For the extended creative final project, I am planning on writing a Fan Fiction piece based on the novel Interview With The Vampire. This work will take place after Louis' tale. However, this particular work will also treat the original novel as a solitary work and not part of the Vampire Chronicles, as we did in class. I have been toying with the idea of placing the Vampires in a place more familiar to me- Milwaukee. I was thinking of combining the atmosphere of the Theatre des Vampires with a little more New Age tone- possibly placing the vampires in a venue such as The Rave/ Eagles Club. As for the characters, I am still trying to figure out exactly who I should cast in this work. Obviously there will be new characters, but I am not entirely sure which I should pull from the novel, or where I should leave off from the original text to begin this work. Should I begin just after Louis destroys the Theatre des Vampires or after he has left Daniel? Obviously there are still quite a few details to work out, but so far I think I am off to a good start- any advice would be greatly appreciated!
I was considering bringing the focus on Armand- though ignoring his history from the other novels which we have not read in class. Perhaps Armand would find his way to a new venue and begin another little coven. Though primarily the work of fan fiction would not revolve entirely on his relationship with the new vampires. He wold most likely have a narrative much like Louis- though perhaps with less of a morose tone. This work would, naturally, take the tone that Armand seems to exhibit most. He seems to have a deep understanding for all things and he possesses a certain charismatic approach to everything- perhaps I will explore this as well.
I was also thinking of using Daniel as the main character. He provides a new spin on the original text... He is from the modern age- or post modern, depending on who you are talking with. He is also young and obviously less experienced than the vampires from the novel. By using Daniel as the basis for the narrative I can also add a very unique style to the piece as he hasn't exactly made his opinions and thoughts known yet. Also, it gives me an opportunity to branch away entirely from the original characters. As of yet we know virtually nothing about Daniel, his family, his friends, his life experience and relationships. He is as close to a blank slate as one can get in this kind of situation. Also, because of his modern experience Daniel would provide and interesting twist as he would be seeing the modern elements of life in a new light. Not only does this have the potential to be both entertaining and fun, but it may also allow the reader- obviously born in the late 1900's- something a little easier to relate to.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Louis's skewed view on Lestat
Throughout the novel Louis whines and complains about his creator, Lestat. Louis doesn't understand the journey the Lestat has taken.
Louis ignorance causes a rift between the two vampires. Lestat becomes angry with Louis and Claudia after they attempt to kill him- I would be angry too!
Later in the Vampire Chronicles, when Lestat gets to narrate his tales, we learn that for hundreds of years, he has struggled with the same issues that Louis has.
Lestat was never given a choice, as Louis had. Lestat's mortality was taken from him by a rougue vampire, only to be abandoned. He was forced into solitude. Conversly, Lestat provided constant companionship for Louis. Lestat tried to please Louis and formed a little family.
In the later books, Lestat also tells of his moral dilemas. Over the centuries, Lestat wanders the Earth in search of one of the oldest vampires- Marius. Lestat wanted answers to his numerous questions about life and death and whether vampires have souls or whether they are inherently evil, and of course, the age old question- must they only live on the blood of humans? After many, many years of following little clues and false leads, Lestat gives up on his quest for Marius and sinks deep into the Earth. He doesn't eat, he tries not to think. He just lies in the ground.
Louis is always so hard on Lestat because he doesn't understand all of the things that Lestat had to endure over the years. He seems to believe that Lestat doesn't understand the weight and heaviness of loss. After Louis wife died, he acted as though his whole world had ended. And in a way it had, he left behind the life he had before with her.
Likewise, Lestat had to leave his mother, whom he loved dearly, and his best friend Niki. Leaving Niki was one fo the hardest things Lestat ever had to do. Together they had escaped their oppressive fathers. But after he became a vampire, Lestat had to leave behind his dear Niki because he knew he wouldn't understand and he couldn't handle the change.
Personally, I believe that there is a great parallel between the lives of Louis and Lestat. And I also find that Louis is the intolerant and ignorant one in this situation. He never took the time to try and fully understand where Lestat is coming from and why he does what he does.
