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The Resource Anne Rice, Bette B. Roberts

Anne Rice, Bette B. Roberts

Creator
Summary
  • In this critical appraisal of the novels created by the contemporary queen of the Gothic, Bette B. Roberts argues that Anne Rice is more than a "popular" writer. Reinventing the vampire figure to reflect on the human condition, Rice is both philosopher and social commentator. Her vampires are a far cry from the leering, black-caped caricature on a lonely quest for blood
  • Unique in the history of vampire lore, they are a feeling community of creatures, each driven by the very human needs for power, recognition, a sense of purpose, and love
  • Roberts traces the history of Gothic fiction and places Rice in the rich tradition of those writers who have used the genre to undertake what one scholar calls "a searching analysis of human concerns." Like Mary Shelley in Frankenstein and Bram Stoker in Dracula, Rice uses the supernatural to explore the realms of human experience that disturb or confuse. For many writers of Gothic fiction - including Rice - this has meant examining the nature of evil, of sexuality, of death, of the unconscious
  • Rice adds to her inquiry the existential, modernist quest for meaning in a complex, impassive world
  • This quest, as well as Rice's fascination with the imagery of the Catholic church, her belief in the transforming power of sexual engagement, and her use of place as a metaphor for her characters' states of mind, appears in varying degrees in all of Rice's work: the Gothic fiction (the four books that compose The Vampire Chronicles as well as the nonvampiric tales of the supernatural), the historical novels, even the erotica, which Rice first published under pseudonyms
  • Throughout her analysis Roberts cites the influence of Rice's life on her writing, particularly her Catholic girlhood, her marriage of more than 30 years to poet Stan Rice, the loss of the couple's five-year-old daughter to leukemia, and Rice's attachment to certain locales, especially San Francisco, where she attended college and graduate school, and New Orleans, where she now lives with her husband and son
  • Roberts provides a plot synopsis for each of Rice's novels through The Tale of the Body Thief published in 1992, and subjects each to analysis of Rice's narrative technique, use of language, character development, and thematic concerns. Hers is the first book to offer a critical assessment of the body of Rice's work
  • While some critics still dismiss Rice's efforts as the near-equivalent of dime-store novels in Bram Stoker's nineteenth century, Roberts argues that Rice has proved herself more than capable of proffering rich material for scholarly investigation as well as the private pleasures of a good read
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
xii, 173 p.
Contents
  • Ch. 1. Rice's Life and Art: Liberation in the Savage Garden
  • Ch. 2. Rice and the Gothic Tradition
  • Ch. 3. Interview with the Vampire
  • Ch. 4. The Vampire Lestat
  • Ch. 5. The Queen of the Damned
  • Ch. 6. The Tale of the Body Thief
  • Ch. 7. The Mummy or Ramses the Damned and the Witching Hour
  • Ch. 8. The Historical Novels
  • Ch. 9. The Erotic Fiction
  • Ch. 10. Conclusion
Isbn
9780805739619
Link
Instance
Label
Anne Rice
Title
Anne Rice
Statement of responsibility
Bette B. Roberts
Creator
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
  • In this critical appraisal of the novels created by the contemporary queen of the Gothic, Bette B. Roberts argues that Anne Rice is more than a "popular" writer. Reinventing the vampire figure to reflect on the human condition, Rice is both philosopher and social commentator. Her vampires are a far cry from the leering, black-caped caricature on a lonely quest for blood
  • Unique in the history of vampire lore, they are a feeling community of creatures, each driven by the very human needs for power, recognition, a sense of purpose, and love
  • Roberts traces the history of Gothic fiction and places Rice in the rich tradition of those writers who have used the genre to undertake what one scholar calls "a searching analysis of human concerns." Like Mary Shelley in Frankenstein and Bram Stoker in Dracula, Rice uses the supernatural to explore the realms of human experience that disturb or confuse. For many writers of Gothic fiction - including Rice - this has meant examining the nature of evil, of sexuality, of death, of the unconscious
