Students and professors share their thoughts about society’s obsession with the supernatural
By JENEVAH HARRISON — features@theaggie.org
The supernatural has long been a source of fascination, reflecting the fears, hopes and beliefs of societies throughout history. From medieval rituals to modern horror films, these stories evolve alongside humanity, offering glimpses into how people make sense of the unknown.
For UC Davis English Professor Tiffany Jo Werth, the connection between language, rituals and the supernatural is a window into the mindset of pre-modern societies. Werth referenced a text taught in her course, Literatures in English I: to 1700, titled “a little charm for when you get a side ache.”
“For me, this little charm illustrates how differently the premodern world understood the presence of the supernatural,” Werth said.
This specific poem contains a list of rituals that are meant to produce a healing remedy, which includes both physical actions, such as taking medicine and spiritual actions such as recitations and chants.
“They suggest that to be healed, going to the pharmacy for a prescription might not be enough,” Werth said. “The healing entailed was in some ways more holistic than our own as it included both a physical as well as spiritual component.”
Werth explores how these rituals offered reassurance in times of uncertainty. Whether seeking healing or protection, the supernatural was deeply entwined with everyday life, which Werth describes its representation in literature as “connecting words and physical properties.”
“They are, like prayers, a kind of insurance against uncertainty,” Werth said. “It also indicates the imbrication of the physical world with the supernatural — both beneficial and malicious.”
The “prayers” within the poem reflect a broader representation of early supernatural beliefs within this period, emerging primarily as tools to ward off what was deemed to be ‘evil,’ which Werth defines as any kind of supernatural figure.
Fast forward to the 17th and 18th centuries, and the supernatural took on new shapes in literature, with vampires emerging as enduring symbols of society’s anxieties. The gothic horror genre especially brought these creatures to life, embodying society’s fears of the unknown. One of the most well-known examples, Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” represents the fears and uncertainties of the late Victorian era.
“Stoker’s original treatment of the vampire myth, which predates his novel, expresses the racial and sexual hangups of the late Victorian period,” Davis English professor Jeffrey H. Solomon, who frequently examines how supernatural narratives reflect societal shifts, said.
Solomon reflected on how the novel’s themes of controlling women’s bodies and fears of race mixing mirror the anxieties of this era.
“We keep updating and changing to suit our evolving cultural needs,” Solomon said.
Over time, the vampire has transformed from a villain into a more complex figure.
“Looking at the genre with a more technical narrative perspective, we can see that the vampire has shifted from villain to hero (of sorts) in the post-WWII period, when there’s been a corresponding turn in our culture to gradually embrace outsiders and anti-heroes,” Solomon said.
The vampire, which Solomon describes as an “other” figure and a physical embodiment of the non-normative qualities of humanity, became a representation of a path toward societal change. As society has become more open to general diversity and the existence of suppressed identities, the vampire plot subsequently shifted into a more positive light.
The most recent adaptation of this phenomenon can be seen in F.W. Murnau’s 1922 and Robert Eggers’ 2024 film versions of “Nosferatu,” where the vampire is described as a true embodiment of evil.
“I’d argue that F.W. Murnau’s early film ‘Nosferatu’ is the closest in spirit to Stoker’s novel, where the vampire really is a horrible monster,” Solomon said.
Film viewers at Davis, including Violet Ichel, a second-year design major, felt like the vampire’s on-screen presence was uncomfortable.
“The vampire was terribly scary; however, at the same time, he was also alluring, almost in a sexual way,” Ichel said.
This ongoing reimagining and cultural relevance of the vampire myth highlights the enduring power of the supernatural as a narrative device — one that is consistently used in creative media including films, books and TV shows, as well as intellectual and cultural studies like Solomon described.
Through its many iterations, the supernatural, with vampires as an ever-popular example, remains a profound lens for exploring the ever-changing boundaries of cultural, moral and existential understanding.
Written by: Jenevah Harrison — features@theaggie.org
