Blood Fractions: The Octoroon and Other Fantasies

In the eyes of the Victorians, the octoroon – a person with one-eighth black blood – was a focus of anxiety about detecting the taint of ‘bad’ blood. In the 20th century, the Nazis sought to protect ‘pure’ German blood from becoming tainted by the blood of Jews.

Professor Roger Luckhurst, Birkbeck, University of London, explores literary and cultural representations of mixed blood.

Roger Luckhurst is Professor of Modern and Contemporary Literature at Birkbeck, University of London. He is a recognized expert on nineteenth century literature, pseudo-scientific thought, the Gothic and science fiction; and contributes to arts programmes on BBC Radio Three and Four.