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I’m sorry for bringing this up again, but seeing that my thread was closed before I had the change to respond this was the next logical step.
I am very aware that the caracters in Anne Rice her books are fictional, I knew this before you told me so. Then why ask the question in the first place i can hear you wonder, well that would be because I ment it different. Of course I understood the misunderstanding, seeing it was my own fault.
What I really ment is what truth there lies in the story itself. For instance I believe Armand and his Theathre Les Vampires had an hidden meaning (at least for me it has). I believe that Theathre Les Vampires and its irony and the acting part represents us, humans. If you do not like to be refered as human, I am sorry. Humans are fake especially when in public places. We conceal ourselves between masks, not showing your flaws. Call it far fetched as you will. I am entitled to have my own opinions, and so do you.

Love, Amalia.

Please once again forgive me for the mixuped words in the previous thread.

Sahahria Edit: Mixed up words? CRIPES this posting is still at best barely understandable. You thread was closed before because it did NOT pose a question that is appropriate for the main forum. I agree 100% with Sevenn for closing it, as I was going to close it myself before VR went down yesterday.

I will leave this open for the time being as it is starting a discussion, but should it start to get nonsensical responses it will be closed. My suggestion is have someone proof your thread question prior to posting it. That way you can make sure that you are posting what you want to ask. Otherwise you will continue to run the risk of having your threads closed.

What I am gathering from your words here is that you are asking,

"How do the metaphors and the fictional characters of the Anne Rice novels reflect on your day to day life?"

From the defensive tone of the thread before it's been responded to, it seems like this took a beating the last time around.

Fiction will always represent portions of reality. An author will be influenced from friends and aquaintances as well as politics, religious upbringing and more...

The Theatre de les Vampires...you're saying you think there was a social commentary there about mankind and how we hide behind our own theater of masks and fraudulent traits...I won't argue that it might be something Rice hinted to...humans in her stories have very little 'reader value'...most of them could die without problem. So the vampires (in order for us to empathize with them) are the humans...by making the 'monster' the hero, we are supposed to empathise with the vampires. Therefore, any commentary that she makes on vampires, she is basically making on us.

The Theatre in question was a group so proud and caught up in their great big joke on the populace, that they never saw their own demise coming. They were petty, and spiteful and in the end...they were always doomed. That's transfers over as a pretty good commentary on mankind in general.

Forgive for not being in total control of my english writing. English aint my native language, so yes sometimes I may have some difficulty writing down what I mean. It causes me to jump around the bushes with my story, which makes it not understandable for people.
If want to write a thread again, then I will check the grammar and the contents twice before I post it.

Thank you responding to my question. Means a lot.

Amalia.

"Jump around the bushes.."

Heh.. that's cute.

I don't know Anne Rice, haven't read her books. I'd love to weigh in with an educated opinion here, but I cannot.

I can however state the obvious - even the most contrived fiction has some basis in reality. Art does indeed immitate life.

Why close a thread on a subject someone is interested in discussing as long as others also contribute and it's not just a silly, self-promoting thread?

Perhaps the thread should be, "Anne Rice Fans - Discuss her Books here." And just have a general conversation about her and her work?

I agree with ~birra~... I think, that every work of fiction has at least some basis in reality... look at the novel/movie about Rose Red, by Stephen King... it was based on the stories and history of the Winchester Mystery House... I might offend someone with my opinion, but I'll take a chance here and hopefully it won't happen: I think, that this happened with the Bible... It was originally written in ONE language, therefor, it was translated, into a million different ones... meaning that things were either over looked, or embellished upon... Not to mention, that some things were written out as well as in... I do not mean to bash any religious beliefs here... As I said, it's just an opinion... if anyone gets offended, I am sorry...

Anne Rice's use of historic backgrounds to her fictions really adds a layer of preceived authenticity to it. I've many times read her books and honestly felt myself suspending my disbelief for the durations of her amazing tales.

No appologies needed for your gramar etc. English is a second language for me as well... so far I haven't had trouble reading your posts.

