I've refrained from posting about the Twighlight phenomenon for a long time. Mostly because I didn't want to offend, or worse, be hated. That last comment was facetious. Kind of. But it's true that everyone I know except two friends (you know who are are) is--if not obsessed with--at least a fan of the books and excited about the movie being released today. Perhaps everyone else is just smart enough to keep their mouths shut about it.
Well, I was going to be smart enough too until I heard about this:
Teen-vampire drama Twilight may not arrive in theaters until next Friday, but it's already a blockbuster by the surest measure: the prerelease riot! At San Francisco's Stonestown Galleria yesterday, a planned autograph signing with Robert Pattinson — who plays bloodsucking protagonist Edward Cullen in the movie — ended in several trampled teenagers and a broken nose when more than 3,000 people showed up (instead of the expected 500), hilariously overwhelming the mall's lone security guard. (From New York Magazine)
People, my sister, Diana (I just wanted to make her read this)--now a SF resident--could have been trampled had she decided to do some early Christmas shopping that day! Now what used to feel like a purely moral obligation to air my grievances with this story has an added family/public saftey dimension. How can I resist further?
First, let me say that I know a lot of people were unhappy with Meyers' final installment of the Twilight series. I'm not even going to go there. I've only read the first two books, and the first seems to be the one that hooks everyone, so my comments are going to relate to that one alone.
I'm not even sure what to title my list. I could use "Why Twilight Sucks," but there are lots of books that suck and I don't feel as strongly about them. I think my reaction is so strong because I actually feel like it's dangerous (and not only as a trample-threat to Diana). Here goes then.
Why Twilight Is Dangerous
1. It's horrendously written. Though even many fans acknowledge this, I don't understand why Meyers' editors let her get away with such slop. Sure, it sells, but a better edited version would too and publishing a book in this state just lowers the bar for the quality of popular fiction.
2. It's a trashy romance novel dressed up as something else. My objection is not that this book is too smutty per se. I read literature that contains sexual content. I'm a grown-up and can handle it. However, I don't read books whose sexual content has no purpose other than titillation (e.g. harlequin romances). Well, Twilight is a harlequin romance without the explicit sex. A harlequin romance for Mormons (thanks to Josh for that pithy characterization).
To be clear: if the pages and pages of lusting and repressed sexuality functioned in an interesting or useful way in the novel, that would be one thing. But they don't. And so on the one hand you're left with a harlequin romance with all the spicy scenes deleted (who reads those for the stories?) and on the other, you've got a book that mainly serves to titillate in a more "chaste" or "PG" or "Mormon" way--in a way that is deemed accetable by our culture, in other words. (Where "our culture" is composed of Mormons, 12-year-old girls, and self-respecting grown women everywhere.)
3. The main character is a nobody. She's completely and totally flat. For a good portion of the novel she's so spineless that she almost doesn't exist. The whole time I was reading it, I kept wondering how anyone, including Edward, could be attracted to such a girl, a girl with no personality to speak of. (Oh yeah--harlequins aren't about personality.) But really, this is one of the most dangerous aspects of the novel in my mind. Who do the young girls drawn to this book see as its hero? A girl who apparently has no interests other than boys and who apparently has no self when she is without one of them. That's a scary kind of person to have young girls looking up to. I'd pick a strong, smart Hermoine over a shadow like Bella any day for my daughter to emulate.
4. The romantic relationship at the novel's center is border-line abusive. Even without the very appropriate vampire trimmings, it's a relationship based on consumption. And that's never good.
I realize that many of my arguments have a potentially problematic core--that art should be something we model our lives after. I don't believe that's true. But I do believe that in this case, it happens, especially to readers who due to age or inexperience lack sophistication. How else to explain the wild success that Twilight has seen?
Its readers are in love with Edward. Or they're in love with the idea of being in love. In either case, the "love" offered by Meyers is something to make those of us who share her alma mater and her religion ashamed of.
Wow. That came off a lot harsher than I was planning. I guess I shouldn't supress my opinions for so long in the future. If you love Twilight, I still love you. (In a way that Bella never could.)
