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. How is the dystopian universe created in i am legend. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on richard mathesons i am legend. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis.
Legend, a postapocalyptic science fictionhorror novel, published in. Lu has said that she was inspired by the movie les miserables and sought to recreate the conflict between valjean and javert in a teenage version. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The novel was a success and was adapted into the films the last man on earth 1964, the omega man 1971, and i am. Oct 30, 2007 i am legend is very short, not novel length, only 159 pages long, out of the 312 pages in the book.
A concise biography of richard matheson plus historical and literary context for i am legend. I am legend author richard matheson was himself a real legend. I am legend study guide from litcharts the creators of. 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. Due to this, the new colony of infected sent ruth to investigate neville and possibly convert him. Robert neville is an average, casually but not completely racist white american. The movie took all the intelligence out and just made it about the action. This quote is a metaphor and robert in this quote is saying he is a legend but doesnt want people to think of him as a legend. It was influential in the development of the zombievampire genre and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease.
I am legend is a novel by richard matheson in which robert neville struggles to survive as the sole remaining human in a world. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of i am legend by richard matheson. Plot summary for i am legend 2007, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. I though the book was effectively i am legend and other short stories by richard matheeson. Author richard mathesons 1954 horror and science fiction novel, i am legend. He mentioned that he buried his wife because she died of the disease, but she came back.
However, she realizes that he must be executed for the betterment of her people. 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. I am legend read online free from your pc or mobile. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in i am legend, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Dive into your memory and remember details about legendary book that created a powerful genre, the zombie genre. The i am legend novel community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. 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.
I am legend is a post apocalyptic vision by richard matheson, created in 1954 it tells the story of robert neville, the last surviving human in the world, surrounded by bloodthirsty vampires both living and undead. Richard matheson 192620 was the new york times bestselling author of i am legend, hell house, somewhere in time, the incredible shrinking man, now you see it, and what dreams may come, among others. But npr movie critic bob mondello says that the film. September 25, 2019 wishing the legendary will smith a happy birthday. Sparknotes are the most helpful study guides around to literature, math, science, and more. Day, a renegade from the streets, and june, an elite student at drake university and the republics shining prodigy. But after finding my old copy on the shelf downstairs, ive. I am legend is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by american writer richard matheson. Understand more than 700 works of literature, including to kill a mockingbird, the catcher in the rye, 1984, and lord of the flies at. Dec 10, 2007 i just finished reading i am legend by richard matheson and i was left with a few questions. 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 study guide from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Stokers 1897 gothic horror novel tells the story of the evil count dracula, a vampire who sucks the blood of his victims. 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. Insofar as i am legend is a window into his psyche, he was afraid of nuclear war, of predation, of being all alone in a dangerous world. Lu was an art director for a video game company before turning to writing, and her attention to crisp, futuristic settings and cold military villains hearkens back to video game imagery. Day is a criminal on the run for stealing from the republic and making the government look foolish. I am legend is named vampire novel of the century horror. Richard mathesons horror novel i am legend, penned in 1954, is largely considered a pioneer novel for gothic literature in america. The story stops annoyingly suddenly, as if the rest of it has been missed off. While the first fear is a highly contextdependent one, the second two generalize across cultures and times.
Jun 25, 20 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. We see manhattan three years after a deadly virus has killed every healthy human on the island, except one. Dorothea schuller something black and of the night. The opening scene is particularly relevant in the way it creates the dystopian feeling of the movie. I am legend is a million seller club 18 korean edition and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Though he has lost his fear of the vampires, these are afraid of him and want him dead. Apr 03, 2012 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. I think its just a collection of short stories with the headliner being the most famous. Learn am legend book with free interactive flashcards. 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. The city turned to a jungle, showing a chaotic vision of the future.
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. Legend, a post apocalyptic science ctionhorror novel, published in. The opposite is true, actually, because i am legend is mathesons condemnation of a white power structure that facilitated racial subjugation in america in the first place. Something with no framework or credulity, something that had been consigned, fact and figure, to the pages of imaginative literature i am legend, p. Richard mathesons 1954 i am legend is a milestone in. Dec, 2007 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. After the announcement of a good new, we discover new york in a total mess. January, 1976 i am legend opens with robert neville inspecting his house on a cloudy day. Legend is a 2011 dystopian young adult novel written by american author marie lu. The i am legend novel community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and. Choose from 500 different sets of am legend book flashcards on quizlet.
Dec 14, 2007 i am legend a oneman american metaphor on the surface, the scifi blockbuster is about will smith battling an army of lightphobic zombies. It is the first book in the legend series followed by prodigy, champion and rebel. Legend is told from the perspective of two leading characters. Need help with chapter 1 in richard mathesons i am legend. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Its influence over major writers of today and continued recognition proves that it deserves to be credited by scholars, as well as included in modern anthologies of american literature. Robert neville appears to be the sole survivor of a pandemic that has killed most of the human population and. The entire basis of this movie is centered around the completely dehumanized state the humans are left in. The streets are overgrown with weeds, cars are abandoned, the infrastructure is beginning to collapse.
Thus, the novel concludes with nevilles final thoughts before his execution in the colonys prison. I am legend isnt particularly long either, hardly even novel length. Since there are no sparknotes for it and wikipedia did jack, id like to know the following. On a morning in january 1976, a man named robert neville walks around his house, carefully checking to see if its wellfortified. The i am legend community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. 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. Dystopian film i am legend by daniel thomedos santos on prezi. I am legend is brilliant commentary and society and human relationships and, really, the very definition of humanity. Marie lus legend is the first in a trilogy of dystopian young adult fiction, and boy does it set the reader up for a thrill ride.
Robert neville is a scientist who is unable to stop the spread of the horrifying virus that is fatal, incurable, and manmade. He wants people to think of him as a man who does what he has to do to survive and that is why the quote is so significant to the theme. In the beginning, hes watching his family from afar they think hes dead and he sees that his. The book mentioned two different types of vampires. All questions are about the book, i am legend, so assume in the book, i am legend. Immediately download the i am legend summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching i am legend. Theres lessons to be learned about mob behavior and respect for minorities. I am legend is very short, not novel length, only 159 pages long, out of the 312 pages in the book. Richard mathesons i am legend 1954, about a lone survivor in a post apocalyptic world. The rest of the book is a collection of short horror stories and not very good ones either. So i just finished i am legend by richard matheson. He was named a grand master of horror by the world horror convention, and received the bram stoker award for lifetime achievement.