For my blog this week I chose to work on option #5. When I typed the word "postmodernism" into google, the first site listed was the "postmodernism" article on Wikipedia (which wasn't much of a surprise). After reading the Wikipedia article for a short time, I started to see why the term might characterize the work of Anne Rice. The article started off with a basic definition of the word itself. "Postmodernism is a tendency in contemporary culture characterized by the rejection of objective truth and global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. It emphasizes the role of language, power relations, and motivations;".
While I didn't completely understand the definition itself (I'm pretty sure I have no idea what the terms "global cultural narrative" or "meta-narrative" mean), it was what followed that passage that caught my attention. The article goes on to say that "in particular [postmodernism] attacks the use of sharp classifications such as male versus female, straight versus gay, white versus black, and imperial versus colonial." That part of the article immediately made me think about Louis, and what he represents in the context of the vampire genre.
In earlier works of vampire literature, the relationship between humans and vampires--and, maybe more importantly, the relationship between the reader and vampires--was presented as a representation of good vs. evil. It was a very "black and white" relationship, with few, if any, shades of grey. Humans good, vampires bad. However, Louis showed us a vampire who was conflicted; his compassion for humankind made his identity as a vampire and his thirst for blood something that actually haunted him for many lifetimes. He forced us to throw the black and white "humans good, vampires bad" mentality out the window, which seems to be the main idea behind postmodernism.
I also found the "straight vs. gay" aspect of the Wikipedia definition to be very relatable to Interview with the Vampire. In the same way that Louis blurred the line between good and evil, the relationship with Louis and Lestat blurred the lines between straight and gay in some ways. As we have read, culural anxieties involving sexuality have been represented many times in vampire literature through the relationship between the vampire and its prey. However, before Interview with the Vampire, this relationship was usually between a male and a female (or sometimes female and female). Interview with a Vampire was the first book we read where the predator/prey relationship was represented by two male characters. While the book never directly mentions homosexuality, the relationship between Lestat and Louis blurs the line between predator and prey, as well as straight and gay.
This is the first time I've read much on postmodernism, but I think that it's clear to see why it could be connected to Anne Rice's works. It seems like the main idea behind it is the throwing out of preconceived notions of absolute relationships such as black and white, and good and evil, and that seems to be exactly what Interview with the Vampire did in the context of the vampire genre. That "blurring of lines" seems also to have carried over into modern day vampire fiction, and seems to have been used a lot in recent television shows, books, and movies.
I really enjoyed your blog this week. I also looked into doing mine about postmoderism in Anne Rice's novel but could find much (other than Wikipedia articles). The blurring of lines that you discuss fits perfectly in interview. Not only the male/female role, but the traditional family structure role, and that of the vampire in society.
ReplyDeleteI believe, using your definition and the experiences that we have had with other vampire novels, that the traditional role of vampires in society is the most interesting of the definitions implications. We see Lstat, the prototypical vampire, alongside Louis, the vampire with a conscience. It is an interesting comparison and serve to, as you said, blurs the lines between traditional concepts and modern ideas.