Bella Swan: A Bird Who Didn't Want to Know How to Fly

[majestamoniet]

Now that you're all stunned by my profound subject line...

A Character Analysis of Bella Swan

Another product from the Town Hall Meeting, this is a post where you can assert your opinion of the character Bella Swan and comment on her role in Twilight fanfiction.  If enough people participate, this post can act as a resource for writers in the future

Comments

[audreyii_fic]

(taking a short break from the smut writing to answer these, because discussion threads are neat)

Do I like Bella?
Um. Here's the thing -- like the saga itself, I like the potential in Bella. I actually kind of liked her until the middle of Twilight, even as I saw her for what she was -- an avatar for young, insecure girls. I recognized I wasn't the target audience, and had I read the book a decade earlier, I probably would have really enjoyed it. But for me, nothing can get around the fact that Bella frankly devolved as time went on. So, no, I don't like her. But I like what she could have been, in more capable hands. Hence fanfic.

Her Biggest Mistake
Going to Italy. That's the point at which Bella goes from flawed to irredeemable for me. She cast off Jacob without a second's thought, and I can't sympathize after that with someone so willfully selfish. Though I play in Eclipse-era fic for drabble purposes, I can't write anything real for after she's boarded that plane. I'm done with her then.

Her Biggest Triumph
The facing her death in the dance studio was pretty gutsy, I have to admit.

How Stephanie Meyer Developed Bella From Twilight to Breaking Dawn. Why she did that.
What development?

What the Movies Brought to/Took Away From the Role of Bella
I think the movies did nothing but add. Stewart does an excellent job, I think, of lessening Bella's whine and raising her genuine emotion. It helps that we don't have to listen to her internal monologue, of course. But Stewart snaps where Bella would have sighed and that makes the movies a lot better than the books, in my opinion.

Fanfic Trends Regarding Bella that You Like
Anything that redeems her and makes her human, instead of an avataristic Mary Sue. It's fuckin' hard work to make that happen without going totally OOC. I think that's why we've got some of the best writers of any fandom around here -- writing a good Bella is not for the faint of heart.

Fanfic Trends Regarding Bella that You Don't Like
Anything that maintains her as-is -- wishy-washy and selfish -- without showing growth. You're the writer now, people. Bella's development is in your hands, so get developing!

[caramia_darling]

I don't know if I hate the fact that she went to Italy - manipulated like a pawn on a supernatural chessboard - as much as what happens AFTER Italy... Like you said, Bella devolved as a character as soon as the Cullens were reintroduced.