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Voice of Louis

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We got a question about our headcanon of Louis’ accent in our coffee shop AU collab, and, I thought others might be interested in our answer so here it is!

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[^X] My answer: in canon, Louis would have spoken French as his native language, and Creole in NOLA. Being a vampire, he probably began learning English from various people during his travels with Armand after Paris, and then really got the full dose of it when they were living in NY together in the 20th century.

For our AU, I think of him as having moved to NOLA as a child, and his family moved back to France when he was in college or otherwise old enough to be living on his own; or that he still has family in NOLA, and in modern day, people do speak English there. There’s definitely some Creole and a mixture among the natives now so he might have picked up some of that, but I would think he always went to schools where he had to speak English.

When I visited NOLA (I’ve been a few times now) I didn’t notice everyone there having a heavy southern accent. I would think that a bookworm like Louis might have even less, being kind of antisocial and learning his words from books and speaking mainly to his few close friends and family.

As in canon, his French accent should be noticeable but doesn’t mark him as completely a foreigner, just different emphasis on certain letters, a tendency to hit “th” a little like a “d,” for example.

Gaspard Ulliel’s voice is my headcanon for Louis’ accent, although it is a lower register than I think of Louis.

@wicked-felina​ added:

Yep, I pretty much echo what @i-want-my-iwtv​ says and my headcanon is more or less in tune with hers –

In the fic, Louis comes from a solidly French family from Brittany (I believe we may have stolen this location from @gairid​). He moves with them to New Orleans (or its environs) when he is a child, and he learns English whilst there.

However, his accent is tempered by the following things:

a) His family are Francophone and speak French almost exclusively at home;
b) Their relatives in Louisiana are Acadian, so there is that dialect of French and/or Franglais colouring his accent;
c) The family is upper class

Of course, his English would have the Louisiana lilt to it, but all that above, too.

From my own experience, French people seem to be amongst the ones who most strongly cling to their accent when speaking English. I have worked with and have many friends from France (including from Brittany) who are fluent in English but have that ‘sharpness’ to the consonants that Daniel references in IWTV.

I also have found that every French person I know pronounces ‘idea’ as ‘idee’ (i.e. the French way) no matter how fluent they are. I pointed this out to my French boss once and was told that we pronounce it The Wrong Way because it is a French word. XD

I have notice that most of the fandom tends to forget that Louis didn’t write IWTV, Daniel did ( which means that’s the way he USUALLY TALKS, can you think on having a conversation with him? ) ( and btw, I love your blog )

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Merci! I do my best with this thing. 

Yes, it’s not always so easy to have a conversation w/ Monsieur Louis de Fancypants Language du Lac.

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So I was the anon that lost her shit finishing TVL, lol and now I’m on QOTD. I appreciated all Rice’s lofty writing in IWTV/TVL but it got a little tiring sometimes. Now I have a new respect for Rice on how she is able to drastically adapt her writing depending on the characters’ POV (if that makes sense). And going from 40 BC to the 80s. I liked that chapter about baby jenks and the diction, humor and language. Maybe cause it was a hell of a lot easier to read +Do you have a fav book out of VC?

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Hello again, anon that lost her shit finishing TVL! Keep us posted, I love these fresh impressions of VC bc I can never quite get mine back, that first experience of each of the books I’ve already read. And re-read. Although, I do bring smtg different to them on each re-read, as I’ve gotten older and had more of my own experiences and philosophical revisions to compare to our fave dysfunctional vampires’.

*nods* Yes, AR has shown us many voices in her writing,

I think you put it very well. She has given us POVs from the lofty to the much less lofty. The lofty POVs appeal to ppl who enjoy that and the more modern stuff appeals to ppl who enjoy that… @annabellioncourt helped me out on a post about the voice of Louis, his POV seems to draw on older literature, and he loves to read those books, so of course he would absorb that somewhat anachronistic flavor. Louis may be deliberately making his story a little difficult to read, as he is revealing a lot but also keeping some things secret, keeping Daniel at arm’s length. 

