Spilling Ink by Susan Mesler Evans: Vampire Lit, A History

Spilling Ink: VAMPIRE LIT, A HISTORY
by Susan Mesler-Evans

Ah, vampires. Unholy. Terrifying. Disgusting. Horrifying. Creepy. Abominations.

Or, do I mean...?

Ah, vampires. Sexy. Amazing. Intriguing. Mysterious. Sympathetic. Perfect.

Whichever version you prefer, vampires have taken the literary world by storm. Dracula, Edward, Carmilla, Lestat, Garrid... so many famous literary vamps are out there! (Well, okay, Garrid is a vampire from a tragically underrated children’s book series, but I could write a whole column just about that, so I’ll refrain from talking too much about him, at least for now.) What I find interesting is how much the portrayal of vampires can vary. Not only do I find it interesting, there’s also enough information out there for me to write an entire column about it! So let’s get started.

(And since I won’t be able to avoid talking about it, I’ll just say up front: I’ll try to keep the Twilight-bashing to a minimum, but I make no promises.)

First of all, for the three of you who don’t know what a vampire is, I’ll clear it up. A vampire is a mythological (depending on your POV) creature that feeds on the blood of others, preferably humans. Legends of vampires go all the way back to Ancient Greece, which I think is at least partially why it’s so hard to find a truly unique vampire story these days. Vampires come in many, many, many forms, but for the most part, all versions agree:

- Vampires drink blood.
- Vampires have abilities that humans do not (super speed, levitation, mind control,         etc.).
- Vampires have weaknesses that humans do not (crosses, garlic, sunlight, etc.).
- Vampires feed on blood by biting their victim.
- Vampires can turn humans into vampires (methods tend to vary).

When most people hear the word “vampire,” they picture a tall, dark, and handsome man with a sweeping cape or a really hot girl with pale skin and fangs, possibly with a bit of blood dripping. This is the classic vampire. They’re rich, good-looking, elegant, and maybe even approachable, but there’s something about them...

However, earlier depictions of vampires weren’t like this. In the earlier vampire stories, vampires are portrayed as ugly, or even horrifying, and irredeemably evil. But later works, such as Dracula and The Vampyre, would show the creatures in a more elegant way. Lord Ruthven of The Vampyre is a nobleman, and Dracula is also a nobleman. And later works, such as Night World and... ugh... Twilight, would portray vampires as being extremely desirable--more so than the average human, anyway.

I’m not exactly sure why the portrayal of vampires has changed so much, but I’m willing to bet it’s at least in part because authors got bored and wanted to change things up a bit and also because we now know that horrible people can still be attractive.  But way back when, it was hard for artists and authors to make any money if they portrayed evil as being attractive.

The physical appearance of vampires isn’t the only thing that has changed throughout history. The way they’re portrayed morally has changed quite a bit, too. In the earliest origins of vampire lit, vampires were portrayed almost exclusively as evil monsters trying to feed on the blood of innocent humans. Vampire hunters were shown as heroes, a force of good. Vampires were often used to symbolize darkness and evil (I’ll get to symbolism later).

However, this portrayal wasn’t here to stay. Authors began to give the vampire a sympathetic edge. After all, living forever and watching all your human friends grow old and die, having to kill to survive, and constantly having all the neighborhood vampire hunters slipping garlic into your food can’t exactly be fun. In Dracula, the titular vampire is portrayed sympathetically, even if he is the villain. Other authors would do the same thing, and sympathetic vampires would become immensely popular, especially after Anne Rice’s vampire novels started coming out.

In today’s vampire lit, such as Twilight and Extraordinary*, vampires are often shown as heroes that you feel extremely sorry for. Hell, in Extraordinary*, Fred (the vampire) all but says that becoming a vampire basically ruined his life (or post-life. Whatever). Some vampires are shown as heroes, with no qualms about what they are, such as Garrid from Tales of the Frog Princess, the aforementioned tragically underrated children’s series.

