AUDIO
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Archbishop Peter Jensen's Christmas Message 2011 on the centrality of Jesus to human history
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"God kills indiscriminately and so shall we. For no creatures under God are as we are, none so like him as ourselves,"
- The vampire Lestat, Interview with the Vampire
There was a time when the vampire was the most feared denizen of darkness. Now it seems we have lived long enough to see it become the most desired. In centuries passed, the folklore surrounding these undead beings served to underline, and in part explain, the physical and spiritual terrors associated with death. However in the 21st century the fear is dropping away to be replaced by a sense of longing. The vampire is emerging as a symbol of another age-old human desire - to grasp hold of eternity.
Parents asking themselves if they really need to know about vampires, might just as well ask if they needed to consider Star Wars or Harry Potter. The answer is, of course, 'No' - but each has played a significant role in shaping the beliefs of the community their children inhabit. Particularly, and most recently, vampires.
The best selling author for 2008, with 22 million sales, was not writing about a boy-wizard but the romance between a teenage girl and a vampire boy. In fact Stephenie Meyer did something that JK Rowling never managed, finishing with all four top positions in the year's top 100 books. There are no less than 32 vampire-centred film and television productions currently aiming for release dates in the next three years. And a simple Google search for vampire web sites will net you 8.5 million pages to choose from - chat rooms, adventures and dating services included.
However disturbing the idea, the vampire is undergoing something of a renaissance in modern entertainment. It is to the 21st century what the cowboy was to the 20th or the sailor to the 19th - a daring outsider living on the edge of the known world. Attempting to understand its particular attraction to young minds is, in a very real sense, an attempt to understand the spirit of the age.
Most adult Christians view the vampire in terms of classic European folklore. To our minds the term naturally conjures up the demonic being or demonised human from 19th century literature. John Polidori's 1819 novel The Vampyre was the first modern publication to assemble the picture of the blood-drinking vampire from scraps of mythology concerning undead spirits; Bram Stoker's Dracula completed the portrait of an aristocratic lord of darkness. But Stoker's bloodsucker is as much removed from today's vampire as a Rolls Royce is from a Ferrari. Recent decades have seen a serious degree of shape-shifting - socially, artistically and spiritually.
Socially, vampires were little more than animated corpses when tales of their terrible deeds were first told around flickering firesides. Philosophers have suggested they emerged simultaneously in many cultures to provide an explanation for the strange transformations bodies would undergo after death - the drawing back of flesh from the teeth, the paleness of skin without apparent decomposition etc. Probably their most important social identifier, though, was that they represented the damned. They were bodies that refused death - God's judgment - or even individuals, like Dracula, who had struck deals with the Devil for power on earth. This view of vampires persisted well into the 20th century in series' like Buffy the Vampire Slayer but had already begun to undergo a slow transition from the 1950's.
In 1954 Richard Matheson penned the novel I am Legend that presented vampirism as the result of an unknown plague afflicting humanity. Vampires were still killers, but more sociopaths than murderers. They were no more morally at fault than a great white shark; they did only what their natures dictated. As the century progressed, though, writers added consciences to these creatures so that we eventually ended up with conflicted, morally sensitive characters like Anne Rice's Louis in Interview with the Vampire (1994) or Joss Whedon's Angel (1999). What in fact emerged was not a vampire, but often a supremely aware human being, struggling with the desires of the flesh. However, by the time films like Twilight (2008) arrived, the struggle was all but over. More modern presentations show them at peace, or at least accepting what they are: the top of the food chain, even the peak of creation. Inside a century the perception of the vampire has successfully changed from 'damned' through 'aberration', and 'tortured soul' to 'super human'.
A similar transformation was taking place in the vampire's outer appearance. Did you spend any of your youth watching spine-chilling films with your friends? Cast your mind back to the earliest horror movies you can remember. The vampire in the classic Nosferatu (1922) is an inhuman beast, befitting his damned status. Similar creatures populate Salem's Lot (1979) and other films of the period. But the elevation of the vampire from demon to human resulted in a much more urbane presentation, befitting their moral struggle. Vampires were becoming more sympathetic, and their horrible features often dropped away so that the only difference became a pair of pointy teeth. In The Hunger (1983) David Bowie even dispensed with the fangs altogether.
