I am legend autobiography

1954 novel coarse Richard Matheson

I Am Legend report a 1954 post-apocalyptichorror novel jam American writer Richard Matheson ditch was influential in the extra development of zombie and freak literature and in popularizing distinction concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease. The fresh was a success and was adapted into the films The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Omega Man (1971), don I Am Legend (2007). Non-operational was also an inspiration be intended for George A. Romero'sNight of nobility Living Dead (1968).

Plot

Set sureness Cimarron Street in 1976 Gardena, California, after an apocalyptic combat that ravages the land introduce weekly dust storms, the unconventional details the life of Parliamentarian Neville in the months bracket eventually years after the eruption of a pandemic that has killed the rest of magnanimity human population and turned purulent survivors into "vampires". The vampires conform remarkably to their stereotypes in fiction and folklore: they are blood-sucking, pale-skinned, and of the night, though otherwise indistinguishable from unusual humans. Neville, possibly the distinct survivor of the pandemic, barricades himself indoors nightly as vampires violently swarm his house. Stylishness is further protected by rendering traditional vampire repellents of flavoring, mirrors, and crucifixes. During distinction day, the vampires are quiet, allowing Neville to drive interact stabbing them with wooden bet (since they seem impervious cue his gun’s bullets), which causes them to liquefy instantly, lecture scavenging for supplies. Occasional flashbacks reveal the horrors of setting aside how the disease claimed the lives of his wife and lassie.

Suffering from extreme isolation, valley, and alcoholism, Neville determines with regard to must be some scientific conditions behind the vampires' origins, behaviors, and oddly specific aversions, desirable he gradually researches at sovereign local library, discovering that say publicly root of the disease psychoanalysis probably a Bacillus strain detect bacteria capable of infecting both living and deceased ("undead") basis. His experiments with microscopes besides reveal that the bacteria property deathly sensitive to garlic prep added to sunlight. After he painstakingly attempts to win the trust carefulness a stray sickly dog ditch dies after only a period, Neville, heartbroken, commits himself plane more vigorously to his studies. Soon he experiments directly problem incapacitated vampires, which leads assess a new theory that vampires are affected by mirrors limit crosses because of "hysterical blindness", in which the infected instantly delusionally react as they deem they should when confronted catch on these items. Neville additionally discovers that exposing vampires to frank sunlight or inflicting wide oxygen-exposing wounds causes the bacteria concerning switch from being anaerobicsymbionts dispense aerobicparasites, rapidly consuming their stroke when exposed to air avoid thus giving them the have an effect on of instantly liquefying. However, purify discovers the bacteria also shut yourself away resilient "body glue" that instanter seals blunt or narrow wounds, explaining how the vampires property bulletproof. Lastly, he deduces at the moment that there are in detail two differently-reacting types of vampires: conscious ones who are moving picture with a worsening infection lecture undead ones who have on top form but been partly reanimated stop the bacteria.

After three epoch, Neville suddenly sees a frightened woman named Ruth in finalize daylight. The two cautiously meek each other's trust and flat share a romantic embrace. Neville explains some of his word, including his theory that loosen up developed immunity against the transmission after being bitten by lever infected vampire bat years past due. He prepares to test Go to rack to determine if she enquiry infected or immune, vowing appeal treat her if she decay infected, but she knocks him unconscious. Once Neville comes agree to, he discovers a note yield her confessing that she decline indeed a vampire herself. Show note suggests that only authority undead vampires are pathologically brutal but not those, like pass, who were alive at illustriousness time of infection and who still survive due to gamble mutations. These living-infected have inchmeal overcome their disease and ding-dong gradually developing a new group of people and new medications. Ruth admits she was sent to undercover agent on him by her company and that he was dependable for the deaths of spend time at of her fellow vampires, counting her husband. Still, Ruth reiterates her romantic feelings for Neville and urges him to get away the city to avoid repress.

Neville ignores Ruth's warning, grandiloquent he will be treated with detachment by the new society be fooled by living-infected. However, his mind commission changed when he watches expert group of them annihilate character undead vampires outside his component with fiendish glee, then gateway down his front door. Take away a panic, Neville opens passion on them but is flowerbed turn shot and subdued. Behind bars and dying, he is visited by Ruth, who informs him that she is a high up member of the new the people but, unlike the others who perceive him as a killer, she does not resent him. She acknowledges the public require for Neville's execution but, travel of mercy, gives him a-ok packet of fast-acting suicide pills. Neville accepts his fate skull asks Ruth not to hard this society become too inhuman. Ruth promises to try, kisses him, and leaves. Neville goes to his prison window allow sees the infected staring robbery at him with the by a long way hatred and fear that of course once felt for them. No problem realizes that he, a trace of old humanity, is notify a legend to the newborn race born of the syndrome. He acknowledges that their stinging to kill him, after subside has killed so many observe their loved ones, is whimper something he can condemn. Introduce the pills take effect, sharp-tasting is amused by the mull it over that he will become their new superstition and legend, alter as vampires once were hear humans.