Garrid is a hero, through and through, and he never angsts over the fact that he has to drink blood (incidentally, he’s only ever seen drinking the blood of animals). If anything, he’s distressed over the fact that his daughter isn’t on board with the whole drinking blood thing (but then again, we hear about this from the daughter, so it could just be her imagination... wait. Sorry, I know I promised not to talk about this guy too much).

And now on to... (cue fanfare)... SYMBOLISM!

Like I said before, vampires were often used to symbolize evil and sin. Vampires were demons of Satan that plagued the innocent Christians and stole their virgins. Or something like that. And being symbolic of sin goes hand in hand with being symbolic of lust. Vampires are often shown as being attractive, and even hypnotizing, but still extremely dangerous. To give into them is to give into sin and evil, which never ends well. A young virgin (usually a woman) sleeping with a vampire tended to end in her death and/or transformation into a vampire. Vampire stories such as Carmilla portrayed vampires as being tempting, but not something you should get yourself mixed up in.

Then some authors took the idea of vampires being attractive and ran with it. And boom, we have a new genre. Supernatural romance. No, I am not joking. It is an actual section in Barnes and Noble in the young adult section. I checked. The most famous example of supernatural romance is, say it with me now, Twilight. This caused romances involving mythological creatures (not just vampires) to take off and become ridiculously popular, which isn’t always a bad thing, as some of these supernatural romances, such as Shiver and I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It (it makes sense in context) are pretty good.

If it gets teens reading, I guess I’m all for it. Some people say that vampires are cliche and boring now, and avoid vampire lit like the plague, but I say we should just roll with it. It’s not like we’ll be able to stop the craze, so why not just have fun and enjoy it? I myself love reading books with vampires in them.

And maybe, just maybe, I’ll write one myself.

UUtopia Service 5/1O/2O12: Moonlight Meditation

The Moon Over UUtopia in Second Life

**Pre-Service Music**

“Moonlight Feels Right” composed by Michael Blackman, performed by Starbuck

“Moon River” composed composedby Henry Mancini, performed by Andy Williams

“Moonlighting Theme” composed by Lee Holdridge and Al Jarreau, performed by Al Jarreau.   

“The Stars and The Moon” composed by Jason Robert Brown, performed by Audra McDonald

(A bell is rung, calling this far-flung community together.)

** Announcements **

Hi y’all.  I am Freda Frostbite in Second Life, Stephanie Mesler in the solid world.  I will be your guide and preacher this evening.  

An order of service is available in notecard form by saying “oos” in local chat.  You can get a notecard or you can just follow along in local.  

Tonight’s service will be streamed in audio and scrolled out in text.  You will need to have audio enabled in your SL browser and on your computer in order to hear what is going on.  You will also need voice enabled, as I will be using SL voice for the spoken portions of the service.   If you are unable to hear audio in SL, the spoken portions of the service will continue to appear before you in local, as they are now.  

Welcome to the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Second Life, FUUCSL as some of us affectionately call it.  

To visitors, a special welcome.  We are thrilled to have you with us tonight.  Please feel free to IM any of the congregants in attendance here if you are in need of assistance in following the service or if you would like more information about UUtopia, Unitarian Universalism, or Second Life.

If you are not familiar with Unitarian Universalism ("UU"), a single service is not enough
to experience the diversity of ideas and styles of interaction that we offer,
either here in Second Life or in your first life solid world.  Please come again.

You might also wish to look at UUA.org. or consider joining the group
Unitarian Universalists of SL to receive regular announcements.

Also please check out fuucsl.org, our web site.  There you can find minutes from meetings of our leadership group as well as the texts of previous services and an events calendar.  There is also a streaming events calendar at the main entrance to this sanctuary.  

We are always looking for members of our community who wish to get more involved.
If you would like to try your hand at leading a service, please contact
a member of the Leadership Group – their names are available in the notecard dispenser
in the welcome area.  We are also open to suggestions and volunteers for new community activities.  

If you are interested in renting a parcel here in UUtopia, Second Life’s Unitarian Universalist region, please IM Zyzzy Zarf.  There is a nifty neato map of the region in the community building just outside this sanctuary.  That map will show you which parcels are currently open for rental.  

