Interview with the Vampire
Interview with the Vampire is a film based on the novel by Anne Rice. The plot of the film is focused on a journalist interviewing Brad Pitt's character, Louis de Pointe du Lac. Louis is a vampire and he talks about how he never wanted to be a vampire and how he struggled with not wanting anything to do with the role of the "typical" vampire. He did not want to drain the blood out of women and children and he most certainly did not want to turn anyone. Instead, he chose to follow the path of drinking the blood of animals to survive.
The setting of this movie takes place in 1791 and shows how a vampire drinks the blood of a young, attractive woman. During that time period, a woman's innocence and virginity were cherished and sacred. The mark that a vampire leaves on the neck allows everyone in society to see that that person is no longer pure. A vampire represented a woman's fear of no longer being wanted or significant in society. In the movies, when a woman is bitten and has the mark on her neck, she no longer gets called upon by men and gets looked down upon. If a woman during that time period was known to be "impure", the chances of her finding a husband would greatly diminish.
In vampire shows now such as True Blood or Vampire Diaries, being bitten by a vampire is no longer discouraged or seen as frightening by everyone. Being bitten is seen as the ultimate romantic experience and many people seek out the vampire for that pleasure. A vampire is a sexy man or woman seeking love or play interests. Not everyone in the show supports the vampires, but the vampires symbolize more of the "bad ass" boyfriend or girlfriend. Even though the vampire always alluded to sexual encounters, it was never portrayed as upfront as it is now. The people who pursue the vampires in these shows are seen as the risk takers and represent society's fear of breaking from the norm and out of the cookie cutter expectation for how people should act. Thinking about the change in the presence of sexuality and the symbolism of the vampire, I'm curious to see how the vampire will be portrayed in novels and media in the future.
Although Anne Rice's novels take place in the 1700s, the books actually come out in the late eighties and nineties. If you want to look at context, you have to look at what was happening during this time, not necessarily when the novel is set. How are Rice's vampires different from more modern versions? How did the vampires change, and what does that change represent if we are talking about cultural anxieties?
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