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^Footage of characters from their own POV chapters in one book vying for attention ❤

QOTD was a good collection of this bc she’s jumping characters a lot in that book, which she didn’t do in TVL and IWTV, except to have her main characters sit and listen to others tell their own stories. In those instances, we did get some variation in the POV, but again, it was through the filter of the person who later told/recorded the story for us, the readers (i.e. Lestat telling us about > Marius telling Lestat about > the Elder telling Marius about > the origin of the vampires! Check out @comixqueen‘s VC storyception!)

My fave VC changes over time, but consistently, it’s been TVL. Longer answer here. I did my own VC ranking awhile back, which I skimmed just now and still agree with.

TVL is my fave bc Lestat. LESTAT! He does have flaws, for sure. Flaws that could spiral anyone into depression. But his lust for life overrides everything ❤ 

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^And I think part of why we all love him (those of us that do love him) against our own better judgment is that even when he royally fracks up, he gets back up, dusts himself off, and careens into the next car.

So I’ve finally read Interview with the Vampire (for the very first time) and I can’t decide whether Louis’ narration sounds deep and meaningful or like the stuff I wrote when I was 13. Also, I knew from internet jokes that Lestat is a little shit but god, I HAD NO IDEA. Sorry for spamming u like that, I just had to talk to someone about this book and you are the first person I think of when it comes to Anne Rice

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annabellioncourt:

I’m so glad that you thought of me when you read it! There are far worse things to be associated with omg. And yes: I still wonder if Louis is genuinely deep and depressed, and the pretentious tone comes from honest misery–or if he’s putting on some kind of Byronic mask, unable to actually feel for others any more than the average vampire does, and that this flowery writing is his attempt to reconcile with him self “Yes I CAN feel, I do still maintain that aspect of my humanity.”

And Lestat comes across as the villain because Louis wants him to, when you read the section of The Vampire Lestat that focuses on his time with Louis, you start to wonder how much Louis exaggerated to make himself feel like the long wandering philosopher, and that Lestat was little more than a rich European fleeing his troubles. Lestat, despite being just as melancholic and miserable is affected by things much differently, and unlike Louis, who at the end tries to stay detached from the world, Lestat compensates for his pain by falling in love with everything he sees in the world, throwing himself to the mercy of it in a half-death wish and half-euphoric madness.

They’re both such fascinating characters for the way that they handle pain and their own evilness (there’s a running debate under the surface with all of the vampires “are we inherently wicked becuase of what we are, or are we merely something enhanced, no more wicked than before, but everything we do seems louder?”). The cast of the novels are all so flawed but so heartfelt (often despite themselves).

As far as anti-heroes go, these two drama queens are up on my favorites list with the Phantom and Rochester, (though while Rochester’s failing was merely hiding and running away from his issues, pretending that they weren’t there, I’d say he’s lower on the ‘Byronic anti-hero’ level and more simply a Percy Shelley).

Finally, don’t apologize, I love talking about these books so much. Or at least the first three. I’m ride or die with Anne Rice at this point, but I try to take everything after Queen of the Damned with a grain of salt….or a few cups of salt. A lot of salt….

#Eloquent eloquence #Annabellioncourt #on point as always

They’re both such fascinating characters for the way that they handle pain and their own evilness… The cast of the novels are all so flawed but so heartfelt (often despite themselves).

^For me, this is what elevates VC from many other vampire/supernatural/any other series. If I liked them as vampires there’s plenty of other vampire media out there to get into, but these characters are who they are first, and vampires secondarily.

I would add that ppl are allowed to have those kinds of feelings when they’re 13, it’s around that time that we’re grasping the harsh reality of the real world. Disappointments about one’s expectations not meeting reality… it’s a trying time. 

Whether growing pains are as valid as Louis’ issues (the whole “killing people is wrong but feels right now” is a big one), that’s up to individual reader’s judgment, but I think @annabellioncourt put it very well, that Louis is trying to maintain some dignity with the way he tells his story, which may come across as pretentious by our modern standards. The other thing to remember is that that book was written in the 70′s, and the writing style may seem dated for that reason, as well.