Please join us after the service for coffee, conversation, and dancing – a venerable UU tradition!

Are there any other announcements?

** Lighting the Chalice  and Opening words**

(the chalice is lighted)

Come to us all who are broken...
Come to us all who are laden...
Find strength here in safe and supportive community...
Know that this place can be your home...

Come to us in joy and in anguish...
Come to us in peace and in turmoil...
Let this light warm your heart and guide your mind...
Know that this place can be your home...





** Joys and Concerns **

Now let us prepare our hearts to receive the joys and concerns,
hopes and sorrows, fears and dreams of those present here tonight.  .
If there is something that has recently happened to you, happy or sad,
and you would like to share it with us, now is the time.
We invite you to share your joys and concerns in local chat, when you are ready.

**A Preamble Of Sorts**

Having very recently preached here and anticipating that I will be preaching again in the near future, I decided to give my preach-writing mind and you a rest.  The core of tonight's service will be a guided meditation and music.  Given that this is the month of the Super Moon, I offer you a moonlight meditation.  Please set your sl browser to night and try to find the moon in UUtopia’s night sky.  If you are not sure how to set your environment to night, please click on your environment settings which are found, in most browsers, under WORLD in your toolbar.  Choose MIDNIGHT from the choices offered there.  If you have trouble with that, you can IM anyone preent  here who has a rez date of at least several months ago.  You can find their rez date in their profile by clicking on any avatar and choosing PROFILE from the menu that pops up there.  But please don’t IM me because I’m sorta busy right now.  You can also just pretend you see the moon.  That works too.  

** Offering **

A freewill offering is a sacrament of a free Church.
This fellowship is supported by the voluntary generosity of all who join with us.
There is an offering plate in the pool in front of us.
Please be generous in support of this UU fellowship.

** Musical Interlude **

“Talking To The Moon” composed by Jeffrey Bhasker, Peter Hernandez, Ari Levine, Philip Lawrence and Albert Winkler, performed by Bruno Mars


** The Word**

“Moon Goddess” composed and performed by Medwyn Goodall

Moonlight
By Stephanie Mesler

Supple blue curves roll in the moonlight.
Made of water and light and air,
one can see her all the way through.
Transparency reveals
what matters.
Deep crevices conceal only fragments
of that which is held dear.  
She moves circuitously,
arms outstretched beside her,
the ecstatic dance of old black baptist church ladies
buried long ago in Arkansas fields.
Her voice is that of generations,
rich with overlayed experience,
pain and joy ringing out together
a raucous tintinnabulum
heard from plain to plain,
until crashing against mountains to east and west.
Only the cries of vanquished warriors can be heard above the din.  
She is capacious,
commodious,
comprehensive.  
A substantive use of skin and bone,
she is the welcome cushion one seeks at life’s end.  
This woman is both real and not real.
She is simultaneously irrefutable fact and essential chimera.
Can she be contained?
This is the question asked, then answered.
Were you attending?  
Or had you drifted?
Will the answer be repeated?
in time for redemption,
reparation,
restitution?
Rigid black lines thunder in the moonlight.
Made of water and shadow and air,
one can see her all the way through.
Transparency reveals.
What matters?

** The Meditation**

Enjoy the music and allow yourself to relax as we prepare to begin the moonlight meditation.  

Be sure you are in a comfortable place and position in your solid world.  We will begin the meditation in a few moments.

Sitting comfortably or lying down with your eyes closed, let's begin the meditation by becoming aware of your breathing.

Take a deep breath, inhaling slowly to a count of four --  2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath for a few -- and, then, exhale  2 - 3 - 4


Focus on these areas as you take another breath. Inhale 2-3-4.  Hold it for four and exhale slowly 2-3-4.  Allow the tension to flow away as you breathe out.

Inhale as you raise your shoulders... hold the breath, arms above your head for four, then relax as you exhale 2-3-4 and lower your shoulders into a comfortable position.

