The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

4/5
I have to admit, I am afraid to post this entry. I have a sickening feeling that no matter what I write, people will be angry (assuming anyone ever reads this blog). Rarely do books come along that stir such strong feelings in both fans and detractors…but that’s exactly why I think writing about them is important.

In case you live under a rock, the Twilight Saga is a four book series that follows high school student Bella Swan as she moves to the tiny town of Forks, Washington to live with her father. She soon learns that fairy tales and the monsters that inhabit them are not always make-believe as she becomes the central figure of a love triangle involving a vampire and a werewolf. Can Bella survive in their supernatural world? Will true love really conquer all? Do fairy tales always have a happy ending? The Twilight Saga answers these and many more questions.


Let me start out by saying I KNOW I should not like these books. I accept, even embrace, that fact. But I do. And I don’t just like them, I puffy heart them (if you know me, you know that’s saying something)! I freely acknowledge the many faults of the series – the writing is often terrible and the editing is even worse; the star-crossed lover story is not at all new and Meyer does nothing to reinvent an age-old theme – in fact she often just borrows plot lines from the classics; the ending is far too perfect – EVERYONE gets exactly what they want, even if they didn’t know they wanted it; the final book, Breaking Dawn, takes so many sharp turns, the reader is in danger of getting whiplash. The list of problems could go on and on. Guess what? I DON’T CARE. Here’s why:

1) It is a series for today’s teens. Many of them had never even heard of, let alone read, Romeo and Juliette or Wuthering Heights before devouring this series. Now they are fans of these classics because they wanted to read what Bella and Edward read.

2) The characters are extremely well-developed. Each book reveals more of the history of each character and allows readers to understand why they behave the way they do.

3) I disagree with the scholars. I know several academics have published learned papers as to why Bella Swan is the anti-feminist. She is often seen as the damsel in distress. I think these interpretations are the easiest reads of the text. Personally, I think it makes sense that the only non-mythical creature in the story occasionally requires saving – not because she is female but because she is human. One need only look at Alice, Esme and Rosalie to recognize that not all women are weak.

Other scholars say her happiness is dependent on having a man which is a serious blow to feminism. She centers her entire identity around the male(s) in her life. If she is not Edward’s girlfriend, who is she? Oh, she’s Jacob’s best friend. I really find this laughable…the boys are equally as dependent on her! Both Edward and Jacob are willing to die rather than lose Bella. Call it a story of co-dependency if anything, but I like to think of it as a tale about the power of true love. It’s easier to see Bella’s weaknesses because the story is told from her point of view, but that doesn’t mean hers are the only ones worth examining.

Finally, these scholarly arguments can be applied to just about any star-crossed lover novel in existence. If you are truly concerned about the effect such tales have on young girls’ identity and self esteem, I would hope you are actively attempting to provide a counter example for them to model in real life. Quite frankly, if a girl is old enough to read the Twilight Saga, she is old enough for you to have conversations with her about the very issues mentioned above. Learning moment anyone?

4) Edward Cullen is awesome. Personally, I am still waiting for my husband to leave a note on my pillow saying, “Take care of my heart, I’ve left it with you.” And, before any of you say anything like he’s a stalker, over-protective or anything else, let’s try to remember he always tries to act in Bella’s best interest – not a trait one finds in most abusive relationships.

5) Lastly, can we please stop taking everything so damn seriously??? At the most basic level this is a series for teens about vampires and werewolves. Maybe we should stop reading into it and just read it! I find it difficult to be overly-critical of any titles that get millions of young people to put down the video game controllers and pick up a book.