Anne Rice is an excellent author. As such she has done research but her characters are fictitious. The vampires as described in her books certainly are not on VR nor anywhere else

I think art imitates life..after all that is all we know.
What attracts me to Anne Rice is the hubris of her characters..makes them real. The are...as stated above...the humans of the story.
I can't find any real place called Theatre Les Vampires, but it does not mean it's not.
Like all of Anne Rice's books, I believe she is showing us a piece of humanity.

everything has some sort of symbolic meaning to it

My two cents on the Theatre Les Vampires of Anne Rice... I recieved quite a few metaphors from that one scene. All of which I believe are appropriate when weighed against humanity:

From the vampires portraying vampires:
Not all things are as they seem.
There is a monster in us all.
Humanity turns a blind eye to what they feel isnt right.
Everyone hides something in the open, you just have to look close enough to see it.

From the spectators watching the play you could also find hidden meanings or metaphors. Some spectators began realizing, perhaps this was real... however they did nothing. Insteand watching in dark fascination at the scene as it unfolds - We all have a dark side - wether you admit it or not. Humanity in general is capable of ignoring horror and debauchery, turning a blind eye and feigning ignorance at times, even when presented to their face. Though sometimes what the human race considers inmoral or unthinkable, we still have the capacity to sit and watch it unfold.


Just my thoughts on that one scene. Since it was specificaly mentioned.

Anne Rice novels are awsome and i find some truth to them but people are going to beleive what they are going to beleive right.

the symbolic meanings in Anne Rice's books have been interpreted many different ways by many different people. I believe that fiction while it is a lie in itself does portray some aspects of the truth like others have mentioned here. I am rather fond of the idea fond in the books where Armands coven members are vampires pretending to be humans pretending to be vampires. It symbolizes a persons habit to try and make things about themselves that would be viewed as flaws more easily understandable. In this case they use skills they already have to turn a profit. We are always searching for a way to be accepted in the mainstream of society.

there is a good example here of Vampires pretending to be "humans" pretending to be Vampires. How many of us take part in Vampire Role Play games? anyone here been on Ravenblack? Crimson Moon? I know there are fellow Maquerade fans here. now there is irony for you.

not only does Art immitate life, but life aslo immitates Art. how easy it is to hide in full view these days.

Karnstein:

That is a very good point that you have made. I was going to say the same myself.
Life is a circle of sorts.
It is easy hide oneself these days in games and in the portrayal of what one of the largest growing sub-cultures.

I agree all things are a circle of sorts that reflects things in and around life in general.

I agree... humans see only what they want to see and beleive only what they want to beleive. if a person deeply beleives he is a vampire (even if he knows he's not) he's going to react as a vampire and his life will be adjusted accordingly, because he beleives he one.

anne rice characters symbolises i guess many aspects of our life and everyone can relate to a character in a way

The Anne Rice character's may be fictional, but were their behaviors/personalities based on real people? Sometimes, as much as i tell myself that her books are a work of excellent fiction, the characters seem too real...their thoughts and emotions don't feel fictional... sorry if this sound a bit weird...

very nice. I agree, even though anna rice's characters are fictional, their behavior and everything seems to be rather close to fact which in My opinion is what makes her a great author

Anne Rice is a brilliant writer, she writes as if she is guided by some sort of force so to speak. Interesting how she began to write about Vampires after the death of her daughter. I believe that her characters represent traits that humans have deep within their soul.

I've actually thought of this one myself...There's no way to really know hidden meanings or whatever you wish to call it positively, but you can piece things together and see what could make sense. I wouldn't be suprised if the truth behind the fiction was phrased in deep metephors.

i dont think that her books are based on anybodies life. i think that some of her books have meaning. but like they mention before, different people, different meanings.

with all things considered, Annie Rice's, protrayals I think hit close to many humanities that we all suffer from. Her use of backgrounds made the books have a very realistic feel which I think helped to make her characters more believable and sympathetic.

With any writer, a great deal of the plot, character development, emotions, etc, come from within. Any true writer draws on their own emotions and past experiences to draw their reader in. May the shadows hide you from those who would do you harm. -47

NiteOwl47:

That is so true. Many great writers use their own feelings to bring it across in their characters.

Anne Rice has a great imagination. She is able to take that imagination and weave it with her research in more ways than most can even fathom. She is definitely a very special & talented writer.

