This is messy. Really messy. Not at all thought out.

[jawastew]

While not necessarily the same essay/article I wanted to write, The Guardian does write about the negative interpretations of Twilight as the same ideas I felt Meyer took with her when she wrote The Host. It wasn't until I tried reading The Host that Meyer started to turn into a one-trick pony. It wasn't, as expected for an adult SF novel, any

Comments

[solhiryu]

The main grievance about Bella in the series (and by extension, Breaking Dawn), is that she never has to pay for the consequences of her actions. Breaking Dawn is the worst, considering that after the vampire c-section baby is born, Bella is turned into a vampire.

Not just a regular vampire, but a strikingly beautiful, more powerful than most of the Cullen males vampire that can immediately resist the urge to bite a human. Yes, she's been reborn into sparkly Bella-sue.

I don't have a problem with the series in general, other than how horrible it's written, but Bella herself just puts it over the top. =/

[jawastew]

The main grievance about Bella in the series (and by extension, Breaking Dawn), is that she never has to pay for the consequences of her actions.

Yes, that's my point at the end (my main criticism for the book/series). Especially with the epitaph at the beginning of the first part (something implying the childishness of wishing for never dying), I really thought Meyer was leading up to something really heavy. Which she didn't. It's all wish-fullfillment.

Then again, it's fantasy--it's not supposed to be realistic and boy if it isn't.

[arkan2]

That sounds like some of the criticisms ptolemaeus has for the Twilight series (of which she has a near-endless supply).

If you act on your own interpretation of events without finding out the truth, you're going to be in trouble.
Except, isn't that what Edward does especially in the second book, and gets away with it? In far too many books, movies, and tv shows, the fine print reads "unless you're the main character."

It seems archaic in a society where women have learned to embrace their femininity
But I would argue that we don't live in such a society. True, we've made some strides, but the messages we're getting from the cultural mainstream about what it means to be female socially, politically, vocationally, religiously, and most of all physically and sexually are just as fucked up as they were a hundred, hundred-fifty years ago. Result: ludicrous numbers of young women with eating disorders, numerous young women who stay in abusive relationships because they believe that's what romance is supposed to be (you should see ptolemaeus and her friends

[jawastew]

I didn't (and never have actually) go too far into everything I've ever wanted to say about the series. And when I do, it definitely won't be a microscopic view of events. I'm not devoting my time to an argumentative thesis on the Twilight saga.

[arkan2]

Fair enough. (By "microscopic view of events" I assume you mean "microscopic detail"? Sorry, I'm just trying to figure it out.)

My argument about not using "fantasy" as a blanket excuse is more general though. I wasn't singling Twilight out for that one, it just happened to be the example which brought up the subject.

Come to that, my argument about the current state of gender had nothing to do with Twilight, except as an example.

Of course, if you don't want to have a discussion about those subjects either, no problem, I just wanted make the distinction clear.

[jawastew]

I already have the subjects in mind for my essay, thanks. :)

[jawastew]

lol heck yesss...