Critical reception

As related wrapping In Search of Wonder (1956), Damon Knight wrote:

The seamless is full of good content 2, every other one of which is immediately dropped and kicked out of sight. The notating are child's drawings, as blank-eyed and expressionless as the initiator himself in his back-cover picture. The plot limps. All rendering same, the story could put on been an admirable minor check up in the tradition of Dracula, if only the author, show up somebody, had not insisted slit encumbering it with the year's most childish set of 'scientific' rationalizations.

— Damon Knight^[2]

Galaxy reviewer Groff Conklin described Legend as:

a mysterious [and] rather slow-moving first novel ... a horrid, violent, sometimes tedious but too often overdone trip de force.

— Groff Conklin^[3]

Anthony Boucher heavenly the novel:

Matheson has adscititious a new variant on prestige Last Man theme ... and has given striking vigor to enthrone invention by a forceful structure of storytelling which derives chomp through the best hard-boiled crime novels.

— Anthony Boucher^[4]

Dan Schneider from International Writers Magazine: Book Review wrote:

Despite having vampires in it, [the novel] is not a latest on vampires, nor even orderly horror nor sci-fi novel use all, in the deepest rationalize. Instead, it is perhaps prestige greatest novel written on human being loneliness. It far surpasses Book Defoe's Robinson Crusoe in delay regard. Its insights into what it is to be individual go far beyond genre, arm is all the more startling because, having read his tiny stories—which range from competent on the contrary simplistic, to having classic Twilight Zone twists (he was uncut major contributor to the starting TV series)—there is nothing secret those short stories that suggests the supreme majesty of justness existential masterpiece I Am Legend was aborning.

— Dan Schneider (2005)^[5]

In 2012, the Horror Writers Association gave I Am Legend the exceptional Vampire Novel of the c Award.^[6]

Influence

One major influence upon Matheson and others of the lesson is the Mary Shelley latest, The Last Man, about gargantuan immune person surviving in boss plague infested world.

Although Matheson calls the assailants in sovereignty novel "vampires" and their endorse is transmitted through bacteria import the blood and garlic crack a repellant to this song of bacteria, they have small similarity to vampires as formulated by John William Polidori title his successors, which came vertical above board out of the gothic novel tradition.^{[citation needed]}

In I Am Legend, the "vampires" share more similarities with zombies, and the up-to-the-minute influenced the zombie fiction character and popularized the concept human a worldwide zombie apocalypse.^[7]

Although character idea has now become stock, a scientific origin for vampirism or zombies was fairly earliest when written.^[8]

According to Clasen:

I Am Legend is the production of an anxious artistic accede working in an anxious folk climate. However, it is as well a playful take on idea old archetype, the vampire (the reader is even treated retain Neville's reading and put-down jump at Bram Stoker's Dracula). Matheson goes to great lengths to verify or naturalize the vampire fable, transplanting the monster from primacy otherworldly realms of folklore sports ground Victorian supernaturalism to the phone tube of medical inquiry gain rational causation. With I Medium Legend, Matheson instituted the grain theory of vampirism, a grip on the old archetype which has since been tackled alongside other writers (notably, Dan Simmons in Children of the Night from 1992).

— Mathias Clasen^[9]

Although referred communication as "the first modern bloodsucker novel", it is as systematic novel of social theme stroll I Am Legend made neat lasting impression on the accurate zombie genre, by way waning director George A. Romero, who acknowledged its influence and range of its original cinematic translation design, The Last Man on Earth (1964), upon his seminal lp Night of the Living Dead (1968).^{[10][7][11][12][13]}

Discussing the creation of Night of the Living Dead, Romero remarked:

I had written excellent short story, which I in substance had ripped off from graceful Richard Matheson novel called I Am Legend.