They are two importals locked in a time that is not their own, searching, yearning for the answers to life and death. Forver....
They find beauty everywhere. They search for love through all eternity.... Forever may not be long enough
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7bCWoF89ZA
Louis ignorance causes a rift between the two vampires. Lestat becomes angry with Louis and Claudia after they attempt to kill him- I would be angry too!
Later in the Vampire Chronicles, when Lestat gets to narrate his tales, we learn that for hundreds of years, he has struggled with the same issues that Louis has.
Lestat was never given a choice, as Louis had. Lestat's mortality was taken from him by a rougue vampire, only to be abandoned. He was forced into solitude. Conversly, Lestat provided constant companionship for Louis. Lestat tried to please Louis and formed a little family.
In the later books, Lestat also tells of his moral dilemas. Over the centuries, Lestat wanders the Earth in search of one of the oldest vampires- Marius. Lestat wanted answers to his numerous questions about life and death and whether vampires have souls or whether they are inherently evil, and of course, the age old question- must they only live on the blood of humans? After many, many years of following little clues and false leads, Lestat gives up on his quest for Marius and sinks deep into the Earth. He doesn't eat, he tries not to think. He just lies in the ground.
Louis is always so hard on Lestat because he doesn't understand all of the things that Lestat had to endure over the years. He seems to believe that Lestat doesn't understand the weight and heaviness of loss. After Louis wife died, he acted as though his whole world had ended. And in a way it had, he left behind the life he had before with her.
Likewise, Lestat had to leave his mother, whom he loved dearly, and his best friend Niki. Leaving Niki was one fo the hardest things Lestat ever had to do. Together they had escaped their oppressive fathers. But after he became a vampire, Lestat had to leave behind his dear Niki because he knew he wouldn't understand and he couldn't handle the change.
Personally, I believe that there is a great parallel between the lives of Louis and Lestat. And I also find that Louis is the intolerant and ignorant one in this situation. He never took the time to try and fully understand where Lestat is coming from and why he does what he does.
They are two importals locked in a time that is not their own, searching, yearning for the answers to life and death. Forver....
They find beauty everywhere. They search for love through all eternity.... Forever may not be long enough
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7bCWoF89ZA
Monday, October 26, 2009
Response to Sam Janssen's "Women in Dracula"
So I read what Sam Janssen had to say about the women in the novel Dracula, and I can't help but feel that there is a slightly deeper underlying concept. In my opinion, and I may be completely wrong about all of this, but, I find that the vampires in the novel express only they're true and primal yearnings. The way I see it, Dracula is not just preying upon defenseless and beautiful women, but he is searching for someone he would be able to enjoy for the rest of his existence. Yes, Lucy is beautiful and fun. Who wouldn't want to have an eternity of beauty and pleasure? Sam also mentioned that "the women vampires are shown preying only on children...Maybe vampires can only feed on people weaker than them."
Again, I would have to say that this further displays how the vampires are acting off of they're primal instincts. It is completely natural for a women to desire children- I mean we spend most of our lives planning for kids. As narcissistic as it sounds, the vast majority of the world can't wait for that little carbon copy of themselves.
I guess in a way, I see the vampirism as a drug or alcohol. It seems to release inhibitions, but at a cost. As a vampire you have this "power" this "ultimate control." And yet, there are limitations that make normal life impossible. You can't go out into the light, you feed on the life-blood of others, you can't create life.
In this clip (please ignore all the other irrelevant stuff) there is a scene where the Brides of Dracula, from the movie Van Helsing, are shown teaching their "children" or spawn how to feed- a truly motherly act. I just kind of thought it was an interesting concept.
Again, I would have to say that this further displays how the vampires are acting off of they're primal instincts. It is completely natural for a women to desire children- I mean we spend most of our lives planning for kids. As narcissistic as it sounds, the vast majority of the world can't wait for that little carbon copy of themselves.
I guess in a way, I see the vampirism as a drug or alcohol. It seems to release inhibitions, but at a cost. As a vampire you have this "power" this "ultimate control." And yet, there are limitations that make normal life impossible. You can't go out into the light, you feed on the life-blood of others, you can't create life.
