that). So in this week's bonus video I want to talk about Karl Friedrich Ulrichs, one of the people responsible for the early homosexual liberation movement -- der schwulenbewegung -- and also one of the first gay vampire novels.
Ulrichs was an extremely important figure in queer history, going back to the 1800s. But he was also an important literary figure, thanks in part to his short story entitled Manor about two teenage boys who fall in love, and then remain lovers after one of them dies and returns from the grave in search of his lover's blood. It's a fascinating tale that shares a lot of qualities with modern vampire tales, and I think it's fascinating that Ulrichs found vampires to be a useful metaphor in discussing forbidden seduction.
Also! I hope you'll join me for some live events in June. I'll be at the Toronto Public Library for a theme song sing-along and sitcom-talk with Anthony Oliveira on June 12: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/matt-baume-sitcoms-and-the-queering-of-popular-culture-tickets-881936284167
And I'll be at Seattle's Elliott Bay Book Store talking about The Golden Girls on June 21: https://www.elliottbaybook.com/events/20240621
You can read an English translation of Manor here: http://www.queerhorror.com/Qvamp/stories/manor1.html
And watch my past bonus videos about queer vampires:
Bonus video! The man on Raymond Burr's lap, and a lesbian vampire mystery
Bonus Video! The untold original ending of Interview With the Vampire
Bonus video! Our Hearts Were Young and Gay (Or Were They???)
Bonus video! Vampires on Broadway and The Shawl Mystery (TM) Solved
Bonus video! A Saucy Gay Song From 1935, and Cinema's First Gay Dads
Bonus video! The first gay vampire novel + Cabaret (YouTube)
Comments (9)
I realize it's outside your show business focus but I'd love a roundup of the world's terms for LGBTQ and how they came about. The term gay is now male-associated but it probably has staying power for being, for whatever reason, positive.
When I learned the term "Urning" from this video it instantly reminded me a lot of the term "Two-Spiritied" which was a term coined in 1990 to describe the third gender (or gender non-conforming) concept adopted by many separate Indigenous tribes here in Canada. The term is used so widely now, that is the first two letters of the 2SLGBTQ+ acronym used by the Government of Ontario. It constantly amazes me how ideas and terms like this occur and co-occur, form and re-form across history. Speaking of Ontario, great to hear that you will soon be stopping by my town Matt. I've already got my ticket for the 12th! Don't know if I'll be stopping by to sing though... no one should be subjected to that....
Gather around the piano to sing TV Theme songs? How very All in the Family of you. Sounds like a blast.
You total star!!! I knew a tiny bit about Ulrichs, but I had no idea he'd written a gay vampire story. Also, have you ever come across this lovely cartoon about him? http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=396
Lol yes I love this, it's probably how most people have heard of him!
WOW I've never heard of Karl Friedrich Ulrichs, how fantastic!
You are a Tease ... Stoker AND Whitman ?!?!?
Haha ok I'll make a note to talk about that in the next video!
Now this is some serious gay history. I think that this is the first time I have ever heard of this guy. I know about post ww1 Germany but knew next to nothing about this guy thank for this information btw here is some vampire film history, Bacula is the first male vampire to attack both men and women to appear on film.