Continue to breathe smoothly and gently as you continue the meditation.  Breathe steadily for a few moments, as the music washes over us.  

Inhale 2-3-4, hold it, and exhale 2-3-4.  

Allow yourself to slip into reverie.  Even sleep is ok.  The point is to feel better than you did when you came here, not to meditate perfectly.  

“Stardancing” composed and performed by Medwyn Goodall.

As you rest peacefully, begin to form an image in your mind. Imagine that you are alone atop a mountain.    

There is no one nearby.  There is a light breeze, but it is not so cool as to require a sweater.  

Continue to breathe in and out slowly, as you feel the wind caressing your skin.  Inhale-2-3-4.  Hold.  Exhale 2-3-4.  

The top of the mountain is clear of all foliage, so you can see the sky in all directions.  

It is a clear, night sky.  Stars glisten all around and above.  The moon is full, about half-way up the horizon.    

Inhale-2-3-4.  Hold.  Exhale 2-3-4.  

You can hear the occasional coyote howling in the distance; owls hoot their calls to one another.  

What other small creatures of the night can you hear?  Are they at all visible to you?   

Inhale-2-3-4.  Hold.  Exhale 2-3-4.  

Look now toward the moon.  Take in its fullness.  Can you see its craters?   

Inhale-2-3-4.  Hold.  Exhale 2-3-4.  

Imagine yourself reaching toward the moon. Can you touch it?  

How does its surface feel?  Is it smooth or rough?  Hot or cold?  Is it wet or dry?   

Inhale-2-3-4.  Hold.  Exhale 2-3-4.  

I want you now to take a moment to examine the day you had today.  How do you feel about the way you used your time?  Were you kind to people?  Were people kind to you?  

Take an inventory of the days events and imagine sorting them into two piles:  one for the ways in which this day improved you or your life, the other for ways in which this day took more from you than it gave.  

When you are all done sorting, I want you to take the pile of negatives and split it into two more piles:  

Put the events that were/are an unavoidable or necessary part of your life into one pile  and all the unpleasantness that could have been avoided into another.  

Now, I want you to envision yourself, bundling up all the nasty stuff that really was not essential to your survival.  

Bundle it all up and toss it over the side of the mountain.  Imagine it all falling away into the darkness.  

And inhale-2-3-4.  Hold.  Exhale 2-3-4.  

Now take the unpleasant stuff that was essential and, sorry, but you are gonna have to take it back inside and deal with it some more.

Some junk is unavoidable junk and we just have to work with what we have to make it manageable.  Take it back in and, hopefully, it will not be as unpleasant tomorrow.   

Inhale-2-3-4.  Hold.  Exhale 2-3-4.  

All you should have left now is the pile of good stuff, today’s events and feelings that were good for you, that improved your day, your relationships, or your outlook.  

Take a moment now, to look at and appreciate each of these things.  Be grateful for what worked.  Be pleased with what went well.  Say silent thanks for all that enriched your day.   

Inhale-2-3-4.  Hold.  Exhale 2-3-4.  

Now, gather up all that good stuff and take it back inside you.  Put it where you can get to it in a hurry if you need to be reminded of something positive.   

Inhale-2-3-4.  Hold.  Exhale 2-3-4.  

Now, focus again on the moon.  It reflects the sun’s light.  It does not warm us as the sun can, but it’s light can envelop us.  

It is, in a way, a more comforting light than that of the sun.  The moon’s light can fall on your shoulders and feel like an enveloping hug.  Let it do that now.  

And keep breathing.   Inhale-2-3-4.  Hold.  Exhale 2-3-4.  

Feel embraced by moonlight.  Bathe in it even.  It can be as calming as a hot bath after a long day.  Let the moonlight do its work.  

Inhale-2-3-4.  Hold.  Exhale 2-3-4.     

How do you feel as moonlight touches you?  What is your body temperature like?  Is your heart rate slowing?   

Inhale-2-3-4.  Hold.  Exhale 2-3-4.  

Feel the moonlight as it falls over your head.  It’s warmth reaches down your neck to your shoulders, fingertips pressing into your shoulder blades, stroking away any tension still there from today.   