Okay, I'll stop.
Well, just one thing. I'm willing to admit I'm wrong and that you have a good reason for liking Twilight. Just because I can't think of one, doesn't mean one doesn't exist.
28 comments:
That's awesome! I don't know why your post makes me smile. I actually liked the books, but I think that all of what you wrote is SO true. Each book I read I kept thinking that Bella would turn into this amazing girl with depth or a least a little something (intellect, whit, style, anything!), but she never did, she was in all ways weak & dependent. By the end of the series I was dying. But the first book was entertaining and that is why I liked it. And I'll probably see the movie (bowing head in shame :)
This coming from someone who read at least two of the books. No, not just one, the first one that you critique and abhor, but the next one as well. You were hooked.
I haven't read the books, and as you know I have my own theories as to why it is such a success among Mormon audiences in particular, but as a vampire and werewolf enthusiast (just lost all credibility), I like where she has gone with the mythology. The idea of the lycanthropic gene existing in Native American culture? Brilliant. Such a great melding of two mythologies. My friend Brando who likes vampires much more than me and has read the books likes her decision to make the vampires invulnerable to light. I personally could care less, but what I'm saying is that she is at least has an original take on the mythos and is adding something to the conversation.
So, while I won't waste all of my free time in a week to read this book, I can likely be convinced by good advertising to waste an hour and a half at the movie theater.
I be fair, the books are not without pull. However, the main reason I read the second one was to see if it in any way redeemed the first.
So I removed my first comment because I thought maybe I was being a little extreme, and people who liked Twilight would probably come after me with a flaming wooden stake.
Your post identified the primary issues that I see as problematic--the age-inappropriate romantic scenes(which I find especially disturbing in their implications to young girls that their boyfriends would also have Edward's level of self-control), its terrible writing, and its bloodless (so to speak) central feminine character.
Many people have told me, "Oh...the writing's not that great, but it's for teenagers, so..." which makes me even more distressed. First of all, the implication that this type of drivel is appropriate for teenagers. Isn't that an insult to their intelligence? And how will they know to look for anything better if this is what's deemed appropriate to their intellectual capacity and age?
Secondly, and even more of a concern, is the fact that the primary audience for these books is young and very impressionable. In essence, what this book is telling them is that these types of relationships are not only exciting and passionate, but very manageable. Of COURSE your boyfriend can stay in your room all night and nothing will happen! No, the kissing will stop by itself before it leads to other things!! Yes, it's okay to lie to your parents and your friends! Things like this will make you happy in the end!! Right? Or not.
I loathe the whole genre of Mormon romances (and I see this book as a sort of child of the genre) because I see them as escapist literature that ultimately damages real-life relationships. Maybe they're not as smutty as harlequin romances, but they sure come close--I don't think a reader necessarily needs very overt and descriptive passages in order to distort their thinking.
With all this said, I probably will see the movie when it comes out on DVD. Not because I particularly care about the books or the characters, but because I'm interested in it as a student of adaptation theory: I want to see if the producers can create a decent movie out of a book with atrocious writing but a compelling plot (I'll give her that).
I read Twilight because my roommates were obsessed with it, because I had a rainy Saturday with nothing to do, and because when I complained of being bored, my roommate shoved the book into my hands. I suppose it was better than curling up on my bed and staring at the window for three hours, but only just. (And for the record, I skipped the next two books and read 2/3 of the fourth just to see how bad it was. Yes, it was just that bad.)
I think Meyers and her publishers made an interesting decision in marketing a book whose main character is a cardboard cutout (I was railing at Bella for the whole book to grow some personality!) and this is what frightens me most about the book. Bella is a blank slate precisely so that young girls can insert themselves into her position, overlay their personality onto her (nonexistent) personality, and envision themselves in her (extremely disturbing) relationship with Edward. Which accounts for the success, and also for why I am so creeped out by these books and their fandom. I have adult friends--single women ages 20-25--who are looking for a guy like Edward and proclaim their disdain for any guy who doesn't fit that standard. I haven't dared ask if they're overlooking the obsessed controlling stalker part of his character--in the fourth book he sabotages Bella's beloved car so that she will be forced to accept the one he gives her--, or if they want that too.
