Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Lori Yates - Dark Side of the Glass
This is a song from the TV Show Forever Knight. It was a TV Show about vampire turned cop Nicholas Knight. In the episode "Dying for Fame" he meets a famous musician, and one of her songs Nick relates to. I have always thought this is a perfect theme song for the vampire.
Monday, September 6, 2010
"The Vampyre" and It's Influence on the Modern Vampire
The vampire has long been a belief in many cultures. Stories have been passed down through the ages about these creatures for many thousands of years, through out many different places in the world. There are vampire stories that date back to the times of Classical Greece, Mesopotamia, and even ancient India. In most of these stories the vampire is depicted as an ugly, evil creature that preys on the lives of their previous family members, and fellow villagers. They are seen as wholly dead, and only rise to take the lives of the living and return to their graves. In these stories they do not live among humans, converse with humans, or in any way associate themselves into the human world.
The short story "The Vampire" by John Polidori is one of the first stories to assimilate the vampire into the human world, and paves the way for our own modern idea of the vampire. In his short story his character Lord Ruthven lives with in society, sleeps in a bed, and is able to mesmerize his human audience. In essence he is even more dangerous than his predecessors since he has the ability to blend into society. Lord Ruthven is still evil and through out the story corrupts young innocent girls for his own pleasure, however he does it under the guise of a normal man. He hides his evil side from the world in order to obtain what he wants. A true predator lying in wait for his next victim. The men and women he meets are fascinated and intrigued by his appearance instead of appalled and it makes their curiosity rise, such as it did to Aubrey, that it attracts people to him, instead of frightening them away.
The vampire was no longer a mindless creature that haunted you in the middle of the night creep through your windows while you were sleeping. Now the vampire could be in the same room as you, and you wouldn't even know it. They were still evil creatures, but also beautiful, intelligent, and resourceful. Instead of a complete monster, the vampire began to take on a more human persona.
Once this story was published it paved the way for more vampire authors, including Bram Stoker, who used Polidori's idea of the more human vampire. To this day many of the stories that are published about vampires portray them as more human than monster like. Some even picture the vampire as a hero, a monster with a heart. Instead of the reader being frightened by a monster, they can relate to the character, learn with the character, and fall in love with him.
So then one may ask which vampire persona is scarier? The vampire monster whose only thought is to destroy and kill, or the vampire human, who can think and act and blend in with the world. At least with a vampire monster you know that it is coming, with a vampire human you would have no idea until it is to late. .
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Just some quick thoughts...
I'm not sure how well versed in blogging everyone in this class is, I know I am very very new to this type of social networking, and I am slowly figuring out how to work this blog and follow others in the class. I am not sure if this information will be of any help to anyone, but I just wanted to let everyone know that if you own an Android phone there are some awesome apps on the market that can help you manage your blog and your subscriptions.
---Androblogger (this will allow you to post on your blog from your phone, very handy for on the go blogging)
---gReaderpro (this one does cost $3.99, but it allows you to manage your subscriptions and read updates from your phone)
---Kindle for Android (you can download books right to your phone, usually within minutes of purchasing.)
I don't know if this information will be of any help to anyone, but I thought I would share this information with everyone.
---Androblogger (this will allow you to post on your blog from your phone, very handy for on the go blogging)
---gReaderpro (this one does cost $3.99, but it allows you to manage your subscriptions and read updates from your phone)
---Kindle for Android (you can download books right to your phone, usually within minutes of purchasing.)
I don't know if this information will be of any help to anyone, but I thought I would share this information with everyone.
Monday, August 30, 2010
My Favorite Vampire.....Marius
Now this particular picture doesn't truly depict the Marius in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, however because of the movie Queen of the Damned this is how many envision Marius. In her novels Anne Rice actually depicts Marius with long blond hair, bright blue eyes, and very tall. He was originally given the dark kiss because of he looked like a Celtic god, instead of a traditional Roman.
My first encounter with Marius was when I was eight years old and I read The Vampire Lestat (my mom took me to see Interview with the Vampire in the movie theaters, and after the movie, when she told me there was a whole series of books about the movie I had to read them). When Marius told his tale to Lestat I instantly fell in love with the character. The details he used, and the story of his turning filled me with pity for him. His wisdom from his long life made me want to learn more about his story, and about his wife Pandora also.
When his short story ended I was still craving more, and it wasn't until I was seventeen years old that I finally got my chance. In 2000 Anne Rice finally came out with a novel all about Marius called Blood and Gold, and shortly after she came out with Pandora. Through these two books I came to know Marius very well. Anne Rice's development of this character was truly amazing, and she made me feel like I truly knew this character, his feelings and thoughts. The story itself sucked me in, and I didn't put down either book until I was completely finished. Since reading these stories for the first time I have read them over and over again, and to this date have a copy of each in ebook form on my phone.
I don't want to explain in too much detail, since I do not want to spoil his story for other readers. I will say though, that I highly recommend reading his story, even if you never pick up another Anne Rice novel. The best part of Marius' story is that it can be read separately from her other stories, but to truly enjoy his tale I would recommend reading the rest of her chronicles as well, since he is prominent in many of her works.
Have a great evening, and enjoy!
---Jodi
Introduction
Good Evening Everyone!