  • Rice adds to her inquiry the existential, modernist quest for meaning in a complex, impassive world
  • This quest, as well as Rice's fascination with the imagery of the Catholic church, her belief in the transforming power of sexual engagement, and her use of place as a metaphor for her characters' states of mind, appears in varying degrees in all of Rice's work: the Gothic fiction (the four books that compose The Vampire Chronicles as well as the nonvampiric tales of the supernatural), the historical novels, even the erotica, which Rice first published under pseudonyms
  • Throughout her analysis Roberts cites the influence of Rice's life on her writing, particularly her Catholic girlhood, her marriage of more than 30 years to poet Stan Rice, the loss of the couple's five-year-old daughter to leukemia, and Rice's attachment to certain locales, especially San Francisco, where she attended college and graduate school, and New Orleans, where she now lives with her husband and son
  • Roberts provides a plot synopsis for each of Rice's novels through The Tale of the Body Thief published in 1992, and subjects each to analysis of Rice's narrative technique, use of language, character development, and thematic concerns. Hers is the first book to offer a critical assessment of the body of Rice's work
  • While some critics still dismiss Rice's efforts as the near-equivalent of dime-store novels in Bram Stoker's nineteenth century, Roberts argues that Rice has proved herself more than capable of proffering rich material for scholarly investigation as well as the private pleasures of a good read
Member of
Cataloging source
DLC
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Roberts, Bette B
Dewey number
813/.54
Index
index present
LC call number
PS3568.I265
LC item number
Z85 1994
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
Series statement
Twayne's United States authors series
Series volume
TUSAS 644
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Rice, Anne
  • Rice, Anne
  • Rice, Anne
  • Rice, Anne
  • Rice, Anne <1941-> - Critique et interprétation
  • Rice, Anne
  • Women and literature
  • Horror tales, American
  • Gothic revival (Literature)
  • Witchcraft in literature
  • Vampires in literature
  • Louisiana
  • Récits d'horreur américains
  • Littérature frénétique
  • Gothic revival (Literature)
  • Horror tales, American
  • Literature
  • Vampires in literature
  • Witchcraft in literature
  • Women and literature
  • Louisiana
  • United States
  • Littérature frénétique - États-Unis
  • Récits d'horreur américains - Histoire et critique
Label
Anne Rice, Bette B. Roberts
Link
Instantiates
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 163-167) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Ch. 1. Rice's Life and Art: Liberation in the Savage Garden -- Ch. 2. Rice and the Gothic Tradition -- Ch. 3. Interview with the Vampire -- Ch. 4. The Vampire Lestat -- Ch. 5. The Queen of the Damned -- Ch. 6. The Tale of the Body Thief -- Ch. 7. The Mummy or Ramses the Damned and the Witching Hour -- Ch. 8. The Historical Novels -- Ch. 9. The Erotic Fiction -- Ch. 10. Conclusion
Control code
ocm29477710
Dimensions
23 cm.
Extent
xii, 173 p.
Isbn
9780805739619
Lccn
93040509
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
System control number
  • (Sirsi) o29477710
  • (OCoLC)29477710
Label
Anne Rice, Bette B. Roberts
Link
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 163-167) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Ch. 1. Rice's Life and Art: Liberation in the Savage Garden -- Ch. 2. Rice and the Gothic Tradition -- Ch. 3. Interview with the Vampire -- Ch. 4. The Vampire Lestat -- Ch. 5. The Queen of the Damned -- Ch. 6. The Tale of the Body Thief -- Ch. 7. The Mummy or Ramses the Damned and the Witching Hour -- Ch. 8. The Historical Novels -- Ch. 9. The Erotic Fiction -- Ch. 10. Conclusion
Control code
ocm29477710
Dimensions
23 cm.
Extent
xii, 173 p.
Isbn
9780805739619
Lccn
93040509
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
System control number
  • (Sirsi) o29477710
  • (OCoLC)29477710

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