Eric Huang, Period 7, 4/26/22

 Eric Huang

Period 7

4/27/22

Modern Mythology 2022

Literacy & Learning

Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or nonfiction covered in class.

Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.

How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

Our most recent reading of “Interview with a Vampire” sparked many intriguing conversations during class. A lot of what we discussed in class I barely had any prior experience with. With all of the queer subtexts throughout the novel, it took a few chapters for me to start recognizing where these subtle parts were. Prior to reading the novel, I had little to no knowledge of the sexual nature that vampires were painted in. Upon reading the book, I gained a new profound understanding of how many of these vampire novels portrayed these “monsters.” Initially, I didn’t connect the dots with how sexualized Louis’s transformation into a vampire really was. I had taken the novel at face value and it wasn’t until it was brought up in the lesson that this aspect of the book was shown to me. 

The novel’s focus on the LGBTQ community, as well as highlighting aspects of mental health really helped further my comprehension of these two communities. Thinking about these two topics now may seem mainstream, but back in Anne Rice’s era, these were taboo subjects to talk about and I applaud her for her courage for including these aspects in the book. Towards the end of the book, we were given an insight into Louis’s mental health and I was surprised how much I was able to learn from it. I had always tried to educate myself as much as I could about mental health especially after taking AP Psychology last year and how bad many people’s mental states were due to COVID, but it was a different angle that was in the book. 

What we discussed at the conclusion of reading the book was how immortality isn’t as great as many make it out to be. With being able to live so long, one is forced to endure losing everyone they loved. This constant cycle of meeting people, knowing that you’ll be alive and well and watching them die had to have taken a toll on Louis. In the beginning, he watched as his sister and Babette passed away, followed by who he thought would live forever in Claudia, who also perished. This could inevitably lead to Louis developing mental disorders, as the losses of close loved ones piled on and he was forced to endure and watch all of it unfold.