In this clip (please ignore all the other irrelevant stuff) there is a scene where the Brides of Dracula, from the movie Van Helsing, are shown teaching their "children" or spawn how to feed- a truly motherly act. I just kind of thought it was an interesting concept.
Monday, October 19, 2009
WUTHERING HEIGHTS By Kate Bush
Out on the wiley, windy moors
We'd roll and fall in green
You had a temper, like my jealousy
Too hot, too greedy
How could you leave me?
When I needed to possess you?
I hated you, I loved you too
Bad dreams in the night
They told me I was going to lose the fight
Leave behind my wuthering, wuthering
Wuthering Heights
(Chorus) Heathcliff, its me, Cathy come home
I'm so cold, let me in-a-your window
Oh it gets dark, it gets lonely
On the other side from you
I pine alot, I find the lot
Falls through without you
I'm coming back love, cruel Heathcliff
My one dream, my only master
Too long I roam in the night
I'm coming back to his side to put it right
I'm coming home to wuthering, wuthering,
Wuthering Heights
(Chorus)
Oh let me have it, let me grab your soul away
Oh let me have it, let me grab your soul away
You know it's me, Cathy
(Chorus)
The other day I was browsing youtube.come and I came across this song.... Yes She has a very irritating voice- but I was more concerned with the lyrics. I find it interesting in this song that Kate begins by saying that Cathy needed to "possess" Heathcliff, and then towards the end, refers to him as Cathy's "only master." I believe is only helps confirm Catherine's statement "he’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same."
It is true passion that causes Catherine to say these things. In my opinion, Catherine and Heathcliff crave total unity. The seperation kills them.
While Catherine's heart is in the right place, Heathcliff cannot seem to fathom why she does certain things, like marry Edgar. She saw a way to free the man she loved, and all he saw was his Catherine in the arms of another man. So he deliberately tries to hurt Catherine. He persues Isabella in an attempt to get back at Catherine for marrying Edgar. He is angry and she is jealous.
In all honesty, I find Heathcliff to be the true protagonist of this novel. Were it not for his stubborn attributes and brutal cruelty, then I believe he and Catherine might have truly been happy together. But his unforgiving nature and spiteful ways cause nothing but grief for the love struck duo till the bitter end.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
The Appearance of Frankenstein
Webster's dictionary defines a monster as "any grotesque imaginary creature," "a very wicked person," or "a huge animal or thing." This seems to be a pretty broad definition... Is that to say that because something is big or ugly it must be a monster? Well society seems to think so.
Societies' views on the monster's appearance play a very crucial role in the novel, "Frankenstein." Because of the monster's less than pretty outward appearance, the public refuses to accept the creation.
He is different.... He is grotesque.... He is foreign....
As humans, we tend to fear the unknown. We like to be in control. Its almost comical: one little wrench in the gears and an entire community can fall apart. When Victor introduces the monster, chaos erupts.
While reading this novel, the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" comes to mind. Just because something is terrible to look at doesn't mean it isn't good. There are a great many things in this world that may not be so pleasant or fun, but that does not mean that it is evil either.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Lewis, and Freud: A Response to "Madwoman In the Attic" #4
In the beginning of the novel, The Monk, the author, Matthew Lewis, gives a few character and scene descriptions that can be directly related to Freud and his theories on class and female representation.