However the vampire's assumption of 'rebel' status in films like The Lost Boys (1987) - swaggering along the dim line between our world and outer darkness - has recently resulted in a more attractive work-over. In the Blade (1998-), Underworld (2003-) and Night Watch (2004-) franchises the vampires have come to look more like cast members from The Matrix with their uber cool penchant for flowing black leather and expensive sunglasses. Being around forever has naturally made them wealthy beyond imagination. In Twilight they look more like teenagers freshly arrived from the mall than the grave.
But it is the spiritual transformation of the vampire that makes this character so hard to understand to adults, and yet so attractive to tweens and teens. Current vampire tales are all about redeeming the damned. Rising from the grave to stand with humans isn't enough; they have set their eyes on Heaven or at least heaven on earth. The vampire began as the opponent of God, an antichrist that took the blood of the living rather than lay it down in their service. Now, though, they are perceived as part of the created order and as such their damnation depends not on their nature, but the deeds they do.
It's worth noting that the religious 'defences' against vampires have largely been dropped in popular culture, or ridiculed as myths. In some stories it is because vampire philosophers, who have seen both sides of death, have concluded that there is no God. As Anne Rice's ancient Armand puts it:
"I know nothing of God, or the Devil. I have never seen a vision nor learned a secret that will damn or save my soul. And as far as I know, after 400 years, I am the oldest living vampire in the world.”
In other modern tales vampires are on the same spiritual journey as you and I, and crosses hold no more fear for them than they do for us. Stephenie Meyer's 'vegetarian' vampire Carlisle Cullen acknowledges the existence of God but wonders that there could not be a place in the Almighty's great plan for his good son.
"Edward's with me up to a point. God and heaven exist . and so does hell. But he doesn't believe there is an afterlife for our kind . [However] I look at my son. His strength, his goodness, the brightness that shines out of him - and it only fuels that hope, that faith, more than ever. How could there not be more for one such as Edward?"
Indeed, how can a person be blamed for being the very creature God made them to be? It's a familiar argument that has been marshalled to defend the gay community. In the television series True Blood vampires have achieved the status and rights of a social minority. Discriminating against them because of the behaviour of some violent individuals is wrong, and perpetuating religious stereotypes about vampires is as prejudiced as concluding that 'all black are lazy' or 'Jews have horns'. "I don't think that Jesus would mind if someone was a vampire," says the heroine Sookie. "I don't think so either, honey," her saintly grandmother agrees.
The attraction of the vampire in this present age, though, is not that they are also struggling for eternity, but that they have grasped hold of it without giving up anything. Once God's damnation is removed, or at least distanced, the vampire enters into an everlasting life on earth that is wholly attractive to the modern teen. They are the undying princes and princesses of the earth. Certainly their eternity continues to contain the potential for pain, loneliness and destruction, but these are compensated for with power, attraction and wealth.
"You can be cool, you can be rich, you can be beautiful - you can be physically and morally superior for all of eternity," the vampire tells them. "And you never have to deal with God because you are never going to die." It's all fantasy, of course, but dangerous nonetheless. Without knowing, admiring youths dream of entering into the same bargain that Jesus rejected: they bow down and worship powers other than God's in exchange for dominion over the kingdoms of this world.
One thing I'd love to add to your historical analysis: the vampire as vermin. They reproduced like rats and needed to be stamped out. Remember the first film depiction of Nosferatu presented his character with almost rodent-like features. (Scroll down to ‘Vampires’ in my blog post.)
Here's what Caitlin Flanagan wrote about Twilight:
"This is a vampire novel, so it is a novel about sex, but no writer, from Bram Stoker on, has captured so precisely what sex and longing really mean to a young girl" (Source)
But Stephenie Meyer doesn't attempt what Caitlin is suggesting. The majority of the vampire attacks are not sensual in nature, but brutal and destructive. Bella Swan's reaction is clearly one of fear when confronted by any other hungry vampire than Edward.
Actually I think that author David Webb is far closer to the mark when he suggests that the attractive quality for young girls may be as old as the 'taming of the beast' fable - the virgin who pacifies the unicorn, the dragon, the werewolf. Modern cultural equivalents would include Beauty and the Beast, the story behind The Leader of the Pack and The Incredible Hulk. David wonders if this is repackaging of Eve's desire to exert authority over Adam. To be loved, but to tame the masculinity of her partner? In effect, to retain control.
