It was a freebie, but I still regret it.
In 2007 I went to the San Diego Comic Con. There one can find not only comic freebies but books as well. I was in heaven, happily picking up anything of interest that caught my eye.
An acquaintance at the time expressed interest in the film I Am Legend and the book upon which it’s based, so when I spied a booth giving away complete copies I asked for two. I was concerned that a 300+ page book might be a bit much for someone who reads only two or three books a year and had never read a story by Asimov until I'd sent him/her a copy of Caves of Steel; I'm not certain s/he ever finished it or not, but I digress. S/he'd appeared so eager to read it and see the movie, thus I turned over my second copy to her/him. However, I regret it, because I suspect it’s been untouched and will remain so for years to come. It's not a "big deal", didn't cost a cent, and it didn't take a lot of effort on my part, yet I just feel disappointed I didn't give it to someone else who'd actually read it.
Speaking of books, I learned today of a third book set in the world of Howl's Moving Castle and Castle in the Air, both by Diana Wynne Jones. It's brand new, 2008, and called House of Many Ways. DO WANT! Aside from the aforementioned, I've only read Dogstar by the same writer, but I really like her works thus far. I wish more people read books like that as a young adult rather than titles like Twilight.
A friend, curious about the soon to be released film, asked me this week if I recommended the book, resulting in an inundation of links including my two previous posts. I and a couple friends possibly overwhelmed her. I stop short of saying I hate the author, because perhaps the woman still has some learning to do as a writer. In fact, in an anti-Twilight / book club community some adamant Twilight haters admitted that her venture into the realm of adult fiction, The Host, isn't too bad, so I've decided to give it a shot, used of course.
Many young adult books are not very deep. The characters are cliché teenagers in what appears to be an attempt to connect with whatever the writer sees teenagers which may be very different from reality, but we are talking about fantasy here. One cannot expect utter realism. However, one of the arguments Twilight fans use in support of the book is that the protagonist, Bella, is a positive female role model. I disagree. Compare her to other contemporary fantasy female leads and I believe you can find much better role models, such as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter, Sophie in Howl’s Moving Castle, Kira in Gathering Blue, or even Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The following are some of the criticisms of the series I’ve read, not all related to the protagonist as a role model.
For one person’s analysis of their relationship, read The Case Against Edward Cullen.
I’ll end this with a quote.
Everywhere I go I'm asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. There's many a bestseller that could have been prevented by a good teacher. ~Flannery O'Connor
An acquaintance at the time expressed interest in the film I Am Legend and the book upon which it’s based, so when I spied a booth giving away complete copies I asked for two. I was concerned that a 300+ page book might be a bit much for someone who reads only two or three books a year and had never read a story by Asimov until I'd sent him/her a copy of Caves of Steel; I'm not certain s/he ever finished it or not, but I digress. S/he'd appeared so eager to read it and see the movie, thus I turned over my second copy to her/him. However, I regret it, because I suspect it’s been untouched and will remain so for years to come. It's not a "big deal", didn't cost a cent, and it didn't take a lot of effort on my part, yet I just feel disappointed I didn't give it to someone else who'd actually read it.
Speaking of books, I learned today of a third book set in the world of Howl's Moving Castle and Castle in the Air, both by Diana Wynne Jones. It's brand new, 2008, and called House of Many Ways. DO WANT! Aside from the aforementioned, I've only read Dogstar by the same writer, but I really like her works thus far. I wish more people read books like that as a young adult rather than titles like Twilight.
A friend, curious about the soon to be released film, asked me this week if I recommended the book, resulting in an inundation of links including my two previous posts. I and a couple friends possibly overwhelmed her. I stop short of saying I hate the author, because perhaps the woman still has some learning to do as a writer. In fact, in an anti-Twilight / book club community some adamant Twilight haters admitted that her venture into the realm of adult fiction, The Host, isn't too bad, so I've decided to give it a shot, used of course.
