Source notes i am legend 2007 is based on the groundbreaking 1954 scifi novel by richard matheson. I am certainly honoured and delighted that you have chosen i am legend as the vampire novel of the century, which is a rather dubious but interesting distinction, said the author. The story stops annoyingly suddenly, as if the rest of it has been missed off. The streets are overgrown with weeds, cars are abandoned, the infrastructure is beginning to collapse. He checks the planks and boards that hes hammered in front of all the windows, and. Of particular salience in i am legend are the motifs of being isolated, sexually frustrated, and preyed upon. I am number four is a science fiction novel written by pittacus lore. However, it is also a playful take on an old archetype, the vampire the reader is even treated to nevilles reading and putdown of bram stoker. I am legend author richard matheson was himself a real.
What was once the western united states is now home to the republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Speculative fiction, dystopia, young adult publisher. He is trying to keep a link with his old way of life by watching the tv, but we can see. The vampires are the legends in the beginning and robert is the legend by the end of the book. Day many years in the future, america is divided into two countries. No where on the cover does it say its a short story collection, but it is indeed a collection. So i just finished i am legend by richard matheson. Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in new york city struggles valiantly to find a cure in this postapocalyptic action thriller. Learn am legend book with free interactive flashcards.
We depend on other people not just for re production and survival, but for psychological and emotional growth. I am legend read online free from your pc or mobile. Find summaries for every chapter, including a i am legend chapter summary chart to help you understand the book. The alternate ending to i am legend where they respect him and growl at him in an acknowledging way is odd and feels out of place. Author richard mathesons 1954 horror and science fiction novel, i am legend. I picked it up mostly because i read about the alternate ending of the will smith movie, which some criticized for not following the spirit of the book. I am legend isnt particularly long either, hardly even novel length. I am legend is a novel by richard matheson in which robert neville struggles to survive as the sole remaining human in a world overrun by vampires robert neville is the only. Every aspect of nevilles existence is suffused with dangereven something as banal as driving a. The rest of the book is a collection of short horror stories and not very good ones either. I though the book was effectively i am legend and other short stories by richard matheeson.
The rest of the book is short horror stories, and none of those are very good. I am legend is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by american writer richard matheson that was influential in the modern development of zombie and vampire literature and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of i am legend by richard matheson. The novel version of i am legend is better then the motion picture because the information slowly leaks out about nevilles past, present, and specifics about the vampires. This study guide consists of approximately 45 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of i am legend. Spielbergs first movie, duel 1971, was written by richard matheson, the author of i am legend. I am legend is the product of an anxious artistic mind working in an anxious cultural climate. We see manhattan three years after a deadly virus has killed every healthy human on the island, except one. Now for a topic thats neither divisive nor prone to eliciting irrational anger and awkward discomfort. The story takes place in paradise, ohio, a small town with a population less then 1,000. The novel was a success and was adapted into the films the last man on earth 1964, the omega man 1971, and i am legend 2007.
I still remember the exact moment i started and finished this book nearly 10 years ago. Near fine in an excellent dust jacket that shows only light wear. I think its just a collection of short stories with the headliner being the most famous. As i am legend begins, in january, 1976, earth has been ravaged, first by nuclear war, then by a mysterious plague that transforms its victims into vampires. Day, a renegade from the streets, and june, an elite student at drake university and the republics shining prodigy. Choose from 500 different sets of am legend book flashcards on quizlet. This is technically a collection of short stories, but i am legend is the centerpiece, masterpiece, main event, etc. In this novel, the protagonist, robert neville, is seemingly the only survivor of a plague that has converted the. The i am legend community note includes chapter by chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. January, 1976 i am legend opens with robert neville inspecting his house on a.
But when he becomes alone, his behavior totally change. I am legend influenced the zombie genre and is widely considered to be the first modern vampire novel. Its a respectful doctor, married and has a little girl. I did like i am legend, and was left wishing it had been longer. Born into an elite family in one of the republics wealthiest districts, fifteenyearold june is a prodigy being groomed for success in the republics highest military circles. I am legend is named vampire novel of the century books. In the beginning, hes watching his family from afar they think hes dead and he sees that his. September 25, 2019 wishing the legendary will smith a happy birthday.
The first says, man, its just a badass vampire book. Lu has said that she was inspired by the movie les miserables and sought to recreate the conflict between valjean. Air cannons and hydraulic rigs were used to make nevilles house shake during the explosions. Dr neville speaks with his dog, and even with models. Robert neville will smith is a scientist who was unable to stop the spread of the terrible virus that was incurable and manmade in this post. Due to this, the new colony of infected sent ruth to investigate neville and possibly convert him. Legend is told from the perspective of two leading characters. I am legend is very short, not novel length, only 159 pages long, out of the 312 pages in the book. Background plot summary my background relates to i am legend mostly because the main character of the book is always figure out find a cure for vampirelike creatures parading around his house every night by looking through science books telling about bacteria and dna which is.
First, its implied that insects have mutated, perhaps in response to radiation from. I am meant to be writing a blog about how i am legend, by the late, immensely great, richard matheson, is the king of vampire novels. First hardcover edition of the authors third novel, preceded by the paperback original. The front and back covers of this book are misleading i am legend is only 159 pages of this 312 page book. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in i am legend, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Legend is a 2011 dystopian young adult novel written by american author marie lu. Thus, the novel concludes with nevilles final thoughts before his execution in the colonys prison. However, she realizes that he must be executed for the betterment of her people. Robert neville is a scientist who is unable to stop the spread of the horrifying virus that is fatal, incurable, and manmade.
In the end, he confirms that he is the last man of his race, and at his death, he will be a legend, as vampires are now. I am legend remains a classic and essential piece of modern literature for a reason, and it is nothing short of a masterpiece. On a morning in january 1976, a man named robert neville walks around his house, carefully checking to see if its wellfortified. Later adapted to film as the last man on earth in 1964, as the omega man in 1971, and as i am legend in 2007. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The opening scenes of i am legend have special effects so good that they just about compensate for some later special effects that are dicey. I am legend npr coverage of i am legend by richard matheson. Born into an elite family in one of the republics wealthiest. I was sitting shotgun while my father drove us home from a vacation in michigan. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. When we meet him, hes on the wrong bus for an event that hes speaking at, and ends up being hours late.
Though he has lost his fear of the vampires, these are afraid of him and want him dead. I am legend truly is a great story, deserving of all the accolades and an inspired source of all the horror genre influence over the past 60 years, including stephen king. Blending aspects of horror within a science fiction setting, the book is based in the relative future of 1976 but apart from. The passage marks the only time in the book when the characters discuss the potential sources of the vampire plague. Day is a criminal on the run for stealing from the republic and making the government look foolish. There are two camps when it comes to discussing the issue of race in mathesons book.
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