Let me bring the focus to the opening scene with Antonia and Leonella. Antonia is completely covered from head to toe. "The voice came from a female, the delicacy and elegance of whose figure inspired the youths with the most lively curiosity to view the face to which it belonged. This satisfaction was denied them. Her features were hidden by a thick veil; but struggling through the crowd had deranged it sufficiently to discover a neck for symmetry and beauty might have vied with the Medicean Venus. It was of the most dazzling whitness, and received additional charms from being shadded by the tresses of her long fair hair, which descended in ringlets to her waist. Her figure was rather below than above the middle size: it was light and airy as that of an Hamadryan. Her bosom was carefully veiled. Her dress was white; it was fastened by a blue sash, and just permitted to peep out from under it a little foot of the most delicate proportions. A chaplet of large grains hung upon her arm and her face was covered with a veil of thick black gauze." (13)
From the description, one might decide that Antonia is weak. Beautiful but fragile. Her features are masked which gives off, in a sense, that she is sheltered, or cloistered. Freud had often spoke about the role of the female in society. That is not to say he has contrived a set of social standards for society, but has observed some behaviours that seem to fit together to help form a stereotype for men and women. "Freud claims that the roles male and female play in society are determined by their sexual development. Men and women reach their full psychological characters as a result of the various stages of their natural sexual development. The particular psychology that individuals develop as a result of their natural sexual evolution forces them to assume certain roles, duties and responsibilities along gender lines." (http://www.maricarmenmartinez.com/Freud.html) One might suggest then that due to Antonia's lack of sexual prowess, she radiates innocence, and her wardrobe helps support this. She is covered in white, a color that may inspire thoughts of innocence and purity.
Also, the slight hints at her femininity, such as her neck and foot, might be indicative of her progress in her natural sexual developement. This may seem like a stretch, but imagine this youthful girl, around the age of 15. She appears the embodiment of chastity until she hears the monk speak. She is suddenly overcome with emotion: "Antonia's eyes followed him with anxiety. As the door closed after him, it seemed to her that she had lost some one essential to her happiness. A tear stole in silence down her cheek." (21) Here she is overwrought with distress because there is a possibility that she may never again hear the monk speak. Antonia feels so strongly about him, and yet she has never even met him. These appear to be new feelings for her, or at least new advances in her behavior.
What do you think...?
Let me bring the focus to the opening scene with Antonia and Leonella. Antonia is completely covered from head to toe. "The voice came from a female, the delicacy and elegance of whose figure inspired the youths with the most lively curiosity to view the face to which it belonged. This satisfaction was denied them. Her features were hidden by a thick veil; but struggling through the crowd had deranged it sufficiently to discover a neck for symmetry and beauty might have vied with the Medicean Venus. It was of the most dazzling whitness, and received additional charms from being shadded by the tresses of her long fair hair, which descended in ringlets to her waist. Her figure was rather below than above the middle size: it was light and airy as that of an Hamadryan. Her bosom was carefully veiled. Her dress was white; it was fastened by a blue sash, and just permitted to peep out from under it a little foot of the most delicate proportions. A chaplet of large grains hung upon her arm and her face was covered with a veil of thick black gauze." (13)
From the description, one might decide that Antonia is weak. Beautiful but fragile. Her features are masked which gives off, in a sense, that she is sheltered, or cloistered. Freud had often spoke about the role of the female in society. That is not to say he has contrived a set of social standards for society, but has observed some behaviours that seem to fit together to help form a stereotype for men and women. "Freud claims that the roles male and female play in society are determined by their sexual development. Men and women reach their full psychological characters as a result of the various stages of their natural sexual development. The particular psychology that individuals develop as a result of their natural sexual evolution forces them to assume certain roles, duties and responsibilities along gender lines." (http://www.maricarmenmartinez.com/Freud.html) One might suggest then that due to Antonia's lack of sexual prowess, she radiates innocence, and her wardrobe helps support this. She is covered in white, a color that may inspire thoughts of innocence and purity.
Also, the slight hints at her femininity, such as her neck and foot, might be indicative of her progress in her natural sexual developement. This may seem like a stretch, but imagine this youthful girl, around the age of 15. She appears the embodiment of chastity until she hears the monk speak. She is suddenly overcome with emotion: "Antonia's eyes followed him with anxiety. As the door closed after him, it seemed to her that she had lost some one essential to her happiness. A tear stole in silence down her cheek." (21) Here she is overwrought with distress because there is a possibility that she may never again hear the monk speak. Antonia feels so strongly about him, and yet she has never even met him. These appear to be new feelings for her, or at least new advances in her behavior.
What do you think...?
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