Sooner or later the people in my life are going to club me over the head or tape my mouth shut so I stop talking about Twilight . But my commentary is not the giggling and fan sighing usually associated with Twilight - it’s in the form of frustrated outbursts every time I pass a massive Twilight billboard or walk by a tottering stack of Breaking Dawn.
I have read so much commentary and criticism, but have yet to add my two cents, and I think, if nothing else, this will be therapeutic for me. My criticism comes from two stand points. I hold a B.A. in English, and consider myself a writer. Currently, I am working on a YA fantasy novel (40K in and rising!). I have read a helluva lot of literature, was the editor of my college paper, and have hosted many a slam poetry night. So you might say I have a passion for language. Add that to my feminism and you have just birthed Stephanie Meyer’s worst enemy.
When I first approached the Twilight series it was just gaining in popularity. As part of my “research” (read: excuse to devour fantasy fiction with my literary conscience clean) I got the series from the library and embarked on what I call “the month of the migraine.” Despite the horror of the Mary Sue, wish fulfillment, weak “heroine,” the glamorization of abusive, unhealthy relationships, HORRIBLE WRITING (grammar, spelling, thesaurus abuse), and a dues ex machina “plots,” I persevered.
One of the main arguments Twi-hards use is that Edward is a dangerous vampire and thus all the “fix the towels, bitch” stuff he does is excusable, as is the horrific writing because it’s- wait for it- fantasy. Hearing/reading that makes me imagine S. Meyer smacking me in the ovaries with Pride and Prejudice : don’t insult my intelligence as a woman, a feminist, a writer, and a lover of literature. This argument is baseless because the writing and the message are inextricably linked, as Woolf might say. S. Meyer is not capable of the literary prowess required to create a masterpiece of metaphorical fantasy. Therefore, we are peering directly into S. Meyer’s pathetic, self-hating mind with these books. There are no layers to her message: it’s all on top. The fact that Edward is a vampire is the reason the domineering relationship between Bella and Edward cannot be excused; Meyer chose to make her hero impossibly strong, handsome, and –er sparkly. She chose this dynamic because it is her belief that fulfillment for women comes through a husband and children. Her writing isn’t good enough to disguise this, and that she is a devout Mormon isn’t exactly a secret.
What is most troubling is that S. Meyer is playing on the insecurities of young women through Bella’s character. The solution to your insecurities, she implies (shoves down their throats, rather) is to become so obsessed with your overbearing boyfriend that you would DIE DIE DIE without him-as Bella says over and over; you would jump from a cliff to hear his voice in your head after he’s left you; let him dissuade you from discovering your sexuality since you are a teenage girl and therefore a slut if you do the nasty pre-marriage; fall in love with the friend who sexually assaults you; have a baby that will kill you since you will be able to –I shit you not- telepathically hear the two-week fetus’ thoughts , and guess what? It already loves mommy and daddy. In fact, the only choice Bella makes is to keep the baby.
Here we are faced with standard anti-choice hypocrisy. I am reminded of Samantha B on the Daily Show’s visit to the RNC when discussing Bristol Palin’s pregnancy. The attendees refused to use the word choice because that would be admitting that she wouldn’t have had the right to choose without Roe vs. Wade. S. Meyer gives us Bella- unable to make a choice beyond when to throw herself in danger’s way so that Edward can swoop in and save her- making a choice to have a child that will kill her.
The whole series is a thinly-veiled wish-fulfillment in which Meyer pushes her anti-choice rhetoric onto a generation of young women. The poor writing is equally dangerous as the endless dialogue gives the impression of a “choose-your-own-adventure” novel with the reader in the driver’s seat. She writes a flat main character that is inexplicably loved by all, has the dashing (abusive) man and is a special little unique snowflake- although the text offers no reason as to why this is. Unfortunately this is S. Meyer’s adventure: a 1940’s house-wife clutching to her romance novels, hating herself for not being more beautiful, so as to be loved by all- and throwing in some anti-choice propaganda to boot.
Every writer has an agenda, a message, or a moral. Fantasy is known for its religious undertones. Tolkien, Lewis, and Rowling all did it. Meyer, however, is incapable of undertones. She shoves gender binary down the throats of a generation of young women who are already faced with how society dictates their worth: being beautiful, and popular, and not-a-slut, capable of getting (and keeping) the guy. I am not worried about the young women who have a strong group of people around them, telling them they are capable and intelligent, and to look at life (and lit) critically. They may read Twilight , and enjoy the adventure of it- not sure how, but to each his own. Many young women will see this for themselves, support system or not- I sure didn’t have one.
