Vicissitude of Vampire Images of The Interview With the Vampire and Twilight

Abstract

As a typical literary image, the vampire is a concrete manifestation of social culture, time background and concepts. The origin and development of European vampire culture is mainly reflected in British and American cultures, especially in literary works. In general, after experiencing medieval superstitions and feudalism, as well as the impact and development of the industrial revolution, and the multi-stage development of modern multiculturalism, the vampire image has undergone many interesting changes in various literary works, such as from ferocious Demon spirits transform into human incarnations. This paper will study two representative works and discuss the changes in vampire appearances over the past 30 years and the social and historical reasons for these differences.

This paper is divided into four parts. The first part analyzes the vampire image in The Interview With the Vampire. When creating this work, Anne Rice was lived in the political turmoil of the 1960s and 1970s. The vampires in his works displayed passive images such as Lestat’s tyranny, Louis’s self-doubt, and Claudia’s rebellion. The second part, takes Twilight as an example, to analyze these positive vampires in the United States, who lived in the thriving 21st century, such as the brave Bella, the charming Edward and the tolerant Renesmee. The third part compares and analyzes the historical and social reasons of the vampire image change. The fourth part sublimated and combines the social background to analyze the negative and positive influence of vampires on society.

By categorizing the negative and positive vampire images in the two works, it is easier to generalize the atmosphere of the times in which contained in different styles of characters. In this thesis, the character’s personality is corresponded with historical events, and the connection between the character’s personality and the real events is explored. This connection shows that literary works and social life can reflect each other and influence each other. Therefore, we need to revise and avoid the possible negative effects of the vampire’s negative image, as we can also use the positive qualities of the vampire to promote mental and physical development. 

Key words: Vampire image, social background, Twilight, Interview with the Vampire