Sociological Analysis of the Media
Part I: Introduction
HBO’s addictive television series True Blood was created and produced by Allan Ball, and is based on a series of novels called The Southern Vampire Mysteries. True Blood narrates the story of Sookie Stackhouse, a human-fairy hybrid and telepathic waitress who lives in a fictional small town called Bon Temps located in northwestern Louisiana. The fictional universe portrayed in the series is based on the notion that vampires, along with other supernatural beings are living among us without us knowing it, until about two years ago when the creation of synthetic blood by Japanese scientists allowed vampires to come out of the coffin and show their existence to the public based on the premise that they no longer need human blood to survive. This so called great revelation has divided the vampire community into two distinct groups: those who wish to integrate into human society and mainstream by campaigning for citizenship and equal rights, and those who think that human-vampire coexistence is impossible because of the violent nature of vampires. Throughout the series other supernatural beings are also introduced, such as shape shifters, werewolves, fairies, witches, and ghosts. Other important characters in the series include Bill Compton, a handsome vampire who has returned to Bon Temps to take up residence in his former home after the death of his last remaining relative; Tara Thornton, who is Sookie’s though-talking but insecure best friend; Sookie’s womanizing brother Jason; a thousand year old vampire named Eric Northman; and Lafayette Reynolds who is a gay cook, drug dealer, road crew member and a medium. The show explores several contemporary issues of sociological importance such as the struggle for equal rights, discrimination and violence against minorities, drug addiction, the power of faith and religion, the quest for identity, and sexual violence.
Part II: True Blood as an Agent of...