Vampire Lit as a Challenge to Cultural Assumptions

[labingi]

I like vampire lit for much the same reason I like science fiction: both change the premises of our life experience and, thus, challenge our usual cultural and psychological assumptions. Vampire lit, in particular, lends itself to upending commonplaces about gender and family structure. It's often been noted that vampire reproduction is

Comments

[goodbyemyfancy]

As a Canadian, I've always loved Cdn vamp literature, such as Nancy Baker or Tanya Huff, simply because I take pleasure in seeing the narrative being set in Canadian locations like Toronto and Vancouver. Still the same literary elements (and in Tanya HUff Blood Ties, Henry is bi), and with very positive female portrayals.

Really enjoyed this entry :)

When Twilight first came out, I did enjoy the first film only because it shows a very different narrative framing of teens and did not use typical teen stereotyping. But otherwise total hetero-normative, gender enforcement roles.

[labingi]

Ah, so I suspect you like Forever Knight (which I almost wrote about here)?

I'd be curious to hear more about what you mean by a non-stereotypical framing of teens in Twilight.

[goodbyemyfancy]

Oh yes on the Forever Knight

[labingi]

Interesting commentary on Twlight. I think my complete failure to see it as transgressive in this way comes out of lifetime of avoidance of the type of stereotypical teen media you describe. The only dramas I've watched that substantially about teens are Buffy, which is obviously transgressive in the same way, and in very distant memory, the original Degrassi (Junior) High, which, if memory serves, was sort of a mix of teens in trouble and teeens managing more "real" complex lives. I don't think I've ever read books aimed principally at teens if I could help it. I mean, I read The Catcher in the Rye...

I should see Being Human; it sounds interesting. I watched a couple of episodes of Ultraviolet not long ago and found it a bit boring, I think because it was more from the humans' POV than the vampires. It had an interesting premise though of a sort of organized vampire establishment, working a bit like a covert NGO.

[ewans_gal_4ever]

Ah, Twilight bashing. This is what I'm GOOD at. Again, like labingi I have not read the books; however, I HAVE seen every movie with my two teenage daughters, who are by and large, Meyer's target audience

[labingi]

I really enjoy your Twilight bashing:-) From my little knowledge, it does seem like you're being a tad hard on Edward. I'm thinking of the sex scene, wherein the sources I've read indicate he was actually quite concerned about hurting her and not blase in quite the way you describe. Still, I enjoy and largely agree with your critiques.

[meganinhiding]

I went through a phase where I was kind of sick of vampires but recently I've found my interest has been revived and I think what revived it was looking at some LJ communities and reading others take on Anne Rice's characters. Vampires are arguably the most prevalent supernatural creatures in pop culture in part I think because they are the most budget friendly. I recommend a thread on the TWOP forums titled True Blood VS Other Vamp Stories: From Buffy to "Blood" where people talk about the depiction of vampires in book, movies and television. Go to current TWOP shows where you'll find True Blood and then select True Blood General Gabbery

[labingi]

Thanks for the link to the interesting TwoP thread:) Boy, there's a lot of vamp lit/shows out there.

I did really enjoy Forever Knight, especially the first two seasons. I enjoyed it enough, in fact, that I watched it religiously on a station that barely came in, and only on our low-power B&W TV, and only if I was standing beside it, holding the antenna. I watched most of the series that way. I found the quality really variable though. Some episodes were pretty dumb detective morality plays; some got into the genuinely interesting stuff you mention about their vampire family and history, etc.

I do want to check out Being Human.

I hadn't thought of Babette as the "typical" vampire story in Louis's past. That's a very good point. The fact that I only dimly remember her, despite having read Interview at least three or so times, really does speak to how Rice subverts that plot (and to where my focus as a reader lies).

[metarudogu]

I guess after reading down the comments that I must surely be the only one who have seen 1 or 2 Twilight movies. It was really out of curiousity.

As you mentioned, what's the point of it being a vamp lit?
I think it's nothing special at all other than vamp lit being run through a PG rating/teen themed mould so what came out is just precisely a PG rated, family oriented, education based (Edward and gang chose to use eternity to study and graduate endlessly), boy meets girl, virtual and moral based pulp fiction. In a way it's the most Mary Sues of Mary Sues because Meyer basically could interchange the premise to suit anybody- for instance sorcerers, witches meet monsters. There is nothing unique or redeeming at all.

[labingi]

I enjoy your Twilight-bashing as much as I enjoy ewans-gal-4ever's:-)

[metarudogu]

;D glad that's entertaining...haha
By the way, it's a little like a deviation from the theme but I'm at a total loss who to ask or discuss this problem, so I wonder if you might be interested in helping me and a friend as well.

The part that is within context is that there is a new vampire novel series out there. I just found it like a month ago called "Paris Immortal" by Sherry Roit, you could find it in Amazon and read excepts of the 4 novels. I won't spoil it for you and hope you can just trust me on this, and go take a read. I have no doubt there will be certain unshakable similarities to something that will make you write back to me about

[labingi]

Sorry for the late reply. I'm still fighting the inability of LJ to let me reply with Firefox (my default). I actually just updated it to try to correct this. Lo and behold, it still won't let me comment.

Anyway, I did scan this series a little at Amazon, not enough to grasp the plot (besides it's being about a lawyer and vampires). The initial description and reviews were really intriguing. I love a good, non-stereotypical vampire story. However, when I skimmed some text in one of the later books, the prose was awful, not amateur exactly but certainly hackwork.

What's your review of the series?