From the vampires of the first 20th century fiction in "I am Legend" to the vampires of Joss Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", there is something for everyone to sink their teeth into. ;-) (Pun totally and completely intended!)
I ask myself the question again, Why? What exactly is the deal? I mean, have any of you been in a bookstore lately? You pass the young adult section, and there is absolutely no end to the amount of vampire fiction out there! I mean, yeah, vampires have been around the block many a time, but right now it looks like they figured they like this block and decided to have a huge block party to last. . .well. . .for eternity. ;-)
I have read, and watched about vampires since I was very young. Amongst the films and television, I believe that "The Lost Boys" and the first three seasons of "Buffy" are quite good. I have never particularly cared for the "Bram Stoker's Dracula" and prefer the Frank Langella version, even though it is not as close to the book. *You know, sometimes, it is not about whether an adaption is closer to the book or not. It is sometimes more to do with capturing the essence, or energy or whatever that intangible thing is that makes the book so darn good!*
What is it about vampires, and about a 15th century Romanian warlord that the world finds so terribly fascinating? I asked my dad this question once. I have always been fascinated by vampires, murder mysteries, and serial killers. I asked him if there was something wrong with me. He said, "No, you just have a deeply rooted sense of right and wrong." Whew! I thought I might have to go all Norman Bates on people! Just kidding! I accepted his explanation, and know it to be the truth. I long very much for justice, in a world, that seems to be in great need of it. But still, I can't help but find myself riveted by the power of the undead....nosferatu....strigoi.
As for the book world, well, I have found in my experience that there are three types of vampire fiction: 1.) The sex overload kind. They are all about the sexual aspect of the vampire. I like to dub these the "trashy" vampire novels. Usually you can spot them either from the cover or within the first few pages.
2.) The boring kind. Yes, I have discovered vampire novels that just do not hold my interest. This all about me here. I mean I can't really get into "Dead until Dark" the first Charlane Harris novel ("True Blood" for those of you HBO watchers, which I have as yet not seen either).
3.) The third type is what I like to call "classy" vampire novels. Instead of going all out with sex and gore, they maintain integrity, mystery and a good plot. These books capture the imagination of the public at large. The most recent example is that of the Twilight Saga. Some of you, whom I would NEVER peg as vampire novel readers have read these books and reported that you greatly enjoyed them. It does not surprise me as I am currently re-reading the series for the second time in just over a year.
But my all time favoite is "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova. I was looking through some reviews for "The Historian" and other novels about Vlad Tepes, when I came across this review from The Washingtonpost.com. This is copyrighted, so let it be known that these are NOT my original thoughts. Though I wish they were!
"Most of history's worst nightmares result from an unthinking obedience to authority, high-minded zealotry seductively overriding our mere humanity. After all, the horror we feel for vampires is different from that provoked by, say, ghosts, werewolves or Frankenstein's misunderstood monster. These we simply find frightening and perhaps life-threatening. But our fear of Dracula lies in the fear of losing ourselves, of relinquishing our very identities as human beings. In the vampire's embrace, we discard our most cherished values and submerge our will to obey his (or her) commands, no matter how transgressive. What's truly disturbing about the thrice-bitten is not that they become blood-sucking fiends but that they take so completely to the lifestyle. In exchange for our bodies and souls, Dracula grants us our darkest, most repressed wishes.
"As Kostova writes, 'It is a fact that we historians are interested in what is partly a reflection of ourselves, perhaps a part of ourselves we would rather not examine except through the medium of scholarship; it is also true that as we steep ourselves in our interests, they become more and more a part of us.' The original Vlad Tepes, we are reminded, revered books and scholarship, and it proves no accident that the key figures of this novel are all historians, nor that love -- between man and wife, parent and child, student and teacher -- is the one force than can sometimes overcome the dark lord's obscene allure."
I think that really sums up the fascination we have with vampires, certainly it sums up mine, in a way I have never been able to express.
The above quote is one I actually discovered several years ago. I have read "The Historian" three times (once on CD) and it really is a great novel. It is very long, and you really have to be willing to commit to it, but I am telling you, it is the kind of vampire novel that is so subtle, that the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, and you get halfway through and think, Wow so much has happend, and look! There is still so much more to go! What I really like about this novel is that it's characters travel throughout eastern europe looking for the final resting place of Vlad Tepes who, being and Orthodox Romanian Prince, was supposed to be buried on an island in a monastery church, so much of the research of the characters is done in old Orthodox churches and monasteries.
Re-reading the above quote though I find it fascinating that Stephanie Meyer's first novel for adults is "The Host". That she chose for her subject matter the fight against "losing ourselves, of relinquishing our very identities as human beings". I recently began to read "The Host" and it is very good so far, very interesting.
You know, I had no idea what the Twilight books were really about. I had had so many bad experiences with the "trashy" vampire novels that I totally passed these by, knowing they were vampire novels. For some reason however, during the week before "Breaking Dawn" was due to be released I suddenly, and for no particular reason bought the first two books, read them in less than a week and LOVED them! I guess I love the romance in that both of these characters don't see themselves as they truly are, but only when reflected in each other. And Edward is so wonderfully old-fashioned! *WARNING SPOILER* They actually end the movie "New Moon" with his proposal to Bella, saying that if she wants him to change her, she will have to marry him first. I never understood what Bella's problem was with this? She wants to be with him for all eternity, but she doesn't want to marry him first?! I just don't get it. But I still love her. And the way Stephanie handles the physical side of their relationship is so well done. Obviously there is chemistry there, but even when the time comes, she handles it with immense care and privacy. I know, that I really appreciate that.
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