There are so many other things that are so wrong with this series, but I need to get back to studying. >.> Thanks for this post!
I find your post and all the comments very interesting. I actually agree with you about most of it, though I have to admit that I like Twilight. (Escapist literature, sure, but sometimes I need to escape) Anyway, as a person who enjoyed reading Twilight, I can see where you're coming from and your concerns are valid.
Interesting.
I think you must have nothing better to do than sit and over analyze books. Just read it for the fun of reading and enjoy the passion. Or get a hobby so you don't have so much time to think and am=nalyze every word in the book. I enjoyed the series, but have neither the time nor the desire to get so wrapped up in finding the flaws. I read to read.
Anonymous--What do I do when analyzing books IS one of my hobbies? Crap.
Hey Rach! Wow! I just read the anonymous comment...this is YOUR blog and have every right to voice your opinion...anyway just thought i'd throw that one out there :)
So, Jay and I read the Harry Potter books together and were looking for another book series to start reading...my VT were over the other day and mentioned how good these books were, I was hesitant the minute they mentioned vampires. Your post has put my small interest in reading these to rest...so thanks!
Thanks for you're sweet comments by the way :) Zoe is so cute! hope you guys are well! Tell your parents i said hi next time you see them.
ps. i 100% believe in the "snoedel" concept...james has an osito that has been his bed buddy since he was about 4 months. i hope it works for your little girl :)
I haven't read these books because I haven't heard anything to make me think they might be good.
From everything I understand, these books are the female equivalent to Eragon. And that was written by a 15-year-old. To be fair, I haven't read those books either. So here I am, passing all kinds of judgment on beloved, poorly-written teen fantasy novels that I've never even read. Shame on me.
I don't know you but your article was linked to another non-Twilight fan (so your not alone). Thank you for the insight. I'm a Twilight virgin myself and planning to stay that way. I'll admit I've been a tiny bit curious what all the hype is over because it just all sounds so lame in my little brain. Thanks for honesty and keep analyzing books..I always think it's cheap when people comment negatively yet do so anonymously.
I really do love you! All of these reasons are true. I hate Bella, I don't want to take over your blog and list all the reasons I hate the book, because you have already done it. Number 3 on your list is the biggest reason I hate the books, and you worded it perfectly! I wish I could take those hours back. What an annoying and horrible experience. I do plan on seeing the movie, but not until it goes to the dollar theater.
came here from rachael's blog and can't help but say AMEN AND AMEN AND AMEN!
this is exactly what i have been trying to explain to anyone who doesn't get why i didn't like the books. i love that my 8th graders are reading ANYTHING, but i sure wish they had a better role model in bella, a better example of quality writing, and a better, healthier perspective on normal relationships. alas.
anyway, thanks for writing my rant for me.
OH I totally agree!!! I have mostly kept my mouth shut about this too...mostly because I don't care enough about it to say anything EXCEPT I would NEVER let my daughter read this book...OK well that might be overstating it. I would never want her to read it...for all of those reasons you said. I only read the first book...it was all I could stomach. And I am not a book snob. I read all kinds of (sometimes mindless) books. But it was terrible, and I was so annoyed the whole time about how helpless Bella is and how she has to be saved all the time, and how (like you said) borderline abusive their relationship is. NOT a good message for young girls. I thought I was the only one who had these concerns...thanks for this post.
I'm glad you still love me, Rach. I do love TWILIGHT. And I feel sort of responsible for your suppressed feelings since I helped talk you into reading it. Sorry about that. ;)
I guess I just wanted to say that there are good reasons for liking TWILIGHT and that mine is simply that I got caught up in the story. I don't make a habit of reading harlequin romances, but I didn't feel like I was slumming by reading this book. I can enjoy Tolstoy and Eliot and Joyce at the same time as I enjoy Meyer and Rowling and Card. And no one should ever be ashamed of the books they read or the reasons they have for enjoying them.
