Prompt:
The contemporary vampire tale has become a means of exploring a relationship with a complex and contradictory character, revitalizing the plot of forbidden love. In your reading for the week what pairs of ideas or representations does the author place in opposition to one another?
Response:
Note: Having already been more than passably familiar with both of this week's reading suggestions, Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire and the first couple of Vampire Academy Books, I chose a different vampire themed novel from the provided "Buffy's Book Club" list. The book I read was Sunshine by Robin McKinley. As a preteen, my mom and I where huge fans of her book Blue Sword and after I found out that the book's female protagonist not only shared my family nickname but also spelt it correctly. (Rae NOT Ray) it seemed like such serendipity that I decided I must immediately read this book for our vampire literature week.
In my opinion Robin McKinley's world building in her book Sunshine, while at times a little scattered, does take a unique approach to vampirism. (or about as unique as you can get with centuries old mythos that has been reworked thousands of times) McKinley creates a new vampire fusion that pays homage to the classic blood thirsty monster while at the same time touching upon the more modern concept of an empathetic vampire who's existence blurs the lines between human and monster. The "good vampire" in this case is a centuries old vampire named Constantine and, as par for the course in modern vampire fiction, Con is "not like other vampires." He mentions on several occasions that he is trying to be more considerate of humanity than his nemesis Bo but, interestingly enough, it is not quite clear wether or not he actually stops killing humans all together or just doesn't torture them anymore. McKinley doesn't go full on vegetarian vampire here and her character Con retains enough "otherness" about him to constantly remind the reader that he is in fact a creature of the night and not just the mysterious bad boy who sits next to you in Bio.
In contrast to Anne Rice's sensual monsters, who are overcome by guilt and passion, McKinley's vampires seem entirely devoid of remorse, conflict, or even passion. They seem to experience emotions on an entirely removed and wholly different level. It's a little "vulcan-esque", though definitely not as endearing as our beloved Spock. Constantine lacks any inner turmoil over his vampire-ness and the morality of feeding upon humans when he himself used to be one and even though he hated the vampire who turned him that was more due to personality conflicts than any moral dilemma on his part. Even a whirlwind "forbidden love" between Rae and Con, though perfectly set up, ultimately never comes to fruition. In fact, Constantine is mainly described by Rae as alien, terrifying, and just downright ugly; not the start of a budding human/vampire romance despite the sexual magnetism.
As far as the rest of the mythology is concerned, Robin McKinley keeps it pretty classic. No sparkling just plain old torching in the sunlight, super strength, hypnotic eyes, and needing invitations to cross thresh holds. However, after toggling back and forth between classic and modern interpretations of vampires McKinley does in fact diverge from the commonly accepted lore to add a unique wrinkle to this vampire story. Her vampires themselves exist quite literally in a alternate physical reality, bending space and time to travel and living in pocket dimensions un reachable to humans. That part is pretty cool, and trippy. I'm still not quite sure how it works.
Monday, January 23, 2017
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Week 1: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and the Gothic genre
Prompt:
Discuss a specific example of the gothic as it appears in Frankenstein. Choose one example that is particularly prominent, exaggerated, or interesting in its "gothic-ness" and then describe it. What was the effect of this element of the reading?
Response:
Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein embodies many elements recognized today as part of the gothic horror genre, expertly combining them all into a single story that pioneered the genre. Shelley touched upon gothic tropes such as dreary locations in the mountains or on the water, sublime terrors revolving around death and the supernatural, suspense, and even elements of romance as witnessed by the monsters consuming passion for a female companion; but perhaps the most pervasive aspect of the literary work is the heightened state of emotions leading to sickness or even madness.
While The Monster of Victor Frankenstein's machinations, with his 7ft frame, inhuman strength, and watery eyes, certainly is something of nightmares, the main source of fear in the piece isn't the gruesome monster and his murderous acts themselves but rather the mental anguish and guilt these actions inflict upon Victor, his creature. At many points in the book Victor, as well as other characters, become so emotionally overwhelmed that they becomes physically ill. The suspense between the murders and the guilt afterwards create such mental anguish to be the true horror of the novel. This gothic theme is witnessed by The Monster's revenge, he makes it clear that his goal was not to kill Frankenstein but rather to enact his true revenge by slowly killing Frankenstein's most precious people until the man is reduced to such a "wretch" filled only with sorrow. In fact if the inciting reason for The Monster's revenge itself is examined it is the intense emotion of loneliness and alienation that drove him to the brink of madness and murder in the first place. In the end the death for Frankenstein and his monster was a kindness on both accounts so they would no longer be tormented by the true horrors of life.
Discuss a specific example of the gothic as it appears in Frankenstein. Choose one example that is particularly prominent, exaggerated, or interesting in its "gothic-ness" and then describe it. What was the effect of this element of the reading?
Response:
Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein embodies many elements recognized today as part of the gothic horror genre, expertly combining them all into a single story that pioneered the genre. Shelley touched upon gothic tropes such as dreary locations in the mountains or on the water, sublime terrors revolving around death and the supernatural, suspense, and even elements of romance as witnessed by the monsters consuming passion for a female companion; but perhaps the most pervasive aspect of the literary work is the heightened state of emotions leading to sickness or even madness.
While The Monster of Victor Frankenstein's machinations, with his 7ft frame, inhuman strength, and watery eyes, certainly is something of nightmares, the main source of fear in the piece isn't the gruesome monster and his murderous acts themselves but rather the mental anguish and guilt these actions inflict upon Victor, his creature. At many points in the book Victor, as well as other characters, become so emotionally overwhelmed that they becomes physically ill. The suspense between the murders and the guilt afterwards create such mental anguish to be the true horror of the novel. This gothic theme is witnessed by The Monster's revenge, he makes it clear that his goal was not to kill Frankenstein but rather to enact his true revenge by slowly killing Frankenstein's most precious people until the man is reduced to such a "wretch" filled only with sorrow. In fact if the inciting reason for The Monster's revenge itself is examined it is the intense emotion of loneliness and alienation that drove him to the brink of madness and murder in the first place. In the end the death for Frankenstein and his monster was a kindness on both accounts so they would no longer be tormented by the true horrors of life.
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