Many young adult books are not very deep. The characters are cliché teenagers in what appears to be an attempt to connect with whatever the writer sees teenagers which may be very different from reality, but we are talking about fantasy here. One cannot expect utter realism. However, one of the arguments Twilight fans use in support of the book is that the protagonist, Bella, is a positive female role model. I disagree. Compare her to other contemporary fantasy female leads and I believe you can find much better role models, such as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter, Sophie in Howl’s Moving Castle, Kira in Gathering Blue, or even Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The following are some of the criticisms of the series I’ve read, not all related to the protagonist as a role model.
- The protagonist, Bella Swan -- Beautiful Swan, har har -- is ever the damsel in distress, lacks self esteem, and frequently displays an I’m-so-not-worthy-of-Edward attitude.
- Bella mention spends a good deal of time going on about how average and unathletic she is with her dark hair and ivory skin and how no one understands her, when suddenly she finds herself as the object of five boys’ romantic designs. Furthermore, most of Edward and Bella's problems seem to come from external sources while alone they have nearly perfect chemistry, and their few fights are petty and short.
- Bella is 17 experimental while Edward is a 107 year old virgin. That’s just weird. What was he doing for over a century? He never met anyone else he was attracted to?
- Breaking up with your boyfriend is the end of the world, and life is not worth living. In the second book, New Moon, Bella enters a self-described zombie state when Edward leaves her, turns near-suicidal, and purposely puts herself in harm’s way-going so far as to jump off a cliff-to hear his imagined voice in her head.
- Stephanie Meyers romanticizes and idealizes a controlling and potentially emotionally abusive relationship. When Edward returns in the third book, Eclipse, he won’t let her see her friend/rebound ex-boyfriend/friend/werewolf Jacob, removing the engine from Bella’s car at one point and having one of his vampire “sisters” kidnap her at another. Bella gets upset, but then decides Edward is just “a little overprotective” and “does it because he loves me.” Later Edward dissuades her from attending college on the grounds that it would be impossible to prevent college students from figuring out she’s a vampire. What was he doing in a High School then?
- After six months, at the mature age of 18 Bella makes a life changing decision and gives up everything to be with Edward, showing no reluctance whatsoever. Not once does she consider pursuing any other interests, friends, family, etc. Her mother, curiously, tells Bella she is “wise beyond her years” for making this decision. “As I read this,” one parent remarked, “I couldn’t help imagining that this was a Teen’s interpretation of what an ideal mom should say - and not what any real mom would actually say.”
- One critic described Bella as being “portrayed as a modern Eve, begging the noble, moral gentleman for sex while he desires to preserve their virtue”. The couple refrain from sex until marriage due to Edward’s fear that he could kill her in the throes of passion. “Major life commitment entered into when fully unsure and uncomfortable: Apparently okay,” one reviewer observed. “One bout of potentially deadly intercourse when all dangers are understood: Apparently to be avoided until coerced into marriage.”
- Despite Meyer’s own lore that all the vampires’ body fluids are replaced with "venom" (Huh?) or their sperm dies after three days upon being converted, the couple have a child. Then, in order to avoid actual character development that’d take place as the pair wait nine months, the author uses the cliché “hybrid baby grows at an amazing rate” plot device. Two weeks after conception the baby is kicking. Later, there is a birth that would make the Alien bursting out of the guy’s ribcage scene proud, after which Bella is turned into a vampire.
- Bella turns out to be a super special vampire with super special powers. She suddenly becomes more confident, less clumsy, more beautiful, stronger than the other vampires, doesn’t have the uncontrollable bloodlust all other newly made vampires in Meyer’s books do, has a powerful vampire magic, etc. and yet she still doesn’t think she’s anything special, though obviously Meyer’s wants readers to see her otherwise because everyone else in the series wants her or wants to be her.
For one person’s analysis of their relationship, read The Case Against Edward Cullen.
I’ll end this with a quote.
Everywhere I go I'm asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. There's many a bestseller that could have been prevented by a good teacher. ~Flannery O'Connor