I finally read Twilight!
As more of a sociological experiment than anything else - the first time I gave up after chapter 3 or so, but I was kind of curious as to why all the buzz (I mean, it's pretty easy to see why teenage girls would like it, but also a large proportion of the married-women-with-children I know love this book).
I think I see the appeal to middle-aged women-with-families. It really does take you back to that time when you fell headstrong and dazzingly in love with the person who is now your husband-- It's not like you would trade the love you have now, where sometimes he takes out the trash even though that's something you normally do and it makes you all happy, but it's very different from those first halcyon days where you thought and yearned about him all the time and got butterflies in your stomach every time you looked at him, or looked forward to seeing him after being separated for a whole couple of hours! And it kind of takes you back to that stage.
It also makes me extremely nervous. I really dislike the fallacy of the first lover in general, so you can see that I would have a strong visceral "No, no, no!!" reaction to Bella's sixteen-year-old (or however old she is) "unconditionally and irrevocably in love" status, after as far as I can tell they have spent the equivalent of two dates together. UGH. Plus which, I don't know that it's actually at all healthy to be unconditionally or irrevocably in love with anyone. Also? Edward is, like, a hundred years old. EW. Nasty old man!
I think I see the appeal to middle-aged women-with-families. It really does take you back to that time when you fell headstrong and dazzingly in love with the person who is now your husband-- It's not like you would trade the love you have now, where sometimes he takes out the trash even though that's something you normally do and it makes you all happy, but it's very different from those first halcyon days where you thought and yearned about him all the time and got butterflies in your stomach every time you looked at him, or looked forward to seeing him after being separated for a whole couple of hours! And it kind of takes you back to that stage.
It also makes me extremely nervous. I really dislike the fallacy of the first lover in general, so you can see that I would have a strong visceral "No, no, no!!" reaction to Bella's sixteen-year-old (or however old she is) "unconditionally and irrevocably in love" status, after as far as I can tell they have spent the equivalent of two dates together. UGH. Plus which, I don't know that it's actually at all healthy to be unconditionally or irrevocably in love with anyone. Also? Edward is, like, a hundred years old. EW. Nasty old man!