Remember that Louis reads A LOT, and he likes this older literature, so some of the language of the writers he loves seeps into his own language and the way he frames his memories. I think that’s partly why we see/hear so little of Louis in later canon, capturing his voice is a challenge.

I absolutely love your blog! I’ve gone through all the VC cannon and so many of the wonderful fanworks, but now I’m having withdrawals! Is it strange that my solution is to watch Rise of the Guardians? I mean, Jack Frost IS a cheeky undead optimist who’s trying to find his purpose in the world :P My real question is, are there any Lestatesque/VC-esque books or movies you’d recommend? I agree that OLLA and What We Do in the Shadows are fantastic >:D

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Merci beaucoup, glad you like this thing! You want more?

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You do, I see >:}

I’d agree w/ you about Jack Frost, he’s forced into his immortal status by accident, too, and he’s orphaned and has to figure out what to do w/ himself, too. Jack and Lestat are definitely both

cheeky undead optimists! And yes, OLLA and What We Do in the Shadows are fantastic, that’s for sure! Those movies were very much the VC movie we had been waiting for, with different facets of VC-adjacentness. OLLA more for the aesthetic and WWDITS more for the comedy.

I don’t think that any ONE movie or book (or book series) has all the ingredients that make up that unique VC flavor but there are many that are adjacent. I knew this was going to end up being a masterpost, that’s why it took so long. Also I restrained myself from any Tom Cruise movies. He should have his own masterpost ;D

*cracks knuckles* Okayyy… SO, 

VC-Adjacent is more doable than Lestatuesque, bc everyone’s headcanon of Lestat varies and we all know how attached I am to Tom Cruise So I’ll give you one Lestatuesque rec and the rest are VC-Adjacent.

Lestatuesque: 

Blade Runner (1982) – this movie is mentioned in canon (QOTD). AR had wanted to cast Rutger Hauer as Lestat. But he was too old when they finally got IWTV into production D: so watch this and see her vision for Lestat.

Over and over [Armand] watched Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, fascinated by Rutger Hauer, the powerfully built actor who, as the leader of the rebel androids, confronts his human maker, kisses him, and then crushes his skull. It would bring a slow and almost impish laugh from Armand, the bones cracking, the look in Hauer’s ice-cold blue eye.

“That’s your friend, Lestat, there,” Armand whispered once to Daniel. “Lestat would have the… how do you say?… guts?… to do that!”

In no particular order* 

(and @annabellioncourt​ helped me out here, so wherever there’s an *, those are her recs that I agreed with)(and there are other movies I love obviously, but I tried to limit this list to VC-Adjacent only; and I couldn’t think of any of my fave books that come close enough to fit in here).

Vampire movies:

  • *Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) – Well this goes w/o saying, and it also shared movie!IWTV’s Michele Burke as head of the makeup dept ;D
  • The Lost Boys (1987) – @skeletalroses​ is kind of my authority on this one, and >>>this movie is cited as a major inspiration for WWDITS.<<<
  • What We Do in the Shadows (2014)- Including it on here bc of reasons, this is a very classy documentary of several vampires flatting together in New Zealand as a big coven ball approaches.
  • Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) – Including it on here bc of reasons, this is a very classy film of several vampires visiting together in Detroit, Michigan, and Tangiers, Morocco, as the world is slowly taken over by the “zombies” (not actual ones, metaphoric ones). And there are alot of parallels between the married couple and Claudia Ava, who is thirsty all the time and above the law bc of course she is.
  • Shadow of the Vampire (2000) – It’s a behind-the-scenes fanfic of the filming of the legendary Nosferatu! Mostly horror w/ a dash of comedy. Bonus: Eddie Izzard.
  • Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995) – Yeah I love Leslie Nielsen, fight me. It’s a Dracula parody. This will never not be funny.
  • Jennifer’s Body (2009) – well she’s not really a vampire but she eats ppl, so close enough. I love the dynamic between Jennifer and her best friend, how you’re not sure whether Jennifer wants to bring her into this, or just terrify her, but there is something kind of Akasha-esque about this creature.
  • Let the Right One In (2008) – the original is better than the US remake (Let Me In, 2010) but they’re both worth watching. Child vampire! Choosing a new BFF! She has to respect the Being Invited In Rule, tho.
  • The Little Vampire (2000) – a cuter child vampire, w/o much of the angst of being a child vampire, overall super cute and I had to include this bc of Jack Frost. 

