For Classic Literature Heads

[melonpecan]

So here I am, trying to get back to basics. I'm working on my book again about vampires when I come across this well referenced one on the subject and it mentions the "Ancient Mariner".

Now I have read "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" perhaps two or three times since high school for different classes and NONE of my teachers/professors even hinted at the mariner being a vampire or vampiristic in nature. When you look back you realize new things but am I the only one who isn't see it?


Here's a link for those who want to read it:
http://www.online-literature.com/coleridge/646/

 

[phillyphilly]

I read this peice many times, but I too fail to see the connection as well.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner relates the events experienced by a mariner on a long sea voyage

As I was researching this issue, I ran accross this:

CHAPTER TWO. SURRENDERING THE SELF: THE NUMINOUS AND THE VAMPIRE IN COLERIDGE'S "THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER"

As a representative of the Romantic artist, the Ancient Mariner journeys from the primitive, negative numinousness toward positive creativity and communication. Isolated from the divine in the primitive stage through his dread at the mystery and power of the numinous vampire figure, referred to in this discussion as Life-in-Death as she is in later editions of the poem, and through his resulting loss of ego because of that dreadful power, the Mariner recognizes his need for a relationship with divine power and seeks a reunion in the artistic phase as he gains insight into his alienated state by experiencing the condition of Life-in-Death himself. Eventually, he attains a degree of reintegration with the divine, and to some extent with society, as in the creative stage he is forced into the role of communicator carrying the cosmic message of divine unity to those who must hear his tale. The Mariner is associated with the divine by becoming not only the artist/prophet, but also the numen/vampire. Through his penance and through his existence as vampire/artist he serves as the vehicle for the Hermit, the Wedding Guest, and the broader reading and listening audience to relate to the world in a more spiritual sense.

 

[melonpecan]

I read this peice many times, but I too fail to see the connection as well.



As I was researching this issue, I ran accross this:

CHAPTER TWO. SURRENDERING THE SELF: THE NUMINOUS AND THE VAMPIRE IN COLERIDGE'S "THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER"

As a representative of the Romantic artist, the Ancient Mariner journeys from the primitive, negative numinousness toward positive creativity and communication. Isolated from the divine in the primitive stage through his dread at the mystery and power of the numinous vampire figure, referred to in this discussion as Life-in-Death as she is in later editions of the poem, and through his resulting loss of ego because of that dreadful power, the Mariner recognizes his need for a relationship with divine power and seeks a reunion in the artistic phase as he gains insight into his alienated state by experiencing the condition of Life-in-Death himself. Eventually, he attains a degree of reintegration with the divine, and to some extent with society, as in the creative stage he is forced into the role of communicator carrying the cosmic message of divine unity to those who must hear his tale. The Mariner is associated with the divine by becoming not only the artist/prophet, but also the numen/vampire. Through his penance and through his existence as vampire/artist he serves as the vehicle for the Hermit, the Wedding Guest, and the broader reading and listening audience to relate to the world in a more spiritual sense.

The piece that I am working on deals primarily with 19th century vampire tales, not 18th century which is where RotAM would have fallen. Strangely enough, out of what I have gathered the bold portions are not characteristics of the vampire/vampire tale/vampirism. Especially the part about reintegrating into society, . But I have my own theories on this matter of why vamps are so distant.

Thanks for your reponse!

 

[phillyphilly]

You hit it right on the head...The 1800s and 1900s are yet two different words...IE:

The word villain comes from the Medieval, or post Medieval times of the now used word vilain,, which of opposite meanings, as is Villiage or Vill, in which we use today...or in the latter half of the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st Centuries.

So in conclusion, I feel as though their intentions may be of importance during their time, and this could have meant or spelled-out any meaning that one would, if they have an exciting imagination, include that this portion of writing to be...vampirism, not necessarily a vampire...


Just my 2 cents..

 

[phillyphilly]

But I have my own theories on this matter of why vamps are so distant.

...and they are?...please share.

 

[melonpecan]

So in conclusion, I feel as though their intentions may be of importance during their time, and this could have meant or spelled-out any meaning that one would, if they have an exciting imagination, include that this portion of writing to be...vampirism, not necessarily a vampire...

I have found out that there is definitely a difference between a vampire and vampirism. One would normally think that a vamp would exhibit vampiric like behavior, but this is not always the case. Humans to land to objects can exhibit vampiric like qualities. But the qualities we associate with this were not always "the vampire norm" and this is one reason why we have differences between the vampire from century to century (the 20th century vampire took on a whole new form); from country to country (America's take was drastically different from the British perspective); and the medium (new characteristics that helped form the American version emerged when classic vamp stories were turned into theatrical plays).

With that being said, one big part of my study is to focus on vampirism and not just the vampire figure through the years. I still don't see where the Mariner fits in, but for some odd reason I want to revisit Bartleby the Scribner.

...and they are?...please share.

After reading Carmilla, I got to wondering about the central theme of that story, (I really won't get into it here cause I don't want to get banned). Were there others like the vampire Carmilla in her sexual orientation? Yes indeed. One story I found even took to far as to include pedophilia . After a while you get to notice there is this bar for religious consciousness that gets set higher and higher as time goes by. Seeing as how- ahem, same sex partnerships- are everything unholy and the vampire or vampirism is everything unholy one can start to wonder why this unholy union was started or worked so well.


I hope to get started on this as soon as I can get some more resources but there are a bunch of other connections I made that I'm trying to see if anyone else out there has made. I want to take a side topic and hopefully make it to the 2010 aca/pca nat'l conference with it. Either this or my new project: the literature of the Legend of Zelda series. There is only one book dedicated to the philosophy of the series so it's a growing genre.