Gee - isn't higher criticism fun? ;)
1. It's withheld until marriage
2. It's considerate of the limitations of each partner
3. It's an essential extension of love (ie the relationship is frustrated without it)
4. It's exclusive to one partner for eternity
5. Once it finds its place in marriage, it is an activity that time is set aside for, is frequently talked about (without embarrassment) and is even laughed at good-naturedly.
Seems to me we could do with encouraging more of this take on 'vampire sex' - and not just where teens are concerned.
My primary point is that vampire fiction is usually about sex, using the metaphor of biting and blood. It's not a 'subset' of the other things that come with vampirism; it's a major aspect of it. Therefore, it seems extremely odd to me that, in an article about vampires, their history and their occurrence in literature and popular culture, you've barely mentioned sex at all.
I get the feeling from your comments that you don't agree with me, which is fine. However, my comments aren't coming out of a vacuum; I studied gothic and fantasty literature at Uni, and I've read quite a bit on the subject.
But shall we leave the past to talk about the present? What's your opinion of the sexuality of the vampires in the Twilight series? Or True Blood, the latest American TV fascination?
I haven't seen any True Blood, though I have heard interesting things about it. As for my opinion of the sexuality of the vampires in the Twilight series, two things struck me as I was reading:
1. Despite the abstinence and no-sex-before-marriage message, the books were highly erotic in their description of Bella and Edward's interaction (even Bella's interaction with Jacob Black in some cases). Meyer highlights each embrace--each kiss. I think Kara commented on this in her review. It reminded me of the end of North and South with that ridiculous scene between Margaret Hale and John Thornton (ridiculous because if it's so improper for her to be seen with a strange man at the train station late at night, why is it now okay for her to be kissing a cravat-less man she's not married to in broad daylight on the platform???); I know girls who watched that scene over and over and over. It was just a kiss, and both protagonists kept their clothes on, but it was still highly erotic.
[Spoilers follow ...]
2. One of the things Flanagan points out is that Meyer captures very well how young girls feel about their own sexuality. It struck me that one of the lovely things about the Twilight series is that Bella is ushered into each stage into womanhood in a very gentle fashion by someone who loves her and wants the best for her. Not all of us are so lucky. (Which raises the whole issue of what makes Edward so attractive to women young and old, but I should probably leave that bone alone ...)
Edward and Bella do wait until their married to consummate their relationship, and even though that consummation has its problems (and feathers!), it's striking how much Bella enjoys her first (and subsequent) times. Their sexual relationship has no hang-ups, no guilt, no shame. They are equal in their attraction to each other and their desire for each other (also rare!)
When Bella becomes a mother, even though her pregnancy is quick and extremely odd, the birth is extremely painful and difficult (resulting in her death and transformation), she is ushered into motherhood in a similarly gentle fashion. She is well-supp
(You know, in considering this it makes me wonder whether much of our difference in opinion relates to what men and women take from vampire stories, or alternatively the way some tales are written with the teen male, while others have the teen female in mind)
There's certainly something about Edward that has a touch of Mr Darcy in it - Meyer has written on her web site that she always considered him to be a model gentleman. Is this the image that really attracts the teen girl? A misunderstood, but ultimately loving, moral gentleman - rather than a monster?
That's certainly the picture picked up in True Blood where the lead is a 20-something girl named Sookie, who finds herself falling for the vampire Bill Compton - a dark, complicated southern gentleman from the time of the American Civil War. But again, there are problems that emerge from our present age. His civility doesn't stop him from making love to her because she just needs that to 'get over him'.
So the question emerges again - is this a hunger for what our parents would have considered 'evil' or actually the confused desire for something much closer to the Biblical approximation of manhood? Another of those things we have been inescapably designed to desire...
And it's interesting what you say about the teen male audience vs. the teen female audience. What would you say are the vampire books/movies aimed squarely at the teen male? Underworld? Anne Rice's books? Where does Buffy fit? (It's about girl power and carries a lot of feminist overtones because Joss Whedon was hugely influenced by his mother, who was a very strong woman, but both men and women like it.)
Are you saying that men are more attracted to the violence, gore, power and physical attractiveness of the vampires in vampire books and movies, whereas for women, it's more about the sex? (Interesting thought ...)
I think perhaps one of the appealing things about vampires for both sexes is their alienation: they are outsiders, but they are also powerful and beautiful.