For all these reasons, the popularity of the series is frustrating. All the work feminists do to empower young women, and then we’re saddled with debunking S. Meyer’s message? Move the eff over, Phyllis Schlafly. Hopefully, these young women will hear a better message through the mist. Maybe they’ll have someone hand them an Atwood or Allende (or Valenti!) novel, or maybe they will just grow up. The young women are my concern, not S. Meyer.
Although I have to say, if I ever pass her in the street, I may just be tempted to pelt her with a copy of Twilight . Just on principle.
For tips on how to write fantasy well please see Tolkien, Pierce, Lewis, Rowling (yes, effin Rowling).
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So, I'm not planning to read Twilight given all the awful things I've heard about it, *but* I have some questions.
1. Do they get married at some point? Because, if she's preg with his half-human killer vamp child, I assume they had to get it on at some point.
2. Why will said baby kill her?
3. Do they ever explain why Edward can't read her mind?
Curiosity killed the cat!
1. Yes. They get married, and take off to a honeymoon on the 'mother-figure' vampire's private tropical island, where they have sex that turns the female lead black and blue.
2. All through the pregnancy, the female lead is human, carrying a half-vampire fetus. Since it's half vampire, apparently it literally turns into a parasite, and will eventually burst out of her abdomen. Really good argument for abortion, actually, heh.
3. Not really. That's one of the mysteries the characters can't figure out. Once the female lead is turned into a vampire, it turns into her power--like an invisible shield or something.
In the Midnight Sun draft Edward learns that he can't really hear Charlie's thoughts (Bella's father) very clearly... he can get a vague impression of what he's thinking, but not in exact words. Bella is assumed to have inherited the trait from him, though it's stronger in her.
The baby is half-vampire; it nourishes itself by drinking Bella's blood. The fetus also grows to a colossal size in a short amount of time, so it crushes Bella's rib cage as it develops.
This post actually helped me understand how fucked up this book is more than the other posts I've seen about it. I read a synopsis on wikipedia but I didn't really put together all the obvious connections with cliche fundamentalist religious dogma. Thanks for this post.
HORRIBLE WRITING (grammar, spelling, thesaurus abuse)
I KNOW RIGHT. I haven't read the books, but I read a single page over my sister's shoulder and I knew I could never read it because, feminism aside, the red-pen temptation would be too strong. *is editor*
(do not say "'blah,' he realized" if "he" is not your POV character, fex.)
Fantasy is known for its religious undertones. Tolkien, Lewis, and Rowling all did it. Meyer, however, is incapable of undertones.
Good call.
Yea I saw I did that right after I posted it. It actually made me chuckle a little- I just can't shake THE MAN!
The POV character might notice that someone else has "realized" something.
It's nice to see that a group of feminists can spend so much time tearing apart a female writer who writes about all-consuming love ... how awful! *sarcasm*
Eh, it just read wrong to me. (Probably in part because, from that one page, it really looked as if it was just that Ms. Meyer was allergic to the word "said.")
T-Monster, have you had the chance to read the draft of Midnight Sun? It's available as a free download on Stephenie Meyer's site if you're interested.
There are a lot of disturbing things in that book, one of them being that Edward sneaks in to Bella's room to watch her sleep at night and even goes so far as to oil the window so that opening it won't wake her.
Eventually I'll read it, but I'm currently content to be be disgusted by the "saga." I am curious to read her new book "Host." Also morbidly curious to see the Twilight movie. Although that is one flick I shall be sneaking into- S. Meyer ain't gettin' my hard earned money.
Somewhat off-topic, but I'm wondering if anyone has read any of the teenage vampire novels written by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes? Though I haven't read them since I was teenager, her book "Demon In My View" shared Twilight's teenager-girl-falls-for-beautiful-male-vampire plotline.
Does anyone have a take on these books from a feminist perspective, and how they compare with Twilight in that regard?
Oh my god! I read those too!
Good question about those novels from a feminist perspective. I couldn't get past the first few pages of Twilight, but I loved Atwater-Rhodes' books when I was in High School. The series is apparently called the "Den of Shadows" saga now, probably to differentiate it from her Kiesha'ra books.
The slave-girl imagery in "Midnight Predator" was disturbing to me when I read it, and almost spoiled the book. I have a feeling that upon re-reading, I would either see it as a benign exploration of a common kink, or I would see it as seriously fucked.
I also remember being weirded out by the party scene in "Shattered Mirror," but I don't remember why. Something about the two brothers, and cuts on her arms.