Well this is my first blog, and I guess the easiest way to start this off is by introducing myself. My name is Jodi, and this is my very first online class, as well as my first class at UWM. I attended Cardinal Stritch University previously and obtained my Associates Degree in Business from there. I have transferred to UWM to complete my Bachelors Degree in French or English (I haven't completely decided yet).
Some interesting facts about myself include; when I graduated high school I was originally going to attend MIAD for photography and graphic design, and instead I ended up with a business degree, I love foreign languages and have studied French, Spanish, Latin, and Japanese, and secretly I would love to major in Classical Studies, however, I have no idea what I would be able to use that degree for.
I will be completely honest I chose this class because I love to read and write, and didn't even realize until I saw the syllabus that for this class we would be reading Vampire stories. I must say I was very excited by this, since my favorite novels to read are about vampires. Since I was eight years old Anne Rice has been one of my favorite writers, and I have read all of her Vampire Chronicles books multiple times.
I consider myself pretty knowledgeable in vampire lore, and have read many stories from the classics such as Dracula to the more modern novels like the Southern Vampire Series, and even the Twilight Series.
I love reading novels that suck you in and hold your attention to the very last page. I love when the characters are filled with life, and can be related to on a personal level. My favorite characters have flaws, and try over and over again to overcome their conflicts, whatever they may be. I believe what attracts me to many vampire novels is the fact that many of the characters in these books feel as if they are the worst monsters in the world, and as you continue reading their stories you end up discovering that they are more human than even they believe they really are. I still remember the first time I read Bram Stoker's Dracula, when I began the story I didn't like Dracula, I thought he was heartless and evil, but by the end of the novel I actually felt pity for him. I love stories that can change my perspective throughout it's development. I also enjoy books with a little bit of dark humor. Sherrilynn Kenyon is very good at making her readers laugh, even when the characters situation seems grim.
Most of my previous English classes have been geared towards the more traditional novels in our society. I have read the classics such as Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, and Macbeth by Shakespeare. To have the opportunity to read and do literary analysis on the books chosen for this class fills me with excitement, rather than the dismal groan I tend to make when I have to read a book for a class.
As I stated earlier this is my very first blog, I actually created this page a few short months ago, and have not really done much to it since then. I am an avid Facebook user, and have also dabbled on WordPress and Twitter, though the latter I haven't used too often. I began this blog to get into the freelance writing world, and to help promote my own writings. I am excited to experience an online class in this manner, rather than the traditional online class structure. I hope to learn from everyone here how to better utilize some of the social networking sites available, and I also hope to learn new ideas and experiences from the others in the class.
Some of my other favorite websites include http://www.reddit.com/ and http://www.suite101.com/writing-novels.
Good luck to everyone, and I hope we all have a wonderful semester.
---Jodi
Well this is my first blog, and I guess the easiest way to start this off is by introducing myself. My name is Jodi, and this is my very first online class, as well as my first class at UWM. I attended Cardinal Stritch University previously and obtained my Associates Degree in Business from there. I have transferred to UWM to complete my Bachelors Degree in French or English (I haven't completely decided yet).
Some interesting facts about myself include; when I graduated high school I was originally going to attend MIAD for photography and graphic design, and instead I ended up with a business degree, I love foreign languages and have studied French, Spanish, Latin, and Japanese, and secretly I would love to major in Classical Studies, however, I have no idea what I would be able to use that degree for.
I will be completely honest I chose this class because I love to read and write, and didn't even realize until I saw the syllabus that for this class we would be reading Vampire stories. I must say I was very excited by this, since my favorite novels to read are about vampires. Since I was eight years old Anne Rice has been one of my favorite writers, and I have read all of her Vampire Chronicles books multiple times.
I consider myself pretty knowledgeable in vampire lore, and have read many stories from the classics such as Dracula to the more modern novels like the Southern Vampire Series, and even the Twilight Series.
I love reading novels that suck you in and hold your attention to the very last page. I love when the characters are filled with life, and can be related to on a personal level. My favorite characters have flaws, and try over and over again to overcome their conflicts, whatever they may be. I believe what attracts me to many vampire novels is the fact that many of the characters in these books feel as if they are the worst monsters in the world, and as you continue reading their stories you end up discovering that they are more human than even they believe they really are. I still remember the first time I read Bram Stoker's Dracula, when I began the story I didn't like Dracula, I thought he was heartless and evil, but by the end of the novel I actually felt pity for him. I love stories that can change my perspective throughout it's development. I also enjoy books with a little bit of dark humor. Sherrilynn Kenyon is very good at making her readers laugh, even when the characters situation seems grim.
Most of my previous English classes have been geared towards the more traditional novels in our society. I have read the classics such as Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, and Macbeth by Shakespeare. To have the opportunity to read and do literary analysis on the books chosen for this class fills me with excitement, rather than the dismal groan I tend to make when I have to read a book for a class.
As I stated earlier this is my very first blog, I actually created this page a few short months ago, and have not really done much to it since then. I am an avid Facebook user, and have also dabbled on WordPress and Twitter, though the latter I haven't used too often. I began this blog to get into the freelance writing world, and to help promote my own writings. I am excited to experience an online class in this manner, rather than the traditional online class structure. I hope to learn from everyone here how to better utilize some of the social networking sites available, and I also hope to learn new ideas and experiences from the others in the class.
Some of my other favorite websites include http://www.reddit.com/ and http://www.suite101.com/writing-novels.
Good luck to everyone, and I hope we all have a wonderful semester.
---Jodi
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