Hi everybody,
I have this research paper that I'm doing for my English III class. My topic is Modern time vampire fiction. We were assigned to choose 3 different books.

I am willing to bet that 98% of you if not all, had "Anne Rice" flash in your minds when you read that first bit. However, I did not choose Anne Rice as one of my authors. The books that I chose were, "Companions of the Night" by Vivian Vande Velde, "The Vampire's Violin" by Michael Romkey, and "Lilith's Dream" by Whitely Strieber.

As far as the books are concerned I have everything from the summaries, author biographies, and critical reviews down. The only thing I need is to figure out my introduction to this research paper.

To do this, I need some input from you. If you could answer the following 3 questions, I would be eternally grateful. Thank you!

1. Why do you think people are so intrigued by vampire characters?

2. What do you think are the main elements or "ingredients" to vampire novels?

3. What vampire novel have you read in the past, left you with the biggest impression?

P.S.
Please be as descriptive and elaborate as much you can.

P.P.S.
Please keep in mind that I may quote you as my source in this research paper, please indicate if you would like to remain anonymous.

1) I think the reason that people find vampire characters so intriging is because they base their lives on instinct and shadow, the darkness of our deepest desires.

2) I think the ingredients to good vampire novel is tension, good descrpition of vampire attacks e.g

wait sorry about that.... "I sank my teeth into his pulsating neck and the blood ran thick past my lips" Stuff like that and also plenty of sexual desire as sex is part of natural instincts.

3) I read a novel called Violets are blue, I think it was written by the same person who wrote the book to the film "Along came a Spider"

I just got done with a similar topic for an academic journal. If you email me we can further discuss your questions. Danke.

hey, happy to help, just finihed a major project on vampires myself..........

1) why? because vampires are the representation of all our passions and sins and lusts combined. they are all powerful, merciless, killing without flinching beings who evoke fear....... they represent all that the human race is trying to opress in ourselves........

2) the main ingredients would mainly be darkness, sin, and most important of all mystery. they have to be deadly and all powerful but fragile and vulnerable at the same time. you have to have projections of our own lives in them, so we can relate, but in an offhand way, because, they are, after all, better than us.......

3) ok, i have to say anne rice, dont moan. it left the best impression, because to me, she seamlessly blends the supernatural and all powerful grandeur we have come to expect from these novels with the all too human elements, of love and vulnerability, lestat is irresistible as the main character, he is the epitome of human recklessness and impossibility, but also represents the best of us, human's need for love and acceptence and our weaknesses as a race........


hope this helps..........

[quote=shawie,Dec 5 2004, 09:25 AM]
1. Why do you think people are so intrigued by vampire characters?

2. What do you think are the main elements or "ingredients" to vampire novels?

3. What vampire novel have you read in the past, left you with the biggest impression?



1. vampires mean different things to different people, personally speaking they are us without limitations. THere is the obvious link with death and this is the connection for me as i lost my mother to a long term illness when i was 20 (she had cancer on and off since i was 10). Vampire characters allow us to ampathise with them for their human pitfalls but they do not have our limitations.. they do not have to work to sustain life via warmth heat and clothes etc. They can be 100% truelly themselves all the time. They have the balls and the ability to stand alone unafraid of reprisal, and they represent our darkest hearts.

2. everyone feels seperate to the human race from time to time. and there is no greater outsider than the vampire. They have everything we want immortality, sex appeal and ultimate freedom, but it comes at a price and that price is too high for most... an eternity alone. Vampire novels allow us to experience the darkest portions of our mind and souls without gilt.. We can empathise with characters that if human would be called seriel killers and would be reviled by society, but the fact is we all have these drives within us, civilised poeple just try to repress them as unacceptable. In short, because i could ramble for ever. Vampire novels allow us to explore our darker instincts free from reprisal. We can delude ourselves into thinking being seperate from society gives us power.

3. ok, going for an obvious and an obscure because both of these books had a profound effect on me for different reasons. The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice is the first one, it was the first time we really get to meet lestat and understand why he is the way he is.It is also the first time we start to get a glimpse of all the history that Anne is to later give us through out her chronicals. and Lilith by George McDonald. This is a book everyself respecting vampire lover must read at sometime, in my opinion. It was written in the 1800's and the language and subtlety is beautiful to read.

Might i add on another note the most beautiful peice of vampire work i have read is La Belle Dame Sans Merci by John Keats its a poem and it is simply breathtaking....

hope this helps.