Other Horror movies/shows:

  • *Crimson Peak (2015) – @annabellioncourt​ says: “would be a fair addition because of the atmosphere of it as well as its campy factor”
  • Hannibal (2013-2015) – the TV series bc #murder husbands, like c’mon. One pushing the other into being more murdery and the other resisting it. @cloudsinvenice informed us that “Bryan Fuller was a huge IWTV fan growing up – there’s a Nerdist podcast in which he describes how, at the age of 13, he phoned Anne Rice because he wanted to work on the IWTV screenplay. The story is a gem and starts about 32 minutes in, but the whole thing is really great.”
  • The Walking Dead (2010-current) – my new drug, group dynamics, fighting for supremacy, survival, romance, killing!
  • Sweeney Todd (2007) – It’s pretty goth, it has some comedy, it has murder, it has ppl pining for each other. Also, a musical. My fave is the whole By the Sea song sequence bc Helena is trying so hard!
  • The Witches of Eastwick (1987) – Jack Nicholson is the devil and wants to make his own harem of 3 powerful witches what could possibly go wrong? There is a hilariously awful scene in a church. Jack approaches Lestatuesque levels of charm as he courts these women, and then there’s supernatural stuff going on. 
  • The Addams Family (1991) – Gomez and Morticia have the kind of ship Lestat would kill for. He would probably dig their aesthetic to some extent, too. Also murderous kids, who are encouraged to be murderous. ONE HAPPY FAMILY.
  • Black Swan (2010) – something about this, maybe the aesthetic, feels very Theatre Des Vampires.
  • Beetlejuice (1988) – Alec Baldwin! Looked like this once upon a time! But mostly, ppl dealing with being dead and not having a very helpful ghost w/ the most trying to help them. When it works for him.
  • Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) – campy, musical, murdery, I still don’t really know what it all really means but it’s fun. Dr. F can be compared to Lestat, in that he’s lusty, charming, glamorous, materialistic, bossy as hell, has a real mean streak, tries to make the perfect lover for himself and fails at it over and over… an essay could be written comparing them. @laurasking is my authority on RHPS.

Other movies/shows:

  • Phenomenon (1996) – Telekinesis and someone dealing w/ acquiring it, and how his community treats him bc of it. THIS IS CUTE so like, yeah, much further away, I almost didn’t include it. Gonna lose my reputation over this rec OH WELL it’s your fault, Anon, bc Jack Frost.

Anime – recc’d by my best friend:

  • Vampire Princess Miyu – “similar atmosphere" 
  • Witch Hunter Robin – “quite gothic”
  • Otogizoushi – “very atmospheric" 

Annbellioncourt’s Recs bc she is classier than me:

  • Byzantium (2012) – Neil Jordan’s first vampire movie since IWTV
  • Wolfman (2010) – “its cheesey, but its atmospheric, spooky, and bloody”
  • The Hunger (1983) – “is one I always suggest to people wanting more”
  • The Bloody Chamber And Other Stories – Angela Carter
  • Carmilla – Bunch of adaptations of this.
  • A Taste of Blood Wine – 

    Freda Warrinton

  • Blood Opera Sequence – 

    Tanith Lee

  • Historian – Elizabeth Kostova

  • Fevre Dream (yes its spelled fevre) by George R. R. Martin (yes, its THAT Martin, and his take on vampires is Very Good.)
  • Sunshine by Robin McKinley
  • The Delicate Dependency by Michael Talbot
  • The Hunger by Whitley Scriber

Voice of Louis – or, “I’ve had to listen to that, for centuries.”

