Vampires, Interview with a Vampire, Anne Rice.

I’m not entirely sure where to start with this one. Vampires. An interesting subject that has lasted centuries, from folklore to literature. The vampire was part of horror and now has become more than just a scare. Interview with a Vampire is partly to thank for this burst in the new vampire. Anne Rice set the stage for what vampires are supposed to be. They were sexy, intelligent, rich, moody, and the biggest kicker, human. Rice gave vampires humanity. Something not really seen or popularized up to that point. That is what I love most about Interview with a Vampire is that you get to understand the monster. Now after reading Frankenstein I can see where Rice got the idea of a monster with humanity. So let’s discuss Lestat and Frankenstein’s monster.

Now Lestat plays and interesting role, he his Louis enticer, he wants Louis to never leave him and discard his humanity. But Lestat does still have his humanity he doesn’t want to be alone he wants a companion, he still has the need to experience love. Now Frankenstein’s monster is no different, he leads Frankenstein horrible paths and hates humanity. But the monster cannot stand being alone and also has a need for companionship. In this Rice took from Frankenstein and applied it to the vampire, so that as readers we feel conflicted about the characters. As we should, because they still have their humanity. At times I got annoyed with Louis cause he couldn’t really stand up for himself, he was so dependent on someone being the stronger one. But Lestat was annoying at times for his control over everything; he couldn’t simply love something just to love. But that’s due to his past. And that’s what’s interesting about these vampires, their pasts really do affect them, they shape their character. They aren’t just a rich dude who somehow became a vampire. They were human once, and how they decided their past to shape them is what made them interesting immortals.  That’s what Rice brought to the table, not just sensuality, but a story driven by what ties us to humanity.