As an avid reader of Anne Rice I agree her stories carry a parallel to real life. Though her characters life spans are hundreds of years, they still carry the same burdens as humans, maybe even more. The experience love and loss and try to understand the meaning of their exsistance.

She is an excellent author in that she has done her research. The background of her stories are rich with the history of cities they take place in. Her vampires live in a subculture trying to exsist in a world that has cast them out. Louis, Lestat, Armand, they are all trying to find a place in the world. It is something we do as humans every day. Sometimes we are unable to connect with our own "people" so we turn to other cultures or realities until we find what works for us.

The Theatre is an example of the masks we hide behind every day. It is a true example of hiding in plain sight. We all put on a masquarade every day. There is the persona that is acceptable to society, the persona that is acceptable to our friends, the one that is accepted by our families and then somewhere, deep inside, there is the true person. It is what our culture and society demands of us. Just as the audience at the theatre refused to believe the reality of what was taking place on stage, we refuse to see the tradgedies happening around us every day. If it doesn't affect our world, it's doesn't matter.

It has been correctly stated, we only see what we want to see. We only hear what we want to hear. We only believe what we want to believe. Anything outside of the little box is nearly impossible for most people's feeble minds to comprehend. People refuse to venture outside of their bubble. They are terrified of the unknown and therefore refuse to acknowledge it's exsistance, even if it is laid out right before them.

I persoanlly love Anne Rice and feel like her books and then the movies is a good portrayal of a vampires lifestyle. I find them to be accurate but of course is glamorized for hollywood.

Anne Rice was a very experienced author...I would expect she checked her backgrounds...researched and such and perhaps found something...being the type of individual she is I'd say she perhaps has hidden some meaning in it

no offense but anne rice isnt allthat great. her books are largely prdeictable and 2-D. some of the characters themselves are interesting, but the stories in and off themselves are not.

Anne Rice is the best author I know. SHe is def. not 2-D and she has an amazing voice. Just because her vampires are fictional does not mean that everything she had written about them is false...

After reading what everyone has to say.. I agree with most.. Art does in fact imitate life. I am a big fan of Anne Rice and my opinion is that maybe she saw the no one puts out who they truely are but an 'act' and used it in her book.. Some people act out only a part of who they are. And that particular portion of her book well, it just shows that sometimes, the best place to hide... Is in plain sight.

Each to their own and we shouldn't judge you :)

If you perseive that humans hide behind masks and so do vamps and that they have that in common well there is a difference. Humans hide behind masks because they are embarassed of themselves or have low self esteem most of the time. Vampires hide because the humans no matter what for the most part DO NOT accept us and wont. It's not that we're embarrased of ourselves it's that we could be in danger of being exposed. At least this is what I believe.

surely the idea of gorgeous looking vampires is more a reflection of the desire of us goths to have something to aspire to

Ms. Rice and the brilliant world she created are filled with double meanings and symbolism. Do they reflect on my life? Yes particularly the long standing pain and heart ache the characters must live with.

"How do the metaphors and the fictional characters of the Anne Rice novels reflect on your day to day life?" is the question I am answering here.

All of the above is true, she is an absolute fantastic writer. The way she is able to notice little nuences about our humanity, and reflect it back at us is at the core (I believe) of why her books have garnered her such a cult of following. She describes her "vampires" so well, and feel we for them so much, because we recognize ourselves in them. We all hide ourselves from the world, for we are scared. We are all jaded from past paines and believe that we are different. We are all special, for the medial tells us so. We are all vampires in our own right.

Anne Rice researched lots of different places for Interview with a Vampire.. She herself went to several vampire clubs and to the French Quarter.. The behind the scenes of the movie is an interview with her.. It is fairly interesting.

I think that there are some interesting theories in her novels. Like where vampires actually came from (as seen in Queen of the Damned). The idea of vampires coming from a blood thirsty spirit type entity...well, I find that intriguing. I also enjoy the fact that there is (or maybe was, it's been a while since I did any research) a band called The Vampire Lestat. I don't know when they were formed, and I've never heard their music, but I found that amusing. I think her stories have a way of making you ask what is real and what is not. The stories are very well written (in my opinion).

i agree vamps talkin about humans pretending to be vampires,lol i loved interview it is my all time favorite vamp movie tom cruise played the best lestat

I agree with the person who said that her use of backgrounds and humanities help.
I definitely agree, I think Anne Rice is a fantastic author. To me the thing that makes it so accessible is the human aspect of them. In a lot of other books I read I just couldn't get into the characters because they seemed so lifeless. But Louis, Lestat, Marius seem as real to me as the people sitting in my Eng. 101 class. And with the vast array of characters, everyone can identify with at least one of them. Sorry if I'm repeating what's been said.