@annabellioncourt​ had cited the following as similar to Louis’ voice in IWTV:

  • “Oscar Wilde’s era of the very late 19th century, which is what most people think of today when they think “Victorian writing.”

“Similar in voice (though not subject) would also be:

  • Matthew Arnold (read some of his essays, and tell me that’s not how Louis talks),
  • Wilkie Collins
  • Henry James

Moar recs from her under Spooky Book Recommendations

Anyone can feel free to comment or reblog this with their own recs *u*

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remarried:

Louis doodle I found on my other computer :O

“Then kill me!” he answered. “I wish that you would. But don’t kill human beings! Don’t interfere with them. Even if they kill each other! Give them time to see this new vision realized; give the cities of the West, corrupt as they may be, time to take their ideals to a suffering and blighted world.” – Louis, Queen of the Damned

Source: remarried

That Nicolas ask made me curious.. Do you have any headcanons about what any of the characters’ voices sound like?

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That’s a really tough question! When I read the books I read them all in MY voice, which sounds like an 11 yr old girl’s. So that wouldn’t work.

Probably gonna get alot of disagreement on this and that’s fine, bc voice casting is even MORE subjective that acting casting but I’ll give it a shot anyway. Reblog w/ your own ideas, and try to include links to vids.

Lestat – His voice is actually not that low, bc he was turned at 20-21, but it gets higher-pitched when he raises his voice. Has that slightly ragged singer’s voice edge to it. Can do a wide range, though, can imitate voices, musical notes, animal sounds, etc. Usually to perturb others.

Lestat will go up to Armand and say something like, “Ooooh Marius, paint me like one of your Italian boysssss…” in Armand’s voice which is always amusing, whatever reaction he gets.

Other than Tom Cruise (bc he’d be the easy answer), I’m gonna go w/ Sebastian Bach in the 80’s. Or Ewan McGregor in Velvet Goldmine.

Hit the jump for more.

(I didn’t include PL characters for the sake of brevity)(You can add them in the comments)(I also didn’t find good vid examples for all of these, sorries)

Louis – A mellow, calming voice. He can silence a room with a concise and gentlemanly eloquent statement. In canon, it’s mentioned more than once that you can hear his French accent. He himself doesn’t notice it, of course, bc he’s Mr. Pointe du Lacking-Any-Vanity-Whatsoever. Louis Garrel would be a good pick.

Armand – I’ve always felt like the Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan was very Armand in his singing voice, he has all the anguish and beauty that is Armand. In his speaking voice, it’s soft, and you can hear something broken there, but it’s smooth, controlled.

Daniel – Has a slight vocal growl, like River Phoenix (Or maybe Aaron Tveit), and altho he has a relatively low voice, he’ll always sound like he’s 20 on the phone.

Marius – Michael Fassbender, @sheepskeleton​ made me see it and I can’t unsee it. A commanding but gentle teacher’s voice.

David – As an old man, he had that perfect older Dad-vibe; comforting, ex-adventurer, wise, with more than a touch of charming sass. So Kurt Russell would be a good voice, but he needs the noticeable British accent.

post-TOBT David is David Gandy. He’s got the British voice, the charm, etc.! Young or old, David’s laugh is that old-man whiskey laugh, mostly air!

Gabrielle – She has a dignity about her and it comes through in her voice. Her laughter sparkles, but it’s rare. She has a very commanding Mom Voice, the kind where she can yell w/o raising her voice. Gonna go with fan favorite Charlize Theron. Or Nicole Kidman, or Michelle Pfeiffer, obviously, too.

Bianca – Scarlett Johansson. @everlastingporcelain​ has convinced me that Scarlett = Bianca and I can’t unsee/hear it. Sass, charm, vocal growl, wholesomeness, and an advanced maturity.