As far as Bella goes, I think many girls (and self-respecting women) like her because she is a sort of nobody who one day meets someone extraordinary. She's not a role model. I feel certain Meyer never intended her to be. And, despite having handed the book to many, many girls (and talked about it with them after), I've never seen one try to model her life after Bella's. They can differentiate between real life and fantasy. They just enjoyed the story. Or not, as the case may be. And either way is fine with me.
Angiegirl--No worries about introducing me to the book. I would have read it anyway to see what the rage was all about.
Just for the record, I'm not opposed to reading for entertainment (and I'm a big fan of both Rowling and Card).
And I agree that getting caught up in a story is a good reason to read it. That has to happen to me on some level with everything I read.
Finally, I think you bring up an interesting point about the role of of art (or fiction particularly) in our lives, one that merits more discussion--though I'm not sure how useful it's going to be in a blog comment. I totally agree with your note about fictional characters not being--or needing to be--role models. What a boring artistic world that would be were such the case.
And I'm certainly not worried about a reader like you. What does worry me--and perhaps this says more about me as a teenager than anything else--are the young girls who perhaps aren't going to model their lives on Bella but who might take her passiveness and victimhood as a legitimization of such behavior, when I think that her responses are something that young girls should be actively taught to fight against.
But I think the larger question perhaps is what is attractive about Bella as a character at all. Even--or perhaps especially-- flawed, morally reprehensible characters have a substance to them that makes them interesting, that makes them worthy of representation. I guess that for me Bella isn't just a "nobody." A nobody might live an average life but they would have more of a personality. To me, Bella is a shadow, a shadow that a reader inhabits in order to on some level consume Edward (who is in turn consuming that shadow).
But that's getting too abstract maybe. In the end, do I think Twilight is going to ruin the world and damage young girls everywhere? No. My objections to it are mostly academic in nature. And I don't think any less of you for liking it, nor do I think you should have to defend your reasons for doing so. And I appreciate your point of view and the articlateness with which you present it! So thanks.
You are RIGHT on. I have felt this way for years now and am viewed as self-righteous by others for feeling so. But you hit my three biggest issues on the head.
Especially the Bella issue. What an underwhelming heroine. If this is the role model girls today are given they are going to fail miserably in the real world where you have to make hard decisions and know how to stand up for yourself. Give me Elizabeth Bennett ANY day of the week.
Bravo for voicing your opinion and doing it so eloquently.
Oh, there's so much I want to say, but I have a one year old climbing all over me. So, to keep it short and simple - amen, amen, amen.
:)
I found you via a link from another and ended up linking to you on my blog. I am - as stated below by some of my friends - a "non-believer" in the Twilight saga. Or, better said, I am a BELIEVER in strong women, strong minds and whole lives and relationships. All not found or portrayed in the Twilight series.
I agree with your former writers. All stories don't have to written with rose colored glasses, portraying a "Leave it to Beaver" type existence. Not many could relate to that. However, as a mother of 2 daughters, I AM a advocate of literature displaying real-life consequences. If you choose (blank), then your result will be (blank). That is what I DID not see in the the first (and only) book I read. Not healthy. Especially for its target audience(young women).
So Meyers - you have the benefit of knowing "truth" in your life. Share it. Not in gospel principles form, mind you. But show how impure, dishonest and "gray" decisions lead to dreary and distasteful consequences. That's when you'll get readership from me, my daughters and other like-minded women.
Well, I am finally feeling better! Sorry I took so long to get back to you. So, just Noah is leaving, and unfortunately we don't have an exact date as to when that will be. A good estimation would be in the next two or three weeks. After he finishes his training, which will be about 6 months after he leaves, I will move out with him to North Carolina with the kids.
I'm just a blogger friend x 13 I believe, but I thought I would comment;)
I actually love the twilight series--but strictly as an adult reader who needed a bit-oh-fun. Letting my daughter read it--not so much.
