I Am Legend
Richard Matheson · 1954 · Novel
It redefined the vampire mythos as a plague and introduced the concept of the 'last man' becoming a monster from the perspective of the new dominant species.
What it is
The last human survivor battles a world overrun by vampiric creatures, eventually realizing he is the monster from their perspective. It redefined the vampire mythos as a disease and explored existential isolation.
Craft in this work
↑Inherited from(3)
Matheson's novel explicitly plays with and redefines the 'last man' trope, making Shelley's influence undeniable in its premise of a sole survivor in a plague-altered world.
Matheson's redefinition of humanity through a radical biological transformation (vampirism as disease) can be seen as an evolution of Wells's exploration of altering life forms and blurring species boundaries, focusing on the societal and existential consequences of such a shift.
Strong influence on the theme of the last human survivor facing extreme isolation and existential dread in a world devoid of others.