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merciful-death:

devilsfool:

thelionscrimsonclaws:

i-see-light:

Can we talk about… how Louis repeatedly has visual/auditory/tactile hallucinations, episodes of dissociation and depersonalization, and panic and anxiety attacks all throughout IWTV but these things are never really touched upon again in the series… like these are all possible symptoms of very severe depression, which I guess Rice alludes to Louis having throughout the series, but like honestly Louis was barely functional in IWTV and that’s never really been demonstrated again… in the later books Louis is always described as being calm, quiet, morally exceptional, conveniently kind, and romantically “sad.” I’ve always felt like the others’ perception of Louis was completely different from Louis’s perception of himself in his own account, and I wonder what ever happened to that intensity in his character in IWTV. I think if it’s touched upon later at all, it’s in Merrick? A little? Still though, it feels like Louis was conveniently stabilized and made static in the narrative in order to make him an easier character to sideline lmao

Very much so…..

//Frankly, this is an astute observation. And I think a lot of the changes in Louis’ character came, frankly, from his author no longer wishing to associate with him. Anne made it quite clear that she hated Louis’ voice and never wished to write in it again–and it took her almost forty years (39, to be exact) for her to be able to write in it again (I’m referring to the Epilogue in Prince Lestat). 

ooc; I agree with @devilsfool re: Anne.  I believe she was actually quoted at one point after writing Merrick saying that she didn’t want to ever write in Louis’ voice again???  Or something like that.  She definitely expressed not caring all that much for his character.

But I can agree with what you’re saying too, because ultimately, IwtV was the only first-person narrative from Louis until the last chapter of PL.  I’ve always felt Louis to be this intense perfectionist that can’t tolerate his own downfalls, and I definitely agree that he shows numerous symptoms of depression.  He’s his biggest critic, and I think that shows a lot in IwtV.

I feel like IwtV would have seemed a lot different if told from Lestat’s perspective?  Because while Lestat may get really, really angry with Louis sometimes, his descriptions of Louis are the most glorified in the books.  He’ll talk about Louis moping around, but he paints a general picture of Louis being a very strong person that is dedicated to his convictions.  Louis is literally his emotional rock, and really, I don’t believe Lestat would actually ever openly write of any breakdowns Louis may or may not have had.  And I feel like if Louis was to have a bad bout of depression, Lestat would be the one to know, above anyone else.

Then you have Khayman’s description of Louis, where he flat out says that Louis can’t exist without Lestat.  And Armand’s bit about Louis in TVA paint him as very melancholy, imo.

I also look at where Louis was when he gave the interview.  He’s a very careful, private person, and he had his reasons for giving the interview in the first place (which can be debated in itself; I’ve always thought it was a cry out for Lestat and/or suicidal recklessness).  He’d been alone for years and felt he’d nothing left.  He was infuriated that Daniel didn’t see his story as despairingly as he himself viewed it to be.  Louis felt down on everything at that point, and I don’t know that he’d really be that open with his experiences and feelings on any other night?

Idk, I’ve always felt that for as emotional as Louis seems to be, he still sucks majorly at actually dealing with his own emotions.  Which is how I reason his major breakdown(s) in Merrick.

/writing this at 1am and hopes it makes sense lol

#YES #THIS #this post cannot be improved upon

Gonna add 2 things anyway.

1 – AR wrote IWTV after the loss of her daughter. Louis was pretty much AR herself, dealing with that grief, questioning a God as to why he had to punish her so much. What did Louis do to deserve a life-in-death living hell? What did Claudia do to deserve eternal imprisonment in that little body? What did AR’s daughter do to deserve dying so painfully at such an early age?

In the end, Louis (and the readers) draws his own answers and has to come to some kind of peace in order to move on. Lestat has his Savage Garden, in which peace lies in the fact that there is no explanation, bad things just happen to good people. The most we can do is try to do Good and help eachother survive the slings and arrows, try not to be the slinger of arrows, and if we are, to do it for the sake of Good. We’re all imperfect.

