Portrayal Of Vampires In Literature

Portrayal Of vampires In LiteratureHis face was a strong, a very strong, aquiline, with high bridge of the thin nose and peculiarly curve nostrils, with lofty domed forehead, and hair growing s raisetily round the temples precisely profusely elsewhere. The mouth, so far as I could cod it to a lower place the heavy moustache, was fixed and alternatively cruel-looking, with peculiarly sharp white teeth (Stoker, 1897). For m either centuries this oil, bloodcurdling im eon prevailed what is now kn let to us as the blood sucking lamia. This description of Dracula, as lucubrated by Bram Stoker in 1897, compargons nowhere near the handsome, romantic, and charming figure lamias agree become in mod day film and literature. Yet what is closelipped to interesting, in a rather peculiar vogue, is to see the irony of such a unconsidered creature becoming a prevalent reflection of modern last their unchanging, dead existence re limning the ever-changing situations of our conscious a nd unconscious fears. This essay impart seek to critic eachy analyse ii well known literary texts portraying lamias. Through the description of the vampires way, role, function and aspire and the several motifs and heathenish myths such portraits and images are drawn upon, this essay hopes to provide several reasons for the military personnel fascination of such creatures and further suggest vampires lay out several pagan flavours and actions implemented by human friendship.An obscure sort of figure and a managely representation of two erotic anxiety and corrupt desire, the literary vampire is adept of the most powerful archetypes bequeathed to us from the resourcefulness of the ordinal century (Gordon Hollinger, 1997). Yet, interestingly as judgment of convictions change it seems each age embraces the vampire it needs (Gordon Hollinger, 1997). Prior to the 1970s, the ideal vampire was a portrayal of Bram Stockers Dracula the captivating, cultured, yet malign E astern European Count. Since then, as a result of numerous novel publications, including Anne sieves Vampire Chronicles and Stephanie Meyers Twilight, the illustration of the vampire has changed, referable to the ongoing transformations in the broader cultural and political mise-en-scene (Gordon Hollinger, 1997). It is mainly through authorized motifs and cultural beliefs, both of the past and present, in which the figure of the vampire has transformed. As a prominent figure of time, vampires have represented metaphors for sexuality and power. As of late, while still powerful and appealing, vampires have become a symbolisation for lunacy, choice, societys attitudes towards illness, their definition of evil, and can similarly act as representations for individual fixation, reposition agency, self-control, sacrifice and trust.Anne sifts consultation with the Vampire (1976) and Stephenie Meyers Twilight (2008), are just two texts incorporating the fascination of the vampire . However, the texts present several differences each utilising contrasting ideas in the illustration, function, roles, and purpose of the vampire. Anne Rices Interview with the Vampire accounts the disembodied spirit story sentence of a 200-year-old vampire, Louis du Pointe du Pac. Turned into a vampire at the age of 25 by Lestat, Louis story gives audiences two representations of the vampire. Rice steers away from the old portrayal of the creature, captivating this through Louis and Claudia, while alike using Lestat as an illustration of the evil, crude, and self-centred vampire. Lestat and Louis are two diametrical vampires in their appearance, their function, their roles, and their purpose. Louis is the good vampire humane, genuine and honest. Depicted as beautiful, with abruptly white and smooth(Rice,1976) skin, his face a seemingly inanimate as a statue, except for two brilliant green eyes( Rice,1976), his hair black, the waves combed tail mop up over the tips of the e ars(Rice,1976), his shoulders broad(Rice,1976), his figure tall and slender (Rice,1976), his lips silken and delicately line like some(prenominal) persons lips, only deadly white(Rice,1976), Louis is the image of a unalike vampire from the one normally envisioned. Lestat, on the other hand is draw little in the novel. He is however the opposite to Louis. Illustrated in this declare as cosmos 6ft tall with curly blond hair and canescent eyes, a short and narrow nose and a mouth that is around large for his face(Rice, 1976)), Lestat is charming, attractive and charismatic, only if evil. Throughout the novel, Louis relives the moments of how he became indoctrinated, unwillingly, into the vampire way of life (Rice, 2010). He too describes his longing to non hurt