Inhale-2-3-4.  Hold.  Exhale 2-3-4.  

Moonlight descends your arms, wrapping itself around your muscles in delicate embrace.  It entwines with your fingers before spreading over your torso.   

Inhale-2-3-4.  Hold.  Exhale 2-3-4.  

The light caresses your hips, and falls slowly over your thighs and legs.  Feel it slide over your knees and down your calves.   

Inhale-2-3-4.  Hold.  Exhale 2-3-4.  

Strong hands massage your ankles as moonlight stretches down to your feet and oozes between your toes.  You are now completely soaked in moonlight.  It holds you tight.   

Inhale-2-3-4.  Hold.  Exhale 2-3-4.  

Allow yourself now to revel in the light:  its warmth and gentleness.  Let it and the music comfort you as we end this night together.

Continue breathing slowly in and out.  


(Pause for as long as seems right and good.)  

When you are ready to finish your time of focused meditation, take a deep breath.... and exhale through your mouth, blowing out slowly.  

Bring your awareness back to the present.

Become more aware of the time and place you are in today.

Slowly stretch your muscles.... and open your eyes.  Enjoy the feeling of calm and peace that remains with you.

There will be no discussion period in tonight’s service.  But please join us for dancing and discussion in the area just outside this sanctuary afer the benediction and closing songs.  

**Extinguishing the chalice**

Please join me in saying the following:

We extinguish this light, but do not darken the world.
We extinguish this light so that we may return to the world, carrying with us the light of this loving fellowship wherever we go and in all we do.  
Let us bring a light of hope, clarity, and love to the world beyond this virtual one.

(The chalice is extinguished.)

**  A Reading Before The Benediction**

Faerie Moon
by Stephanie Mesler

Merry meet and merry part.  Merry meet again.  
Merry moon in the merry sky over May’s mad, magic morning.
Middlin’ hours when men  mourne the loss of many fancies
pass til dawn in mottled snores, maroon and cobalt dreaming.
Milky moon fore the milky way illumines all around me.
Mist and mystery melt away in Spring’s  full lucent mooning.
Morning dawns as moonset chances allow the sun its sway.
Make awake and face the day!  Elusion’s a futile reverie.
Merry meet and merry part. Merry meet again.  
Merry moon from the merry sky quits May’s magic morning.

**The Benediction**
Go, now,  in peace to love and serve the world.  

**Music and Dancing!!**

“Bad Moon Rising” composed by John Fogerty, performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival

“To The Moon And Back”  composed by composed by Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones, performed by Savage Garden

Spilling Ink: FROM A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW

Spilling Ink:  FROM A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW
by Susan Mesler-Evans

No, this article isn’t about Star Wars.

...hey! Come back! Don’t click on the little red “x!” This is a really good article, I swe--

Great.

Okay, for my remaining audience (all four of you), this article is about perspectives used in writing. There are four points of view (POVs) used in writing: first person, second person, third person limited, and third person omniscient. In this article, I’ll explain what each one is, give examples of books that use each perspective, describe the pros and cons of each, and give a sample of writing in that perspective. It’ll be the exact same scene, told in a different point of view.

FIRST PERSON

Definition: The story is being told by a character within the story.

Books that use this: Annie on my Mind, How to Get Suspended and Influence People, The Frog Princess

Pros: You can see what the character is thinking, which is nice, especially if they do some nasty things in the story. It’s always nice to know why a character does what they do. First person perspective also allows you to hear the character’s thoughts--what they want to say. This helps the reader get to know and care about the character more. It’s also good for keeping the reader in suspense--the reader only knows what the character does.

Cons: If the reader doesn’t like the character who’s telling the story, you are screwed. One can only stand an unlikable narrator for so long.