Yes Anne Rice is an eloquent writer, but the feelings that she puts into the characters is very much like the vampires of today....how we feel at times....being alone and people not understanding us. I would love to be like Lestat and spread the news that vampires are here to stay. I know that the word vampire is not the correct terminology, since that word is fictional, but the people who feed off of energy be it chi(life force) or blood do exist.....I am living proof of this and I have met people such as myself that drink blood right infront of me as if its water just as I do infront of them. The word vampire is the only terminology that represents us the closest so we use that term.

I am surprised that no one has brought up the parallels that are clearly seen here within the rave.

We are a community of “outcasts” who are looking and longing for others who understand this alienation, and have a craving of connecting with those who appreciate us. Monstrous and alienated in society’s eyes because we like things that are outside the norm. Yet even within our being different we have found and created community here, so have even found love and other friendships that extend beyond the virtual world.

Finding that balance from the macabre that seems to be seeping from our perceptions we commune here, similar to how Anne Rice’s vampires come together. Yet we still find ourselves creating many of the same social structures that we were trying to escape from. Contradictory but beautiful in its truth.

I think, that every work of fiction has at least some basis in reality... I love ann rice's books

Oh it does have some basis of reality in her books.....the characters might be fiction but all the history of the cities and such are very much real...she researches them before writing it.

My opinion here is who really knows what's in an author's mind when they write something...all is conjecture, imo.

Liebe I find what you said to make allot of sense and I do see what you mean when you talk about the similarities.

Maybe her fiction does have some non fiction bases. maybe not. Who knows what she has seen and hasent seen, lived or not lived.

Regardless of the fiction or non fiction I truly enjoy her books and will continue to value her as a author.

I like Ann Rice and if she where to write another book i would read it..

vampires pretending to be humans pretending to be vampires ha i thought it was cute actually ....we do it all the time in this day and age people pretending to be vampires or werewolves in movies and such so she threw a backwards twist to it....... why couldnt vampires have there own theater and pretend to be what ever they wanted to be.......i thought it was a great way she put it that even vampires could do what ever they wanted to and could have wonderful artistic skills such as music or drawing or acting.........if humans could have thes trates why not vampires aswell.........but thats just what i got out of it..........

Well from what Im told she is no longer doing the Vampire books. She has found god. I do enjoy how she researches what she is writing about. She draws you into the story and you feel as though your involved in some way.

I've always enjoyed her books sad to see there won't be any more. They really draw you into the characters portrayed.

There are many, many symbols in Anne Rice's books. I am not sure if even Anne consciously knows what they all are.

I believe like most books the story Anne Rice paints for our reading pleasure often takes on diffrent meanings for each who read it...in my opinion to have fictional characters that show such human traits and emotion and capture the reader is the true sign of a great author. I think the only one who could truly answer your question to the utmost would be Ann Rice with what metaphors or true meanings she had behind her characters...

I love her as an author, of course t he romance and beautiful vampires, love eternal..i am all over that stuff*grins* i would agree that some of her writings may be based on personal beliefs or views.

I believe that FelixFelix's response was the most lucid and cogent I have ever seen on this forum.

The vampires are the humans...arrogance and failure to recognize their own impending doom. Yeah, I'd say he and Anne Rice nailed the human condition.

It has some basis toreality but the athenticty of it Leaves alot to think about

I have yet to read any of Anne Rice's novels but from what quite a few people on the site say (and quite a few of my friends) she is an excellent writer. And most great writers do put quite a few metaphors in their books.

It would also make sense (if I understood you right) for the metaphors about humans and the theater. Masking ourselves is part of human nature and probably why so many people get such a rush from acting or being on stage.

