Recently, a lot has been written about the resurgence of the vampire in American literature, as well as, it’s place in pop-culture, as a whole. And, now, with yesterday’s release of “Twilight - Breaking Dawn“, the 1st part of two movies, that put an end to the “Twilight” series of books by Stephanie Meyer, the common question seems to be, “What makes some vampires better than others?”
A “hot-button” issue to be sure, if one believes the various social-networking sites that debate the qualities of a good vampire over a mediocre one on a daily basis.
Beginning with Bram’s Stoker’s, “Dracula”, the archetype of vampires was born. Dark, mysterious, and brooding, one couldn’t help but be drawn to the sexual tension he, consciously or unconsciously, exuded. Despite the clear life and death ramifications of interacting with this creature, men seemed to be as intrigued by him, as women were entranced.
But beyond his personal charm, perhaps the attraction was less about the individual and more about the gift he could bestow that no other creature, other than a deity, could grant a human being; the gift of an immortal life.
This gift was never given more credence and importance, than when author, Anne Rice, first gave us her take of vampires, in the classic, “Interview with the Vampire”.
Rich in detail and written from the vampire’s perspective, the novel gave life to the undead. Her characters, despite their own beliefs, had souls that cried in pain for the death of their mortal lives and the death that they were forced to dole out in order to keep going.
With each and every character she created and each and every story told, Mrs. Rice was able to establish a new breed of vampire; the vampire who lived next door, went to restaurants, traveled the world and debated the true meaning of evil. Confused, afraid, in love, alone, with dreams and wishes that, might come true or might not, one thing remained, they were still monsters and beware to those who forgot it.
And, despite the lack of, what most would call, “normal sex”, there was something innately sexual about all her vampire characters. The very act of drinking blood, as described by Mrs. Rice, is one of the most blatant sex acts ever put on paper and, certainly, paved the way for the more overtly sexual vampires, yet to come.
In the past 10 years, thanks to people like Bram Stoker and Anne Rice, pop-culture was flooded with other undead characters, who more closely resembled ourselves than the vamps of old.
Starting with “Buffy, The Vampire-Slayer” and her attraction to the hunky vampire, Angel, as written by Joss Whedon, television viewers were introduced to young, cool characters who could have been themselves in high school, only we didn’t have super-powers or need to drink blood. Buffy’s vampires looked like us, talked like us and, believe it or not, even had cliques separating the cool vampires from the geeky ones. We routed for Buffy and Angel to make it, but even in that teenage universe, once the human and vampire, consummated their love for one another, everything went to hell.
After which, came HBO’s take on all things supernatural, in their series, written by Charlaine Harris, “True Blood”. Now, not only were our vampires out in the open, but they wanted human rights (like everyone else) and held positions of power in the government. Talk about coming out of the closet, these characters had no inhibitions, whatsoever. On any given show, one could tune in and witness human/vampire sex, human/werewolf sex, vampire/werewolf sex … and the list goes on and on.
But, as each vampire character became more and more emboldened, a sense of mystery , and maybe a little romance, was lost. If you think about it, if the monsters become human, than what’s the big deal?
And, finally, we were given “Twilight”, every teenage girl and frustrated young Mother’s answer to the most passionate, though unrequited, vampire/human love affair ever written. For as far as we had come in undead romance, there was something puritanical and sexist about Bella having to wait for Edward to consummate their love affair on their wedding night, only to be left bruised, battered and pregnant, the next morning.
And, with that, we have crossed the final line and ultimate taboo in vampire lore. The abomination of creating a child vampire.
Despite the ridiculous argument concerning a dead creature having the ability to create a life (ridiculous, yes, but definitely up to the author to defend) the fact that something dead can grant life and not more death, goes against the basic principles of being a vampire. In essence, this modern vampire is just some guy with a rare blood disease, who needs animal transfusions and a virtuous wife to live a full and satisfying life.
But, perhaps it’s just a generational thing. I grew up with Anne Rice and her vampire novels. I like my vampires creepy, never knowing, if I’m in danger by just granting an interview. I also enjoy the idea that most of them miss their human lives and, despite the fact that we may covet their immortality, they covet my mortality, even more.
So I guess my answer to “What makes some vampires better than others”?, is the fact that they’re vampires, not humans, nothing more, nothing less and God help anyone who tells them any different or sparkles in their eyes.
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Coming up, my review of Gregory Maguire’s “Out of Oz”, as well as, a review of “The Legends of Hip-Hop” by Justin Bua, followed by an interview with the artist and author. Than, an interview with Frank Cascio, Michael Jackson’s best friend and author of “My Friend Michael”.
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See ya next time!
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