Mostly, it's when I'm reading a book and I need a professor to explain, a) what the heck is going on, and, b) any literary or cultural allusion/significance.
Suffice it to say, I didn't really understand Louis, the vampire and main character of this story. So I got some help from the internet (thank God for Google...I don't think I would know half the stuff I know if it wasn't for that beautiful search engine. And Wikipedia. Oh sweet sweet Wikipedia...).
What I have deduced is that this is a coming-of-age story, or a bildungsroman, if you prefer (my English degree does!). However, it is the story of Louis' coming-of-age as a vampire, not as a human. He is learning to leave behind his "childish" human morality in exchange for his "adult" vampire immortality. And, essentially, when he accomplishes this, his character ceases to change, which signals the end of his story.
When I think back over the novel with this perspective, it does seem to make more sense. The story itself always made sense. However, I didn't understand Louis' character until I thought about him from this perspective.
There is also a passage where the older vampire, Armand, says that he needs Louis because he exemplifies the modern age. If I had to hazard a guess, based on his literal age, I would say Louis belonged to the Romantic Era. This also makes sense when looking at the internal struggles Louis faces throughout the story, as well as his love of art and his propensity toward sentimentality. Thinking of Louis in this context also makes his character "make more sense" in my mind.
I was initially interested in exploring the vampire genre after reading the Twilight series, and then reading an interview with Stephenie Meyer where she described not adhering to traditional literary vampire motifs. I wondered what the traditional vampire of literature looked like. Based on "Interview with the Vampire", I would say that Meyer's vampires drink blood to live, and find pleasure in it the way a human finds pleasure in eating food. Rice's vampires, on the other hand, drink blood to live and find pleasure in doing so on a much more sensual level. Many critics have even said that it's a sexual pleasure, but Rice herself has said that vampires are no longer sexual beings. It is clear, either way, that Rice's vampires find the kill to be meaningful beyond mere survival. Louis likens killing to understanding the meaning of life.
Another is that Meyer's vampires seem to be eternally human, while Rice's lose their humanity and become eternally detached. The need for and progression toward this detachment is essentially Louis' story.
All this to say, "Interview with the Vampire" is a dark story, with graphic imagery and some intense themes. It is, however, well written and keeps the reader engaged and interested. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a more traditional vampire story.
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