solely rather to comfort Claudia, who is his only friend and his life. He somewhat becomes a father figure to her, taking it upon himself to care and love her with the last breaths of almsgiving he has inside (Rice, 2010). twain Louis and Claudia struggle to understand themselves, their purpose, their hatred of Lestat and both become desperate to specify somewhere they belong, to find others who understand (Rice, 2010). This is in contrast to Lestat who believes vampires are killers Predators. Whose all seeing eyes see a human life in its entirety, not with any mawkish lugubriousness but with a thrilling satisfaction in being the end of that life, in having a hand in the divine plan(Rice, 2010). He believes his life has no purpose, a least none that involves being honest and caring, but rather a killer and a monstrosity.Similarly, Twilight, a novel written by Stephenie Meyer, further illustrates the idea set by Anne Rice in her novel. When Bella Swan moves back to her childhood home in order to be with her father, she discovers some things that she never thought were possible. She meets the very mysterious Edward Cullen, who while supine and charming, has a certain past which he would ra ther persevere hidden. determine to find out his dark enigmatical, Bella upholds Edward and the two become close. What she does not present is that the closer she gets to him, the more she is putting herself and those around her at risk (Meyer, 2008). Although Edward warns her on several occasions that he is not the good guy he seems to be, soon Bella puts together the pieces and comes to the evident conclusion that is a vampire. Meyers vampires are in certain ways very different from Anne Rices image in Interview with the vampire. While chalky pale, palest of all the students(Meyer, 2008), with dark eyes(Meyer, 2008) yet all their features were straight, holy and angular(Meyer, 2008), their faces all similar, yet different devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful(Meyer, 2008), as Louis in Rices story, the Cullens are humanised with features most cannot resist. To add to the already humanistic vampire image, Meyer similarly gives her characters gifts above and beyond the norm (Mey er, 2008). In subtle ways these gifts represent their role and function, and as Edward explains their strongest human traits (Meyer, 2008). Each character brings their gift for good Edward with his faculty to read minds, Alice with her gift to see the future, Carlisle brings his compassion, Esme her ability to love, Emmett his strength, Rosalie her tenacity and Jasper his ability to control peoples feelings and emotions. As with the characteristics of the vampires, Meyer challenges the image of the old vampire by imagines of changing their purpose. ingredient of the story revolves around what is means to be a vampire. Constantly, Edward is reluctant to befriend Bella as he still believes deep down he is not superhero, but rather the bad guy. He struggles with his existence, describing himself as the worlds best predator, perilous (Meyer, 2008) and heretofore at one point he confesses to Bella of his struggle to keep himself from killing, to control his thirst for blood. He does still however feel, as any human, revealing to Bella numerous times he cannot live with himself if he killed her(Meyer, 2008), sound in a way confused and saddened at the prospect. It is authorized to also mention the Cullen philosophy. It is explained through Edwards father, Carlisle Cullen that their kind are not killers. Carlisle rebelled against being a vampire, he went to great lengths to destroy himself (Meyer, 2008), fighting hard to resist potable other peoples blood and looking for an alternative to being the vile monster he feared(Meyer, 2008), finding a way to exist without being evil (Meyer, 2008).Both Interview with the Vampire and Twilight, utilise several motifs, metaphors, and cultural beliefs to illustrate the existence, images, and purpose of vampires. The vampire can in several ways, provide a metaphor for sexuality and power, but can also represent alienation inflicted by society, societys attitude towards illness, its definition of good and evil and can even honour individual feelings of obsession, free agency and choice, self-control, sacrifice and creed.Present in both texts, however more profoundly in Anne Rices novel, the original representation of the vampiric metaphors, images and purpose related to sexuality and societys attitudes towards illness are explored. It is interesting to see the close similarities among the idea of wipeout from a vampires bite and the death by disease, associating to a vampires wasting, with paleness, with blood flow from the mouth, night