However, I don't look at Bella as an example (if you can believe it her character is even more crummy in the movie). When reading (yes, all 4) books, I found myself drawn to the idea of vampires amongst us rather than the love story between Bella and Edward. As if a world within a world existed. It was some fun sci-fi type reading for me:)
I also need to point out that Bella's character did seem to develop a few books down the road. Once a vampire, her talents (or depth to her character) are revealed. Something that Edward always saw in her, but something she never saw in herself. So for me--a good moral to the story there.
All your points are right-on and kudos for speaking up!
blah blah blah...who cares? It's a fun FICTIONAL book that should be read for the purpose of escaping reality and indulging temporarily in a make believe world where even the most unsuspecting girl can enrapture the "perfect" guy. That's all. I didn't read Twilight for the profound lessons learned or for the enhancement of my mind by way of the literary genius. Please! I read it to experience a fun fantasy world and to be swept up in it for a short amount of time. I say enjoy it for what it is. Danger schmanger! Danger has nothing to do with it. Anyone who takes any book THAT seriously is WAY TOO EASILY INFLUENCED and probably shouldn't read at all.
By the way, I liked the movie too.
: )
I agree with all that has been written about the book's lack of style, substance, or character. It is poorly written schlock.
What disturbs me most, however, is people's justification that the book isn't bad or dangerous because "it is just fun," "an escape," etc. That we shouldn't look to Bella as a role model or that we should just get over ourselves and have a fun read. That may be true for adult readers; however, this book is primarily targeting teenagers who have yet to develop the critical capacity to see it "just as fun." Emotionally and cognitively, teens have yet to develop critical distance, collapsing real and fantasy through identification with characters and situations. I don't know about you, but I don't want any of my teenage neighbors identifying with Bella and dreaming of having a similar "love." Of wanting to "give up their life" (duh, vampirism=sex [penetration, anyone?]) for a boy they really really like.
Thus, while we as grown ups can see this novel as a soft-core bodice-ripper for Mormons that has an abusive and unconvincing romance at its center, young girls want to "be" Bella and find their own "Edward." They think it is romantic and that scares me.
Wow, heated topic! I didn't read the books...but I have to say that the movie looks pretty cheesy!
Ummmmmm I didn't read the book but I sure reading your post makes me think I won't waste my time doing so.
It is pretty sad--even to a media obsessed cinephile like myself--that more people passionately commented on your post about a vampire book/movie than on your post about the historical election of our country's new president. You'd think a loosing war and an economic crisis would be enough to get us interested in politics (read "things that actually matter"). Or...maybe that's why we need the escapism in the first place. The "recession proof" film industry has certainly thrived on this premise.
Don't get me wrong. I'm all for escapism. Still, even when I'm watching a dumb comedy or a gory zombie movie, it is important to remember that, whether explicitly or implicitly, everything is saying something. This is true of even the most escapist of entertainment. I worry about people that don't engage with the ideas of the art they consume. Still worse off are the people that don't even realize their art is expressing an idea.
Birth of a Nation can be escapist. Triumph of the Will can be escapist. And don't forget The Swan and South Park. I don't mean to say that art is out to get us, but every piece of art or entertainment be it movie, television show, book, painting, photograph, or song has a point of view. If you don't engage with a piece of art your are essentially surrendering and just letting its ideology wash over you. Sometimes that is totally safe and it doesn't matter. Sometimes.
I deleted my previous comment because it needed revision. :)
I opened my mouth and probably shouldn't have but now that I have, I need to say this. I really don't think we are giving young readers enough credit. Just because a teenage girl likes (or dislikes) the book doesn't mean that she is going to go straight out and forget who SHE is to emulate Bella and start looking for a hot guy (who may or may not be a vampire) to "give up" her life for. I think most young girls get that this story is make believe. I think that most if not all of the teenage girls that I know, know who they are, and their personalities aren't influenced or swayed due to a character in a vampire book, or any book for that matter. I think they can recognize the difference between real and fake. These same teenage girls watch TV and go to the movies and see and hear all kinds of salacious crap that is no doubt WAY WORSE than Twilight. To think that they are going to lose sight of who they are all because of this "Bella got the guy so why cant I" mentality is giving Stephanie Meyer and her crappy writing and lack of style WAY TOO MUCH CREDIT!!!!
Post a Comment