Example:

I tossed my bookbag onto my bedroom floor, feeling fed up with the world. I had gotten in trouble at school that day for reading a book, of all things. As my friend Zoe would say later, “The high school world makes no sense.” All in all, it had been a long day and I was glad it was over. I opened up my laptop and typed in the URL: teentalk.com. I entered my username (which is unfortunately CATlynGoesMeow, since I created the username when I was in fifth grade and I thought I was clever), and smiled when I logged in and saw that my friend Pam, along with Zoe (who had, apparently, found a moment without her mother breathing down her neck), was already there.

SECOND PERSON

Definition: This is sort of hard to explain, since it’s so rare. Essentially, if a book is told in second person POV, it seems to talk directly to the reader and be about the reader. It has phrases like “You walk up the path” as opposed to “Mark walked up the path” or “I walked up the path.”

Books that use this: Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, A Man, Company

Pros: This is an unusual POV to choose, so if a reader (or a publisher) sees you writing in second person, they’ll think, “Oh, this is unique, and that’s good! I should read this!”

Cons: This is an unusual POV to choose, so some readers could get confused or annoyed when they read it, and give up on the book early on.

Example:

You storm upstairs after grabbing an apple from the kitchen. You’re really not supposed to have food up in your room, but your parents aren’t home yet. What Mom doesn’t know can’t hurt her. Or, more to the point, what Mom doesn’t know can’t hurt you. After depositing your bag in its proper place (the floor), you open your laptop, hoping your friends are online. School wasn’t so great. You need to vent. You smile when you see your friends Zoe and Pam are logged in and chatting. They should make an adequate sounding board.

THIRD PERSON LIMITED

Definition: The story is told from someone outside the story (a narrator), but they focus on one particular character and their thoughts and what they’re up to. You can hear what’s going on inside that character’s head, but you can’t hear the thoughts of, say, their best friend.

Books that use this: Harry Potter, The Old Man and the Sea, The Dragon Princess

Pros: Focusing on one character alone helps the reader get to know that character better than the others, making them care about that character more. It’s also easier than having to keep track of the thoughts of a million other characters.

Cons: Sometimes, the reader will be asking, “What’s Bob thinking about this?” or “What’s Alice doing? Is she still trying to get those fish to drink the hot sauce?”

Example:

Caitlyn dropped her bag by the foot of her bed. It had been a long, rainy, frustrating, stupid, all-around-crappy day. She had narrowly avoided missing the bus, had a surprise quiz in French, and had gotten in trouble at lunch for no good reason. High schoolers should be reading more shocking material, anyway, she thought bitterly. Keeps us from ending up as stupid as the rest of the drones in this lousy town. Still irritated over the day’s events, she logged onto her favorite chatroom--teentalk.com--and was pleased to see that her friends Pam and Zoe were there.

THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT

Definition: Like third person limited, only it follows several characters and listens to several characters’ thoughts.

Books that use this: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Middlemarch, Unwind

Pros: You can cover a lot this way. You can show what your main character, what her mom, what her best friend, and what her boyfriend are thinking. It’s also cool to see different sides of a story--you can see why the villain does what she does.

Cons: If you follow too many characters, it can be hard to keep their thoughts straight.

Example:

Caitlyn dropped her bag by the foot of her bed. It had been a long, rainy, frustrating, stupid, all-around-crappy day. Joey and Anna, on the other hand, were both in pretty good moods as they headed home (by bike and by bus, respectively). Aside from having gym last period and having to get home later, it had been a good day. Watching a nerd beat up a bully was a great improvement to any day. Even if Bear Baird was probably going to kill Noah once Noah’s suspension was over. I wonder how he’ll do it, Joey thought to herself. I wonder if they’ll ever find Noah’s body! Somehow, her inner voice sounded a bit too gleeful when thinking about that. Zoe and Pam were already in the group’s favored chatroom, waiting for the others. They hadn’t had great days themselves, what with having a stupid substitute teacher and all. Caitlyn logged in.

So there you have it. The four most basic POVs. Use this knowledge wisely.  

Oh, and by the way, all the examples were inspired by my mom’s play TeenTalk.com, which my drama club and I are performing. TeenTalk.com can be purchased from Diva Press by emailing divapresspublications@gmail.com or visiting Diva Press Publications.