The Decadent Immortals of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and The Public Poetry of W.H. Auden

Literary critic Alan Jacobs on the decadence of Anne Rice's vampire novels and the social themes in W.H. Auden's poetry. Whereas traditionally vampires are portrayed as blood-hungry fiends, Rice's books extol the power and freedom that these immortals enjoy. Jacobs explores the moral and literary consequences of this unabashed celebration of self-indulgence. Then, Jacobs dissects Auden's poetry and explains how the poet returned to the church after realizing that liberal humanism failed to provide answers to the problem of evil.