Interview with a Vampire

So everything I know about a vampire can be summed up in How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster, in the chapter “Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires.” Which is a very interesting book showing different ways to view things and in context of the time, what things could mean, and made me realize everything in a book has meaning and purpose. So what I learned is that every vampire is old, seductive, and dangerous a vampire usually feeds on innocent virgins making them the typical bad guy, but in Interview With the Vampire, the vampire, Louis, is forced to be a vampire and attempts to refrain from feeding on humans, while Lestat feeds on the what he was and wants to be out of spite and malice.

It's pretty much about a vampire recounting his looong life to a scared shitless boy. Of course he's scared shitless because he's in the same room as a monster that could kill him in less than a second. Which is another thing that is so attractive about vampires is that they hold all this god-like power and are able to restrain and control it quite well. You could die at any moment in their presence, because techniclly any human is potential food, it's up to their benevolence whether you live or die. They are the opposite of god, but just as powerful and in a physical form from our perspective.

Vampires also have this other worldliness. Like they know more than the average human. They have already experienced something that no human has ever experienced, which is death. They hold a sort of mystery that we can never comprehend, death has intrigued us ever since we have been conscious of it. It is the eternal mystery of what happens after and during death that intrigues us so very much. The vampires have already experienced this, and are freed by it allowing them to do whatever they want, allowing them to be fully self aware. They also exist in their physical state that they died in. Which can be a bad thing especially if a vampire is stuck in physical state that hinders their mental ability to develop, such as in Claudia's case.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Zombies have recently caught the attention of the public. Maybe it's the overwhelming dread and fear that zombies provoke with their appearance, or that they are in large masses that overwhelm the only humans left, or that there's nothing wrong with shooting a zombie. And now through some of these reasons publishing companies use zombies to bring back literature's classics to rake in some extra money.

I find it hilarious that this serious book was injected with something the modern day world is obsessed about. I did not enjoy the book, but I wanted to read it to see if it stayed consistent. But whenever the zombies were mentioned it seemed so awkward, like the author was just putting a bunch of neat sounding fighting words into a paragraph with zombies or “unmentionables” mentioned. Which was probably the case, the objective being to entice readers who like their share of violence.

However zombies (or nazis) are a way to allow murder to be acceptable in novels, games, movies, and other media. It is most of the time simple to kill a zombie, just a shot to the head would do it. On top of that their movements are slowed and jerky, so one zombie by itself would be easier to kill than a regular human being. Elizabeth was always plowing through those zombies taking hoards of zombies out with super amazingly “special” moves and kicks. Killing one zombie by itself never seems to be enough. What is repeated and focused on is the violent act, the splatter of the blood and details of the gore emphasis this violence. It seems people are not fascinated with the killing of zombies, but the violence required to destroy them all.

On the other hand the zombies emphasize Elizabeth's struggle with the world and her fight to be independent. Throughout the novel she holds up her pride in being able to take care of herself, and her father seems to value this as well. While society looks down at her and nitpicks how “unlady-like” she is. In the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Elizabeth's struggles are reflected in her social and zombie ass kicking life.

Frankenstein

I had so much trouble reading this book, I could not stand Dr. Frankensteins' whining and inability to cope with his life and own up to his mistakes. There was nothing wrong with his life, his family was loving, there appeared to be no financial issues. Even though he decided to shun the world and on occasion his loved ones, they stuck with him throughout it all, well until he somehow caused them to die anyway. So since he can't handle social interaction and for close to no reason at all other than to create life he creates a monster, and then runs away from it realizing it-- too late-- that he can't handle it. So he lets it roam free with no guidance, like throwing a new born out on the streets, except that newborn could probably pummel anyone in his way, so it's more like throwing out a walking mindless weapon. Alright, I stopped reading when he decided to go and escape from his problems AGAIN into the mountains with a mule Chapter 10. I thought at first, oh he's going there to look for the monster, no he's just wallowing in his grief. I assume the monster finds him when he's in the mountains. I think I read in sparknotes that the monster talks to him eloquently, yes they used eloquently, so apparently the monster can speak well and has learned some things, but apparently not enough because he asks for another creature to suffer with him. Great, that will make everything better, ask the man who can't handle his own life, fucks it up by creating a monster, so to make it better he should make another monster to cancel it out. Two negatives make a positive right?

So I wrote this before class and decided to stop myself from posting for awhile. I was looking through Frankenstein again, and I had more of an appreciation for it after class. How Marry Shelly writes about feminine things from a twisted man's perspective. Possibly creating a new perspective for her situation at the time. Exploring all the areas of obtained dangerous knowledge, abortion, and monstrosity. I still hate Dr. Frankenstein but I appreciate the book so much more.