Plan for final project

My plan for the final project is to expand on my paper that looked at Interview With the Vampire from an economic standpoint. I think it would be interesting to consider how the characters would behave in the current economic climate (this may bring a bit too much "creativity" into an analysis piece but I'd like to try it). I would also like to bring in references from other vampire novels, such as Dracula and maybe some more modern ones, to further explore the effects of greed, selfishness, and consumerism throughout time. I am hoping that the ways in which the vampires live reflect the economic climate of the times in which they were written. I will also use information from an MSNBC program called American Greed to look at what drives people to wealth with no consideration for others.

If I am unable to make this work, I will probably use my idea of putting the Interview characters in modern times in a short story, kind of like a "where are they now" sort of thing. (I know, some of them died but this only works if I can use Lestat and Louis as they were towards the beginning of the book) I think I'm going to have Lestat somehow involved with investment banking and use my analogy of him being a ponzi scheme, and make it literal. I'm not sure how I would explain it but at some point in Lestat and Louis' lives it will become necessary that they have jobs and both of them will end up either as stock brokers or investment bankers. I may try to tie in the bailout and use the vampires to focus more on corporate greed than American greed as a whole. I think it would be interesting to see these characters in a Wall Street setting where "greed is good" and they would be praised for their complete lack of interest in other people's needs.

Interview

Interview With the Vampire is interesting because it continues the tradition of aristocratic vampires but shifts them to the United States. I think choosing the 18th century for the early stages of Louis' life as a vampire was a good choice because at that time, America (especially the south) still operated with a sense of regality. What has intrigued me the most so far in the novel, is the vampires interactions with the slaves. This section isn't particularly long but I felt it was important. I don't know if it is a commentary on slavery itself but I read it to mean that these plantation owners already buy and trade people like meat so the next logical step is to treat them like that and consume them. The book does a good job of contrasting the slaves with New Orleans' large free black population "those marvelous people of our mixed blood and that of the islands, who produced a magnificent and unique caste of craftsmen, artists, poets, and renowned feminine beauty," and I think it captures the true feel of the city at that time, in that it was perfectly acceptable to own slaves but then go out and enjoy the mixing of your own culture and the culture of those people who you own. I think this is an interesting statement about how absurd (and terrible) it is to own another human being. I also found it intriguing that Louis was led to his transformation by guilt. It's ironic that his search for death led him to immortality where he will live forever with the memory of his brother. I think that even though he initially blames himself for his brother's death, he does not truly want to join him in the after world yet. I think part of the reason he makes the change to vampire is because he likes that pain. It fades over time but something about that loss and guilt drives him subconsciously.

This post is related more to our discussion last class than to the second half of the novel but I think it is fitting. I was surfing the GQ website earlier today and I stumbled across an article that will be published in this month's issue. The article, entitled "There's a Sucker Born Every Minute," examines how vampires have worked their way into pop culture. The article raises a few points that I found quite interesting including one that says the allure of vampires is that they can be used as metaphors for absolutely every issue in society. These metaphors change depending on what country you're in but the versatility of the vampire is universal. The author says that in the U.S, the appeal of the vampire is that they represent a life of "wishful privilege" that doesn't seem to have been worked for but rather just attained; which is really how all of us would like to live. By living hundreds of years, these characters become worldly, sexy, smart, and rich, but they didn't have to do anything to get these things. This could be viewed as a metaphor for our current way of American life. Personal politics aside, our society has become lazy and the work ethic of past generations is just a memory; people expect luxury to just fall into their laps, and as vampires, that just might happen. I think that some of the appeal of Dracula comes from his inexplicable wealth as well. It is a complete mystery how this monstrous man attained his immense wealth and that's intriguing. The reader doesn't know what he had to do to get rich, and honestly, it seems like most people don't care; all that matters is that he's rich and we want to be too. This regality without work is what makes America's newest vampire sweethearts (the characters from the Meyer books) attractive as well. They live a luxurious life and bring a blue collar worker's daughter into it. America has always had a fascination with blue blood families, but now it's far more interesting if they also happen to be supernatural entities.

I think America's focus on age also has something to do with the popularity of vampires. Americans do everything to look younger and age slower so what's more alluring than someone who doesn't age? By being young forever, vampires can live however they want and improve themselves over time. One of the best lines in the article says "maybe it takes a couple centuries' practice for an American to learn to be suave," and I think that sums up why these creatures are so popular, if we could live forever, we'd all be perfect.