We do have to remember that she was 13-17 years old when she wrote the books. It doesn't change the messages they give, but it does change the context.
If you liked those, have you read "Blood and Chocolate"? It's about werewolves.
There's a scene in that book where the protagonist is being chased through the woods by the alpha male (who is one of the two romantic leads) because he wants to make her his alpha female. It's basically a rape fantasy. I say basically because the author dodges the issue by having her escape (and it's my personal opinion that he probably "let her go".) Even if he did let her go, that doesn't make the scene OK for me. There is a lot about that book that I find hard to reconcile with my feminism, and yet I love it.
The movie was really weird and nothing like the book. Really. The characters have the same names and everything else (even the relationships) is different. The plot is wildly different.
I wish I had an essay for you on feminism in YA vampire romance novels, but I don't. I do think you pose an excellent question.
Why can't young women develop a taste for good fantasy? Anne Bishop's Black Jewels trilogy and associated books may be a bit explicitly sexual for younger teens, but I'd say it's perfectly fine by around 16 or so. Or there's her Sebastian/Belladonna duo, which are less explicitly sexual and equally strong-female. Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy. Talyn, by Holly Lisle. All good-to-excellent fantasy fiction. All with strong female characters and solid non-misogynistic themes. There is a wealth of wonderful books out there, and these teenaged girls get stuck on Twilight and its ilk? Eww.
I LOVED the Abhorsen trilogy, and I was only about 14 or so when I read them. The main character is an incredibly strong, smart female.
This post is right on. I admit I enjoyed the books simply because they were entertaining, but the relationship and the writing made it apparent that there is no value to the books besides time wasting.
How about Monica Furlong's trilogy? A feminist author (she also campaigned for the ordination of women in the Anglican Church)and strong, independent female characters, what's not to love?
I would recomend anything by Tamora Pierce. I fell in love with her books when I was eleven and I'm still waiting with baited breath for the next in her most recent series. The best part about it though, is you just read and enjoy the books, and then when youre done you think, 'hey, that had a really great message.' instead of it being blatantly obvious that the author it blatantly trying to shove an idea or concept in your face.
I liked Twilight for its uselessness and a time waster, but I have to tell you I love your piece there... Everything you said was so true and I have yet to read something so real. I laughed and thought about it all over and I love it. I especially love your opinion, but you know each author writes about their own thoughts and ideas, it is a shame this has become a teen obsession like the Backstreet Boys but lets not even go there.
I will look forward to picking up your fantasy novel, I wish you the best. But I might think twice about picking up Rolling... Harry Potter.. eh.
Thanks. : )
Thanks for the ugly women reading romance novel stereotype. It's nice to know I have a choice about what books I read and won't be ridiculed for my choice. *sarcasm again*
Well said and substantiated. It really depresses me that my some of my enlightened, empowered, otherwise feminist friends have read and watched Twilight repeatedly but consider stuff like Pullman's Dark Materials "too dense."
I love the way you put this. I have read the Twilight books and I consider them a very guilty half-pleasure. I was surprised by my own reaction to these books. I am 25 years old and once I started reading these I was transported back to junior high - no self-worth, obsessed with boys and totally depressed. Everyone I knew was telling me "they are JUST books," but I couldn't snap out if it. Now, as I said, I am a grown woman and feminist, and the fog only lasted about a week for me. But the thing that really scares me is imagining if I HAD read these at 13. I think of the generation of girls that are reading these books and it makes me cringe! I am so glad I read classics when I was that age, because I can't imagine the person I would have turned out to be if I had filled my head with literature like this - a series which I believe to be a product of a patriarchal and oppressive upbringing which valued women least of all.
I agree with this comment completely. I went through the exact same range of emotions.
Yay! Go you...and I totally agree...I read ONE PAGE of the book and being the grammar freak that i am (I'm the only year 9 on our school mag's editing team) I just had to stop and scream...I was so terribly frustrated at not only the pathetic excuse for editing but the simplicity of the vocab used in it...but then again, that makes it more clear to me as to WHY THE HELL all of my classmates are reading it!
Good grammar doesn't mean good writing. How about a good story? Compelling characters?
Good grammar may not make good writing, but it is definitely a prerequisite.
But um...yeah...not a fan of Rowling...
Exactly where is someone telling you that only ugly women read romance novels?
It seems a great deal more like the original poster is commenting that the AUTHOR'S self-loathing/wish-fulfillment is blatant within the Twilight novels; not that the READER is unattractive.