2 – Louis’ voice is pretty damn hard to write, when done well. My guess is that AR didn’t see a need to revisit his POV, especially with the intensity of focus it required. @annabellioncourt​ had some excellent points on this awhile back:

“Louis is more along the lines of the Oscar Wilde’s era of the very late 19th century, which is what most people think of today when they think “Victorian writing.” Similar in voice (though not subject) would also be Matthew Arnold (read some of his essays, and tell me that’s not how Louis talks), Wilkie Collins, and Henry James.

”…Louis is not so much involved in human goings on, he’s aware of events and films, but still speaks in the language of the century where he spent the most time communicating with others–also he would not have lost his speech patterns over those decades with Armand because Armand was mostly isolated in his language circles. So we can look at all of that as to why Louis talks the way he does.“

“Louis does show a HEAVY influence from the French symbolist poets (the school that Charles Baudelaire was from).”

And of course Louis would express himself in the language of the writers he enjoyed. OF COURSE HE WOULD. We all know he’s basically a big ol’ bookworm w/ fangs.

Hi most beautiful of the beautiful :* I have kinda sorta read that you ship Louis and Lestat pretty hard (and who doesn’t) so what do you say to Anne Rice seemingly forgetting about Louis once in a while? I mean, he’s been on a pretty low profile in many of the books, unless I missed something?

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annabellioncourt:

i-want-my-iwtv:

Why thank u dear, such a lovely compliment! I shall have to post more selfies… unless u are referring to my inner beauty of which I have an abundance *u*

I do ship L/L! Absolutely! However did u guess?? sometimes Louis doesn’t ship them but thats fine bc nobody ships L/L as hard as Lestat ships L/L.

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[fanart by FiestaTB ]

ANYWAY: Why u no write so much Louis, Anne Rice?

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[memeything by vampchronfic]

I don’t remember when exactly, but I think AR did call Louis a “damaged pilgrim” at one point. There’s that.

If you want to cry over Louis, read Merrick, if you haven’t already. He has a lead role in that one ;] But be prepared because your feels will be squarely hit.

Hit the jump for my thoughts on why we don’t get much Louis action post-IWTV.

Keep reading

(ok because Louis spoke in English, and the French followed MOST of the same patterns in literary history, I’m going to base this mostly with British literature)

Yep! Louis manner of talking was much more flowery. It was lush and decorative without the higher philosophical trappings of the earlier 1800′s. Louis is more along the lines of the Oscar Wilde’s era of the very late 19th century, which is what most people think of today when they think “Victorian writing.” Similar in voice (though not subject) would also be Matthew Arnold (read some of his essays, and tell me that’s not how Louis talks), Wilkie Collins, and Henry James.

The trade mark of the era was the fading out in popularity of language for the sake of language: the British (and to a lesser extent the French) had a love for the intricacy of the language, how it all worked together, and (take a look at Charles Dickens for an Example of this) it would result in using several paragraphs to tell what could be summed up in a couple sentences. 

The realists in France and a few in Russia (as the Russians idolized France in the 1800′s) were starting something new by the close of the century: keeping their prose short, sweet and to the point. With no less artistry they found beauty in a minimalistic approach: instead of “Roses of velvet that matched the shade the rubies dripping from the mark of the asp on Cleopatra’s breast,” for example, it was now “soft, bloody roses.” 

They still evoke the same image, but not the same tone. 

Going back to what this has to do with Louis: he’s not so much involved in human goings on, he’s aware of events and films, but still speaks in the language of the century where he spent the most time communicating with others–also he would not have lost his speech patterns over those decades with Armand because Armand was mostly isolated in his language circles. So we can look at all of that as to why Louis talks the way he does.

I’m sorry if that was incoherent and rambling; I’m cooking and writing at the same time.

^I knew I could count on annabellioncourt for some​​ excellent points ❤ 

She also added: “Louis does show a HEAVY influence from the French symbolist poets (the school that Charles Baudelaire was from).”

Of course Louis would express himself in the language of the writers he enjoyed. OF COURSE HE WOULD. We all know he’s basically a big ol’ bookworm w/ fangs.