In regard to men and vampires, power and youth are probably the most attractive themes. It's hard to see The Lost Boys as little more than a guy film, despite the token love story, and the Blade Trinity is very much about the hero who has all the best of the bad guys and a tragic back-story to boot. I'd even go as far as to say that Interview with the Vampire (the film, NOT the book) has much in it about the power to 'suck the marrow from life' that appeals to a male perspective. Certainly, in that production the plot is something of a morality tale about one man's desire for a painless, powerful eternity. Queen of the Damned, the follow-on, just fulfilled another male power fantasy by turning Lestat into a rock-star.
I could expand on the list but yes, the more I think about it, the facets of the vampire that are emphasised do seem to depend upon the target audience. Otherwise, how do you explain Love at first bite? (cringe)
As for what makes Edward so attractive to women, would it be any different to what makes Jane Austen a favourite read? ;)
(Jeremy, not dodging the Edward question; I'll get to it later. I do need to do some work work today! ;P)
1. He's incredibly good-looking (*drily* as Meyer keeps reminding us)--not just a pretty face but a "hot" body too.
2. He's a gentleman (though sneaking into girls' bedrooms, eavesdropping in other people's thoughts and stealing cars isn't very gentlemanly ...).
3. He's also the bad boy ("One slip up and I could kill you ...").
4. He's kind and considerate (e.g. driving Bella home, bringing a jacket in case she gets cold, etc.).
5. He's extremely attentive: he's interested in every little detail about her--her favourite colour, favourite books, why she likes Arizona, etc. He's not faking the attentiveness either; he is genuinely interested in finding out what she thinks.
7. He wants the best for her.
8. He is extremely keen to meet her needs (but takes it too far sometimes; I think there's a passage somewhere near the end of Eclipse where he says something like, "I can see that you're only trying to please all these other people. But the most important thing to me is that you're happy. So let's do it your way.")
9. He's unselfish; he doesn't want her to become a vampire because he wants her to enjoy a normal human life even though he selfishly wants her to be his forever.
10. He's extremely generous (e.g. his wedding present to her: a Ferrari???) And thoughtful (e.g. composing a lullaby for her and burning her a CD of his music for her).
I think it's different. Obviously it's a subjective thing, but for me, I love Austen because she is so good at capturing what it is to be a girl at that stage in your life when you are looking to be married. (She's also so good at capturing people, and part of what makes her wonderful is recognising yourself in similar situations with similar people; I'm sure we all know our own Mrs Bennetts and Mr Eltons!) Austen wrote about women in such a way that they were never two-dimensional ornaments to any room, but three-dimensional heroines in their own right who faced the decision whether to choose wisely or choose foolishly--to love in spite of the heart because the circumstances seemed fitting or to love from the heart according to the heart.
I know that Twilight is supposed to be loosely based on Pride and Prejudice just as New Moon is supposedly loosely based on Romeo and Juliet, Eclipse on Wuthering Heights and Breaking Dawn on The Merchant of Venice (which makes me wonder what kind of education in literature Meyer received!), but the resemblance is scant: the characters seem to dislike each other at first, they overcome their initial impressions and then fall in love.
11. He wants her--her!--even though she's nothing special and has done nothing to deserve him.
12. Nothing makes him happier than spending oodles of time with her--even if it's doing something he wouldn't enjoy (e.g. watching Romeo and Juliet).
I have to admit that Edward is a woman's ideal for a man. My friend who read the book "for her daughter's sake" fell in love wih him.
She even drew parallels with Jesus = we are his beloved, he sacrificed himself for us, he appreciated women, he showed restraint...
Need we go on.
Funny about the women interested in vampires for sex... I think it's much more about desire, the wanting... obviously the act of being bitten isn't too pleasant in any of the vampire genres!
I'm very glad Darcy is human btw!!
Edward doesn't have many faults. I hadn't read the Jane Austen connection, but that makes sense; except for he lack of social critique by the author.
Blah, it's late!
This has been a fun set of comments to read, and very insightful :)
I hope I'm not coming across as obsessive, but I decided to write down all my thoughts on the Twilight saga on my blog. You can find the list of links to the series at http://hippocampusextensions.com/karen/twilight_word_vomit_a_postscript.
Looking forwrad to checking out your blog Karen.