h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hey let's not forget about the romantic,sensual and homosexual overtones in the Anne Rice novels. While the traditional themes about vampiric weakness are all addressed. They are shown as primarily affecting younger and weaker vampires. Also, the origin of the vampire is brought up. Just a hint it involves spirits in a pre-written history time.

Rice is not particularly signifigant or revolutionary in the scope of vampires. John Polidori's Lord Ruthuven was a sauve elegant vampire well before Rice was even born and the poetry of Lord Byron, Tennyson and Shelley allude to such vampires as well. For that matter most of the conventions that the novel Dracula altered at all(few and far between) were in bringing it more in line with a tale about sexual morality in the Victorian era.

The entry was not intended to be exhaustive. I, personally, am a fan of Rice and her Vampire Chronicles. But I was exploring the mythological sources of the vampire concept, not the ones we see invented in literature.

Anne Rice is ok, but not that original plus I prefer Vampires being powerful as they are symbols of Evil, Seductive and powerful yet you shouldn't choose to become evil.

Anne Rice tends to glorify Vampires somewhat, making them just like humans instead of the Evil yet Seductive beings of Folklore and Classical Literature.