restlessness and wear round burning and chills (Gordon Hollinger, 1997). Interview with the Vampire is of the two texts more inclined to present audiences with the vampire-as-a-disease metaphor, coincidently incorporating cultural events and beliefs present in America at the time. Rice utilises the metaphor to illustrated societys awareness of AIDS and homosexuality. This changing metaphor of sex and fury leads to the homoeroticism of Least and Louis (Grey,2003 ) relationship, encouraging mainstream audiences to accept this new way of society and accept homoerotic protagonists with fewer qualms that normally evincible (Grey,2003). It also uses sexuality to reinforce the image of the old vampires seduction, its ability to attract both men and women, and of the vampire taking the life of its victims. Twilight however, while describing Edward as attractive and mesmerising, it is substantial to note the metaphor of a vampire being a crude creature is not heavily present in this novel. Instead, Meyer uses the vampires as metaphors for benignity and sincerity, even in some respect using Edward as a figure of goodness and love. Their romance, cosmically disproportionate, is a parable or transparency of the inequalities and responsibilities of the divine-human synergy (Granger, 2009). Edwards love for Bella is forever unchanging and respectful, while Bellas love for him in commit is selfless and sacrificial. Written from a religious point of vie w, the choices which both Edward and Bella impinge on support the idea of free agency the power for humans to defecate their own decisions and at the same time be responsible for these choices. Both of them pay the consequences for their choices, whether good or bad.In earlier vampire literature, it is important to note vampires were considered related to the Devil. Very few people befriended such creatures, rather using certain symbols to eliminate them. As a result, the belief of faith and religion can be related to the figure of the vampire. The most commonalty for victory were few armed with crucifixes, wooden s shoot fors, holy water, garlic and once in a while fire and sunlight, good always prevailed (Gordon Hollinger, 1997). Before long anything capable to resist off the vampire, meant those against them possessed great faith. This implied that symbols of faith, when handled by those of less-than-perfect or non-existent faith, might upgrade ineffective. (Gordon Holling er, 1997) As in the 1960s and 70s, culture took on a unconsecrated view of the world, victims died because of their lack of faith. But as society quickly confronted its outrage of faith, vampires lost their ability of their magical arsenal (Gordon Hollinger, 1997). Little is seen of a vampires ability to transform into bats and wolves, to crawl on surfaces and disappear in a puff of smoke. And as Louis explains in Rices novel, no such myths exist any longer. The more contemporary vampire exhibits little of the metaphysical, magical, anti-Christian act, but rather his/her own acts are expressions of individual personality and peg down (Gordon Hollinger, 1997). This decrease in revolve around on the vampires metaphysical and religious status supports a loss in the past folkloric characteristics of the vampire. The change from the metaphoric Anti-Christ to secular sinner, from magical to mundane permeates the appearance of and indeed, permits the existence of good as well as bad (Gordon Hollinger, 1997) vampires. And as Edward states in Twilight just because weve been dealt a certain hand it doesnt mean we cant choose to rise above- to conquer the boundaries of destiny that none of us wanted. To try to retain whatever essential humanity we can. (Meyer, 2008)Many reason the contemporary vampire story often represents the very intriguing condition of what we now known as postmodernistism, this idea of good and evil. And what better practice than the most of import motif present in Anne Rices novel. Lestat represents the vampire of the postmodern era he dismisses any faith, except faith in himself. On the other hand, Louis is the vampire which struggles against becoming the postmodern, evil creature, taking his loss of faith as an illustration for his loss of humanity. The book also portrays Louis as being aware of the question of good and evil, of struggling to accept Lestats philosophy and belief. Claudia also finds herself in a situation where she is ca ught between two different examples of what a vampire could be and as a result becomes determined to find out the origin of her existence. Good and evil also appears a central theme within Twilight. Meyer uses the Cullens as the good vampires, who harm no one, and jam and Victoria as the bloodsuckers and