Twilight sucks. There, I said it.
One of my favorite things about being a teacher is the long, luxurious summer breaks. I tend to devour books during this time, since I don't have to try and find a way to shove a chapter or two into my normal schedule. I'm pretty omnivorous when it comes to books. I like a lot of genres. This is just to let you know that I'm not some sort of snooty lit snob.
That being said, I was actively offended by the Twilight series, on several levels.
1. Purple prose. I read romance novels. I love romance novels. Stephenie Meyer's writing is amongst the worst offenders I've ever seen. And how many times does she describe Edward's beauty as being "indescribable"? Then stop describing it, you lunatic woman!
2. Poor character development. Who is Bella? Did she have a life before she met the Cullens? What kind of friends did she have back in Arizona? The answers to these questions seem to be "An empty cipher for Edward to love", "She sprang, fully-formed, into existence when she moved to Forks" and "Imaginary friends...I mean, would you be friends with her?"
3. Gender issues. Ohhh, boy, the gender issues. Look, I'm not a crazy feminazi or anything, but Stephenie Meyer's female characters are nothing short of horrifying. Bella's life revolves around Edward. Wait, Edward and Jacob. If Edward is not around, her life is not worth living. She is an empty shell. Now, grown women will read this,and sigh and roll their eyes at Bella's youthful mistakes, but teenage girls? I shudder to think the twisted ideas they may get from reading this book. Let me just say, that if I saw my younger cousins reading this, I'd plead with them to read Harry Potter instead. Because if teens look up to anyone, it should be kickass Hermione Granger, not the insipid Bella.
That being said, Edward Cullen is one of the most hypnotic characters I've ever seen. I have no idea how he came out of the same brain as Bella Swan. I've read a lot about Edward being controlling, but I don't see it. He backs off pretty quickly in Eclipse when he sees that his concern about leaving Bella alone with Jacob is more from jealousy than actual fear for her safety. Jacob is the creepy one in this equation. He forces himself on Bella, kissing her against her will, then manipulates her into kissing him again by threatening to die at the end of the book. A normal girl would be completely turned off by this behavior. Not Bella! Oh, no! This makes her realize that she loves them both! OH MY GOD I CANNOT EVEN DEAL WITH THIS BOOK'S STUPIDITY!
That being said, I was actively offended by the Twilight series, on several levels.
1. Purple prose. I read romance novels. I love romance novels. Stephenie Meyer's writing is amongst the worst offenders I've ever seen. And how many times does she describe Edward's beauty as being "indescribable"? Then stop describing it, you lunatic woman!
2. Poor character development. Who is Bella? Did she have a life before she met the Cullens? What kind of friends did she have back in Arizona? The answers to these questions seem to be "An empty cipher for Edward to love", "She sprang, fully-formed, into existence when she moved to Forks" and "Imaginary friends...I mean, would you be friends with her?"
3. Gender issues. Ohhh, boy, the gender issues. Look, I'm not a crazy feminazi or anything, but Stephenie Meyer's female characters are nothing short of horrifying. Bella's life revolves around Edward. Wait, Edward and Jacob. If Edward is not around, her life is not worth living. She is an empty shell. Now, grown women will read this,and sigh and roll their eyes at Bella's youthful mistakes, but teenage girls? I shudder to think the twisted ideas they may get from reading this book. Let me just say, that if I saw my younger cousins reading this, I'd plead with them to read Harry Potter instead. Because if teens look up to anyone, it should be kickass Hermione Granger, not the insipid Bella.
That being said, Edward Cullen is one of the most hypnotic characters I've ever seen. I have no idea how he came out of the same brain as Bella Swan. I've read a lot about Edward being controlling, but I don't see it. He backs off pretty quickly in Eclipse when he sees that his concern about leaving Bella alone with Jacob is more from jealousy than actual fear for her safety. Jacob is the creepy one in this equation. He forces himself on Bella, kissing her against her will, then manipulates her into kissing him again by threatening to die at the end of the book. A normal girl would be completely turned off by this behavior. Not Bella! Oh, no! This makes her realize that she loves them both! OH MY GOD I CANNOT EVEN DEAL WITH THIS BOOK'S STUPIDITY!