On another note entirely, see Mercedes Lackey's earlier works (the last few have been duds, I'm sad to say) for good, female-empowering fantasy. Sharon Shinn has a great deal of religious undertone in her Samaria novels, but they KICK ASS and so do the women in them. Sometimes literally.
Yes yes yes. Twilight is bordering on obsession for me in that I just love to hate it so very much. I found the books to be laugh out loud funny and really enjoyed reading them.
I agree with everything that you said in your post and would go ever farther with your criticism. I think these books are very dangerous in how popular they are and how they are becoming apart of the youth culture.
I am shocked and appalled by the outrage that Harry Potter received (and still receives) because of the "witchcraft" nonsense.
How is it that these religious leaders and parents are way more comfortable with the romantic imagery of suicide and teen death and stalking and emotional and physical abuse? How are they happier with their daughters reading a book that (like you said) puts them in the drivers seat of a character who repeatedly calls herself a satellite to the man, who ignores any conversation not directly relating to either Edward or Jacob and who is so utterly self depreciating that she continually beats into your head how unworthy she is because of the BEAUTY of the vampires and how PLAIN LOOKING she feels in comparison?
I am a grown woman with a job and a life and parts of those books made ME feel horribly uncomfortable with myself. They are very relatable with the insecurities but there is never a "lesson learned" in her obsessive infatuation and self hate. Putting the book down a few times I felt myself indulging in the worthless and undeserving meme that the book pushes forward.
The ENTIRE worth of EVERY female character is viewed based on how her significant other sees her. For christ's sake there is even a scene where Bella criticizes one of the native american girls for being plain looking and then changes her mind because the man (werewolf) she was with looked at her with such adoration that Bella noticed there WAS something worthwhile in the girl, only through the eyes of her man.
That isn't even TOUCHING on the recurring theme of absolutism and finality of "real" relationships. Great for teenagers going through their first breakup, thinking the world is over enough as it is.
One final thought, the fact that the emotional and physical abuse Bella suffers at the hands of the men she loves is NOT THEIR FAULT is probably the worst theme of this book. Sure, it's fantasy and they are werewolves/vampires but NONE of the abuse inflicted on women is EVER the fault of the men responsible. The character Emily is forever mutilated because her werewolf lover "got angry" and "couldn't control himself" and attacked her. The domestic violence imagery there is thick enough to taste and the over the top compensation of adoration and devotion you see from that couple is really triggering to anyone who has seen the twofaced side of domestic violence perpetrators.
In short, Twilight was fun to read, infuriated me constantly and probably shortened my lifespan. It's nice to know what all the fuss is about and it's fun to make fun of the books with likeminded friends. I am glad I read them and so very disappointed that they are so very popular.
"That isn't even TOUCHING on the recurring theme of absolutism and finality of "real" relationships. Great for teenagers going through their first breakup, thinking the world is over enough as it is."
This is the scariest thing to me. There is this horrible trend I see in young women (including my sister) perpetually staying with their loser, sometimes emotionally abusive boyfriends because they think there is some inherent worth in making a relationship last, even one you obviously shouldn't be in. It drives me nuts! Thus they cling desperately to the wrong person at all costs and think their world is *especially* over when it ends. It's like a social disease...
I was wondering whether I should read these books just so I could hate them more effectively (and I admit, I am endlessly entertained by terrible books - Left Behind had me laughing in tears), and after reading this I think I will.
Oh I highly recommend it! I've converted a few friends already simply because they couldn't BELIEVE the things I said about the book and the stories. They laughed right out loud with me.
Left Behind was hilarious to me, you'd "enjoy" Twilight the way I do I think!
I do not mean to sound catty, but I notice the girls who would complain about reading a 200 page book for English would read Twilight as if it was the Bible! I going to try to read it(But just so I can complain how crappy it is.) May I suggest the movie Låt den rätte komma in to fill you vampire needs. (I have a thing for Vampires, heh)
Well said T-Monster!
I read the first 2 books in the series to a) see what all the fuss was about and b) because I do like vampire novels and fantasy. After those two books, and the utter mediocrity of the movie I have decided to keep my sanity by not reading the other 2.
They really were awful. Badly written with 2-dimensional characters. I can't say that I really thought of the books as carrying an explicitly religious message, but I can see how it can be read that way.
On the other hand, to a certain extent I can see why they are popular. They're easy to read, feature an "everygirl" as the main voice, and have a gorgeous, dangerous 'man' as the romantic lead. Who doesn't love the dangerous man? It's a cliche in the romance genre, but certainly does not excuse abuse in a relationship.
