Anne Rice Remarks on “Twilight” + a “Twilight” Fan’s Response
Nov 2nd, 2010 | By Stefanie | Category: Book News, Fandom, Featured Articles
NJ.com has an interview up with Anne Rice in which she talks about various aspects of fantasy including vampires, witches and zombies and the symbolism behind these creatures. Some things that are noteworthy about this interview are her comments about Twilight. Interestingly, Rice isn’t the one who initiates the discussion about Twilight, the interviewer, Lisa Rose, does:
“Q. It is complicated, which is why I have such mixed feelings about ‘Twilight.’ It’s so sanitized.
A. It’s based on a really silly premise: that immortals would go to high school. It’s a failure of imagination, but at the same time, that silly premise has provided Stephenie Meyer with huge success. It’s almost like a stroke of genius to put vampires in high school. They just graduate over and over again.
Q. I hated high school.A. Doesn’t everyone? The idea that if you are immortal you would go to high school instead of Katmandu or Paris or Venice, it’s the vampire dumbed down for kids. But it’s worked. It’s successful. It makes kids really happy.”
For the most part, the comment, “it’s the vampire dumbed down for kids”, is the one that people have been harping on. But the only thing I keep thinking about is that when I first read that part all I thought was, “Vampires aren’t real, so who’s to say how they should or shouldn’t behave or what characteristics they should have. They are fictional!”
But then, I continued reading the interview and found that Rice herself states:
“They’re fantasy characters, and we have to keep reminding ourselves of this. They don’t exist. I get e-mails from people who are outraged that I watch ‘True Blood.’ They say, ‘How can you condone the evil of ‘True Blood.’ ‘ I say, ‘Are you kidding? Vampires aren’t real. Keep that in mind.’
After much reading and re-reading of this article it seems as if its the interviewer who has the biggest problem with Twilight because she keeps mentioning it after Rice seemingly is done with the topic.
In the end, I believe it all boils down to personal preference. While one person can be passionate about something, to another person that very thing is revolting or just of no interest to them at all. So Twilight fans, do what you do best and keep loving the sparkly, high-school-going vamps. Anne Rice fans, keep chugging along with your fervor for Lestat.
Go here to read the rest of the interview. What are your thoughts on this interview? Have any of y’all read Anne Rice’s vampire books?
Via: Hollywood Crush
Photo Credit: Matthias Scheer at NJ.com
I have read Anne Rice’s vampire books. They are really good. She tells her characters’ stories wonderfully and I recommend them to everyone.
However…
What really got me saying “What the…” to the computer as I read this was the “It’s a failure of imagination.” Really? But maybe the real failure at imagination is writing all vampires as just evil demons void of any humanity. And where did that come from? From myths of thousands of years ago? From a time when certain religions fought for control and gave no hesitation in telling such stories of fear? Failure of imagination….pffft! Sparkly vampires is absolutely, 100 % imagination. The pure fact that she even says “They’re fantasy characters” proves by itself that there was no failure of imagination. Fantasy IS imagination. It’s creative. It’s unrealistic.
And who wrote an immortals handbook? Is there some code that says they couldn’t or wouldn’t choose to stay in high school? How does she know that some vamp wouldn’t choose to do that? Choice is what it comes to I guess. We’re ALL different. Our choices are not the same and our opinions are not the same. What you see one way, I might see another and someone else will see totally different from either of us. That’s not a failure in any way – that’s just what you’ve learned somewhere along the way and how you’re choosing to apply to this life now. And I think that even our fictional characters would do the same…otherwise I don’t think we’d ever even like any one of them because we wouldn’t or couldn’t feel connected to them.
I HATE to see writers bashing other writers (actually I hate to see people in general bashing other people). I think it’s insulting, even if you’re only hinting at it. You all go thru a creative process (each differently) to write any book and I think that in and of itself deserves the utmost respect whether you really like or agree with the final outcome. Geesh, didn’t they’re Mommas teach them “if you ain’t got anything nice to say, then don’t say anything”?! lol
OK, I’m done with my response…or vent about it. lol I just had to give ya my opinion though.
YES YES YES!!! My words exactly, Jennifer!
Especially the fact, that Meyer’s vamps are not conventional vampires as known since ever, has amazed me from the beginning and proves great creativity and imagination!
And by the way my time at high school was great and I would love to study again and again. Obviously I would study different subjects in different places etc.
And yes again, criticising someone else’s extremely successful work, that sounds to me more like jealousy rather than professionalism.
There are millions of people all around the globe who are absolutely devoted to her stories, I am one of them and I am not a teenager. (I am 31 and have a child.)
I think some people are just jealous of other peoples success….Stephenie had a GREAT imagination to think of Twilight. Not all vampires are bloody, crude and mean……I personally love the Twilight vampires..they are dreamy, caring and HOT….A great love story..which this world need is more love instead of hatred…And by the way I am 44 with two children. I am a Twi-mom, been to Forks, read the books, seen the movie and have several Twilight items….Way to go Stephenie, Robert, Taylor, Kristen and the rest of the cast for bringing it to LIFE…..Thanks♥
i agree with rhonda….. it is a love story, really and the world needs more love.
Twilight is a great story.Stepenie meyer has a great imagination for creating Twilight.Jealousy is a sad thing.People make problems for themselves by saying things like that.