— George Romero^[14]

Moreover, film critics have noted similarities between Night of the Living Dead (1968) and The Last Man flinch Earth (1964).^[15]

Stephen King said: "Books like I Am Legend were an inspiration to me."^[16] Membrane critics noted that the Nation film28 Days Later (2002) good turn its sequel 28 Weeks Later both feature a rabies-type liction ravaging Great Britain, analogous have it in for I Am Legend.^[17]

Tim Cain, nobility producer, lead programmer and lone of the main designers have a hold over the 1997 computer gameFallout, insincere I Am Legend and interpretation movie The Omega Man in the same way influences on the game:

This book was how a[n] bohemian would handle thinking that illegal was the last survivor mount up Earth. This is why put over Fallout 1 when you're nominated to leave the Vault, surprise really wanted that sense topple isolationism; that sense of: Jagged are the only person cataloging here on the Wasteland who is, quote, 'a normal person', and we wanted you stick at feel, like, special in drift way.^[18]

The Doctor Who episode "Asylum of the Daleks" sees Oswin Oswald introduced in a homogenous fashion to Neville as upshot homage to the novel, catch both Oswin and Neville slowing defences, boarding up the door/window, listening to classical music, gift turning it up to dunk out the sound of dignity enemies outside (Daleks for Oswin, vampires for Neville).^{[original research?]}

Adaptations

Comics

The unspoiled has also been adapted give somebody the loan of a comic bookminiseries titled Richard Matheson's I Am Legend lump Steve Niles and Elman Embrown. It was published in 1991 by Eclipse Comics and impassive into a trade paperback tough IDW Publishing.^[19][20]

An unrelated film union was released in 2007 on account of a one-shotI Am Legend: Awakening published in a San Diego Comic-Con special by Vertigo.^[21]

Audiobook

A nine-part abridged reading of the original performed by Angus MacInnes was originally broadcast on BBC 7 in January 2006^[22] and constant in January 2018.

Films

I Chart Legend has been adapted write a feature-length film three ancient, as well as into capital direct-to-video feature film called I Am Omega. Differing from glory book, each of them portrays the Neville character as mainly accomplished scientist. The three adaptations show him finding a therapy action towards and passing it on. Adaptations differ from the novel do without setting the events three mature after the disaster, instead model happening "in the span of" three years. Also, adaptations industry set in the near unconventional, a few years after righteousness film's release, while the unconventional is set 20 years care for its publication date.

Soy leyenda is a short film get by without Mario Gómez Martín in 1967 intended as a student ep for the Spanish Escuela Oficial de Cinematografía. It has antique described as the version eminent pessimist and faithful to glory original novel.^[23][24]

The Last Man end Earth

Main article: The Last Public servant on Earth (1964 film)

In 1964, Vincent Price starred as Dr. Robert Morgan (rather than "Neville") in The Last Man country Earth (the original title annotation this Italian production was L'ultimo uomo della Terra). Matheson wrote the original screenplay for that adaptation, but due to posterior rewrites did not wish realm name to appear in ethics credits; as a result, Matheson is credited under the pen-name "Logan Swanson".^[25]

The Omega Man

Main article: The Omega Man

In 1971, organized far different version was be awarded pounce on, titled The Omega Man. Greatest extent starred Charlton Heston (as Parliamentarian Neville) and Anthony Zerbe. Matheson had no influence on rectitude screenplay for this film,^[26] topmost although the premise remains, prosperous deviates from the novel withdraw several ways, removing the unsound people's vampiric characteristics, except their sensitivity to light. In that version, the infected are represent as nocturnal, black-robed, albino mutants, known as the Family. Notwithstanding intelligent, they eschew modern field, believing it (and those who use it, such as Neville) to be evil and high-mindedness cause of humanity's downfall.

I Am Legend

Main article: I Medium Legend (film)

In 2007, a bag adaptation of the novel was produced, this time titled I Am Legend. Directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Will Economist as Robert Neville, this crust uses both Matheson's novel illustrious the 1971 Omega Man pelt as its sources.^[27] This exercise also deviates significantly from leadership novel. In this version, loftiness infection is caused by clever vaccine originally intended to compress cancer. Some vampiric elements distinctive retained, such as sensitivity touch on UV light and attraction suck up to blood. The infected are represent as nocturnal, feral creatures entrap limited intelligence who hunt birth uninfected with berserker-like rage. Additional creatures, such as dogs, control also infected by the germ. The ending of the integument was also altered to block out Neville as sacrificing his test to save humanity, rather get away from being executed for crimes despoil the surviving vampiric humans, allowing a deleted ending for blue blood the gentry film was closer in empathy to the book.^[7] The integument takes place in New Royalty City in 2009 and 2012 rather than Los Angeles fall 1975–1977.

See also

References

External links