I have read everything Anne Rice has ever published. Her chronicles were intriguing and full of taste, details and history. Because of her books , I was able to go to New Orleans and really enjoy the city for what it was. The history. Although her characters were fictional, they still were portrayed to have emotions, feelings and such. I think we have to look beneath the character and get to what was truly the heart of it all.
Although now Anne Rice has changed her genre', she is still a great author.

Of course the characters in the movie are fictional.. But watching the behind the scenes on the movie, when the interview with Anne Rice, she talked about researching for the movie how many vampire clubs and theatres she went to.

There's no question that Anne Rice's greatest talent is in setting. When she weaves a tale on anything, you can bet your ass that it will feel authentic to you.

As to her characters and plots, I've enjoyed my share of her books, but she can be verbose and as with many authors, it's really nice to just take a break from her for a while when you start feeling over saturated.

All fictional books have some element of truth in them. The character of Louis seems to be fighting the vampire nature inside of him. It is within his nature to feed off humans. Of course, this will kill them and he seems to prefer feeding off rats to killing people. All people have good and bad in them. Many of us have been successful in putting down the bad side of our nature.

Lestat knows he is above man's law, since he is a vampire. He compares himself to God in his killing. A human being doing the same thing would be considered a socipath. We do have people like that among us.

I agree that Armand the Theater Des Vampires did have a hidden meaning. In a way the vampires were mocking humans, and in so doing, they were pretending to be that which humans fear...the vampire...In the story the humans had no idea they were being mocked, and I think that Louis was struggling to laugh or yell out because of the humanity that Louis had held onto.

I was a vampyre long before Ann Rice wrote her "Interview..". I tried to read the book, but it was boring. I enjoyed the movie, and especially the theatre scene. I interpreted the play as a joke on the people who paid to view it. Considering the question, well you can interpret Rice any way you want. There are multiple reasons for us to see ourselves in her characters. Truth is stranger than fiction. But 21st century vampyres, much more interesting than the fictional ones of the 17th.

The movie was good but i didnt read the book. when i first saw the title of the forum i thought they were making a sequil. silly me.

That's a really good idea. Yes, The theatre could be a metaphor for all of us who hide who we reallly are. We all do it. Even the people on here-Are we not trying to protray who we want to be, not who we are? Even when we are honest with each other, we are not truly in each other's lives and so cannot show our real 'face'
Ok, that was me going off on a tangent there...

I thought the theatre was a really good twist.

For me it showed what easy prey the humans were. The audience dismissed the idea of vampires as nonsense and so couldn't see the danger even when it was in front of them - actually telling them what was about.

She is a great author :)

yes it is a great book i loved it read it.

isnt this the reason why authors write books or song writers write songs? so their audience can connect with they're words or characters on some level, or see a portrayel of thierself in the artists work.
I havent read the book but ive seen the movie and in movies like this, i dont try to find a deeper meaning to scenes or characters unless theres an obvious sign, i was entertained and i think thats what anne rices reasoning for all her books, and all the movies made from her books.

all the worlds a stage and all the men and women are merely players- shakespeare

come to think of it...i think every vampire in the story holds some sort of symbolism... made for an excellent movie xD

i do think her characters hold meaning and are made so we can relate to their fear and despare i also think she uses symbolism like so many great authors do

Anne Rice is a great author. Even though her characters are fictional , the places and timesthat take place are real . And she does research those places and times.

1 ) i have read it
2) i think she is a great author
3) people who dont read books is overated! lol

i have read most of Anne Rices work. I find her writing at times to be very boring and long winded.

I like the concept behind her vampire books. But at the same time i found them at time to be boring. I wanted more from them then what i was getting.

i personally find her books yto be an escape from the real world but if they was to present them in the real world as in ... in threatre that would be amazing !!

This appears to have become an "Anne Rice" support group thread.

Yes, all people portray themselves as they wish to be seen. It's part and parcel of being human. You do it every day in your life.

And just about any book can be seen as a parallel to real life. That's the trademark of any decent author: the ability to touch the reader on the human level.

Is this a huge surprise and revelation to anyone here?

There is always some facts when it comes to fiction, in her book she talks of the theater of Vampire . Lets assume it was a real place ,ok it could very well have been a cat house. That anything could happen Or possibly tavern.