murderers. On a more personal level, Edward battles between good (his human desire to not harm) and evil (the fact that he is a vampire) suggesting an example of a conscious and human thought process. Thus, it is not what you are born as or what you are made to be that defines your existence, but rather what choices you make based on your own ideas and identity.The vampire today has transformed from an figure of super evil to being only if an alien other, no longer embodying metaphysical evil, no longer a damned soul (Gordon Hollinger, 1997), but rather an metaphor for our awareness of multiculturalism besides ethnic, a victim of heredity (Zanger, 1997 in GH). Both Interview wit h the Vampire and Twilight depict vampires as outsiders. In Twilight Bella describes her feelings towards this alienation, feeling lenience towards the Cullens, pity because, as beautiful as they were, they were outsiders, clearly not genuine (Meyer, 2008). The idea of being alone is also evident in Edwards distance from his family and his school friends. While his brothers and sisters have moved on and formed close relationships, he remained alone. Incidentally, vampires are forced to live away from society in order to keep their existence a secret. Interview with the Vampire also suggests Louis and Lestat are not accepted within society, constantly being illustrated as outcasts, needing acceptance from society but it seeming as if this acceptance can only be found in another of his kind. This theme speaks to approximately every individual, as almost everyone has felt alone or alienate at some point in their lives and illustrates societys attitudes towards certain groups of pe ople. break, self-control and obsession are several other themes which vampires represent in both texts. Sacrifice is a dominant theme throughout Twilight. While Bella sacrifices everything to be with Edward, it is Edward who makes a decision to be with Bella, to trust her and her intention of keeping his secret. He sacrifices his secret to be with Bella, and while he may be at a loss, his sacrifice can be seen as acceptable when it may be a free choice to gain something greater. Again, the same takes place in Interview with the Vampire, when Louis makes a decision to leave Lestat and sacrifice his life to take care of Claudia and to find more of his existence. Self-control is equally evident in both of the texts. Self-control is very important in Twilight, as it is virtually linked to free agency. In order to have free-agency, the Cullens must have self-control, and as a result self-control is in this case a way of overcoming their instinct and a way to create ones wanted life and principles. Vampires in both of the texts are not saints, but just like real people they have flaws. And just like real people, they are under the driving force of obsession. Bellas love for Edward, Louis cling to humanity and Lestats belief to kill goes beyond reason, beyond practically. In a way all of these attributes apply to society today, from the ways we make choices, to the sacrifices we make for those we love and our obsessions with love, humanity, and death.The literary vampire has entertained and captured audiences for many years, changing but never whole disappearing. For it is evident every ages does seem to embrace the vampire is needs (Gordon Hollinger, 1997), control us along our paths of socialisation, separations and individualisation. Whether the fears are personal, societal, internal, or external, the vampiric metaphor transforms as time passes. The themes of sexual desire, disease, political and social indifference, religion, alienation, good versus evil, an d many more represent the vampire figure. All of the themes discussed mirror our current views of boundaries between individuals and society, between one group and the rest. How intriguing it is to see that such social anxieties and personal beliefs are represented through such a creature, one that breaks boundaries between life and death, good and evil, love and fear. And how interesting it is, that the vampire lives on in this modern society of constant conflict, between what is real and what is not, between what is private and what is public, in such a way as helping to dissolve the numerous conflicts and the fixed boundaries by means of representation and example. Vampires encourage creative thought and emotional stability, they act as beings we would all rather be, even examples of how we should be. Providing us with a desire to be good rather than evil, vampires have captured the imagination of the twenty-first century. Like flowers perfuming our dreams and beliefs, vampire wi ll continue to capture us with anticipation and dread for years to come.