Vampires, zombies and the faddish nature of literature

When I first began studying literature in college, I thought of literature as something pure – far removed from the superficial world of pop culture. I had read a lot of popular fiction in my life, but all that went out the window when I began dissecting literature at the college level. Looking back now I realize that I was a tad bit too idealistic in my thinking and I now realize that yes, even literature is subject to the whims of pop culture.

Like every other art form out there, literature goes through phases of what’s popular and selling, and what’s not. For a while now it has been books featuring vampires and vampire-like characters. For this we can thank Stephanie Meyer and her incredibly popular Twilight series that is described as a young adult vampire-romance mash-up that appeals mostly to teen girls (but I know adults who love the series as well). Never mind that books like Bram Stoker’s Dracula (aff link) have been around since the 1800s.

The newest fad in literature has appeared to take hold, and it’s filled with zombies. Ever since the strangely popular Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (aff link), the market is becoming (or will soon become) filled with zombies invading popular characters (both real and fictional). And according to this article from the Examiner, seems to confirm the zombie trend in literature:

Last month, deputy publisher Anthony Ziccardi announced that the company will be publishing seven zombie books in conjunction with the small horror publisher Permuted Press. Ziccardi was quoted as saying that Pocket believes the horror genre, especially zombie themed horror, “will be a growing category at retail.”

This just goes to show that, like any other business, publishers are always on the lookout for the next big thing. Of course, this is always a gamble. The zombie craze can die a quick death, leaving publishers with multiple titles that won’t sell. Or, they could find a gold mine with zombies and we might see zombie-related books hitting the shelves for the next few years.

One book I’m particularly looking forward to is a planned book about Beatles and zombies:

Pocket Books has announced that it has purchased the publishing rights to Paul Is Undead: The British Zombie Invasion by Alan Goldsher. The book, which portrays all the Beatles as zombies and Yoko Ono as an eighth level Ninja Lord, will be published here in the United States in June 2010.

Sounds pretty cool to me!

What has been your favorite literary fad in the past? What would you like to see in the future? Leave a comment below with your thoughts.

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