With the release Eclipse on DVD on Saturday, we at GeekMom decided to take a look at the Twilight phenomenon.
The immensely popular series has been incredibly polarizing among fandom.
One side side, teen girls reading the series, which included my own a few years ago, see someone they can identify with in Bella and a fascinating new world where they can escape. Â Older female readers love the fantasy and romance of it all.
One the other side, feminists claim Twilight promotes stalking by men and teaches teen girls to be submissive and that getting married and having children is the ultimate goal of any woman.
And then there are the male geeks who roll their eyes and make fun of vampires that sparkle.
This week, we’ll have articles from as many angles as possible, with an eye to seeing why exactly this series creates strong emotions in so many.
I will admit to participating in both sides of the debate. Some books are meant to be the equivalent of summer break… nothing serious, just take-out-your-brain and enjoy the ride sort of things. This is one of them. Sure this is no literary masterpiece but it made plenty of young girls want to read more. I enjoyed the characters- but not Bella. She was whiney and spineless and Kristen Stewarts portrayal has done nothing to help this. However, I wanted to know what would happen to the characters. I look forward to your articles.
Twilight is the literary equivalent of getting really hammered on a Wednesday night: you know it’s a bad decision that you will regret later, but it feels so good to indulge in bad behavior that it’s usually worth it.
To be fair, after I read the Twilight books, I usually have to floss my brain out with something banned or off the BBC’s 100 Books List, just so I regain my self-respect.
I also read the books and enjoyed them somewhat at the time. The poor writing turned me off a bit, but that wasn’t the worst part. Mostly, I found myself irritated that Bella is promoted as a role model and that the series allegedly promotes abstinence. Our whiny heroine literally BEGGED for love in all the wrong ways. I will never complain about kids reading anything, but I surely hope young women don’t aspire to be anything like this.
LOL on Twilight being the equivalent of a drunken binge. 🙂
LA, my daughter has a post coming up on Twilight and Bella being (or not) a role model. She had some really interesting things to say.