Drink

And even in my love and absorption with the beauty of the world, I sought to learn nothing that could be given back to humanity. I drank of the beauty of the world as a vampire drinks.

So said Louis de Point du Lac towards the end of Anne Rice's Interview with Vampire, in reflection upon his two hundred-odd years as an immortal. I read this book only a few weeks ago, and now that I've seen the film adaptation too I feel profoundly connected to it, as marionette and Puppeteer both. Vampire fiction may not seem like the most obvious choice for one looking to explore the theme of 'dollhood', but Rice's book more than any other I've read seems to epitomise the ideals which I now hold so dear.

Those who've seen the film or read the book will know that Claudia is my reference here - the five-year old girl, frozen in age and beauty the moment she was turned into a vampire; a woman with the appearance of a beautiful toy, and a predeliction for the dolls she is gifted. Claudia is treated like a doll too, and in a liberal sense I believe this could be a part of Louis' bond with her. She is his doll-like daughter, to be cherished and lavished with beauty.

I shall resist temptation to go on, as the book is a think of beauty to be experienced first-hand. I recommend either medium; though the film and book differ on some points, none of them are a part of the essential plot, but the book obviously has much more tell, of mood and detail. I read this expecting a gripping vampiric tale, and received much more than that from my efforts. I fell for its romantic plot, but also for its characters, empathising deeply with both Louis and Claudia - the girl for her 'dolliness', and Louis as a true aesthete. He is above all guide for this doll-like creature - someone any Puppeteer would aspire to, realised in film. My own Puppeteer is not a vampire in the literal sense of course, but now I begin to feel a similarity. Beauty can be as blood, and though I have dreams of giving some of it back, I remain content to gorge on its aesthetic delights.

...it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst...

~ Lester Burnham in American Beauty