Privilege and Place: Teaching Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire to Twenty-First-Century New Orleanians

In “Privilege and Place: Teaching Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire to Twenty-First-Century New Orleanians,” Robin Werner reveals the challenges and rewards of teaching Rice’s novel in New Orleans. She explores the links between vampires and the city to uncover some of the reasons why New Orleans has become one of the worlds most noted vampire cities. She also discusses the pedagogical implications of teaching Rice’s novel to students born and raised in and around New Orleans. Students in UNO’s Vampire Studies classes are from areas like the 9th ward or Chalmette that have been devastated by storms, downturns, and violence. LGBTQ+, Black, Brown, Asian, and/or Indigenous. These twenty-first-century students see something very different in New Orleans than Rice’s Louis does. Dr. Werner reveals the many ways in which her students’ readings of Rice’s novel have challenged her to deepen her own critical examination of the work. “Privilege and Place” also includes a sample reading list and research paper assignment from a general education literature course entitled Women’s Vampire Literature in which Rice’s work is taught.