Drawing the line: zombies and citizens in Heinrich von Kleist’s ‘The Earthquake in Chile’

Neville’s behavioural note draws a line between humans and non-humans, between members and non-members of the community of the ‘human race’. Since social de-evolution now appears complete, and typical human behaviour is now entirely absent, the humans infected by the fatal measles virus may no longer be judged human. Based on this judgement, Neville hunts down the Darkseekers, in order to use them as test animals in his basement laboratory, before killing them with impunity.