I just hope that the popularity of this series will spawn some better vampire teen fiction than this drivel.
I haven't read the books(I refuse to on principal) but reading your criticism sealed the deal. I made the sacrifice of hanging out with my cousin, who also hadn't read the series, to see the movie with my sister and her gang. I wasn't all impressed. I got bored halfway. There was no ever-present antagonist. They showed it a couple times but there was no real threat until it threatened Bella.
There was some interesting symbolism though. The opening shot was that of a doe being hunted by some unknown predator (though it can be easily surmised as Edward). During this scene, there was a voice-over from Bella talking about dying in place of someone you loved. This scene has a reprise in the context of Bella willing to die in place of her mother.
Doe- a deer, female.
How many connotations can we attach to that use of symbolism? Docile, weak, naive, vulnerable. The list goes on and on. I think it's interesting that Edward should be hunting this deer the first time because it's so obvious that the doe is a symbol for Bella! Hello! Piece of meat anyone?
Of course nobody sees this, except for me. And unfortunately my cousin gets sucked into it all. *sighs*
I saw the movie and read the books and the movie was quite different from the first book in many ways. Many many ways.
Actually, comparing the two you can actually tell what the director/screenwriter and actors (since apparently Kristen Stewart addlibbed some of the more groan worthy lines) hated about the books. That was definitely a fun comparison.
I honestly didn't know how they would make a movie, considering that all but 20 pages of the book are whiney melodramatic does he like me, he couldn't like me I'm so ugly, but he does like me, but I'm unworthy, oh wait he hates me, no he loves me, HE IS SO BEAUTIFUL SO ATTRACTIVE ISN'T HE ATTRACTIVE /adnauseum.
I laughed right out loud when they tried to make James and Victoria present throughout the story just to give it some semblance of "plot."
Although, to be fair, in the books the vampires (Edward included) hate hunting easy game like deer and go on "hiking trips" to get their favorite "food" which is different for each. I think Edward's personal favorite was mountain lion... and it makes me very sad that I know this XD
"I laughed right out loud when they tried to make James and Victoria present throughout the story just to give it some semblance of "plot.""
So dead on. I was half-way through and thought "where is the evil threat? this is just a boring love story" I'm glad I wasn't the only one who caught this.
Reading the books now, I can't believe I used to actually really like them. It's all I can do to force myself to pick them up, and the main reason I got through the first two within a couple of weeks was that I had 3 hours a day of uninterrupted down-time: the 2 hours of commuting to and from work, and my lunch break. The third book, I've been reading since October, but since I haven't been working I haven't finished it yet (read: I have better things to do with my time).
The worst part is, at the job I had in October, there was a girl a few cubicles over who became literally OBSESSED with the books and read ALL of them over the course of one weekend. She is 28. She got half the office addicted to them, and re-read them twice in about a week. And to my last day there (and still, I'm sure) she would tell anyone and everyone who would listen how amazing they are, how dead sexy Edward is, and how in love with him she is. It's like...okay, I could understand if you read some groundbreaking literature that was up for a Nobel prize. But it's a teen-fiction fantasy romance! It ranks with the likes of harlequins (particularly ones where the heroine falls victim to Stockholm Syndrome).
I've seen the movie twice, though I am glad to say that I paid for neither due to a handy connection at the AMC. The worst part about the movie, I must say, was Kristen Stewart. She shouldn't have been allowed anywhere near the set during filming, in the off-chance that her monotonous acting is contagious.
Thank you! Your post echoes my thoughts exactly about the whole Twilight phenomenon. I had and still have absolutely no desire to read the books or see the movie. I have a couple of friends, on the other hand, who have seen the movie in the cinema FOUR times because "Edward is like sooo beautiful and so perfect!!!" (They are 21 years old by the way). That is enough to put me off Twilight for good.
What really pisses me off though (and this is my impression from not having read the book so correct me if I'm wrong) is that Bella does not seem to have anything going for her. Why can't she be smart or independent or athletic or something that makes her an admirable character to look up to? SM probably had no idea Twilight would be so huge and that Bella could be considered a role model for tennage girls, but when all I hear about her is how much she's in love with Edward- it makes me worry when I think of how many impressionable girls are out there like my 15 year old sister. Teenage love, is just that. It's a phase in your life and you move on. There are so many other things to focus on besides boys. But with popular culture perpetuating the myth that one can find their "one true love" at such a young age, then young girls might trap themselves into staying in a relationship for fear of being single or fearing that no one better will come along.