The Twilight saga is many things.
It’s a 4-novel, massively selling phenomenon. It’s a series of books that has inspired non-readers of teenage years and older to pick up a text that weighs more than their Macbook Air and school bag combined. AND sustain the heaviness in their palms for prolonged periods of reading! It has spurned a movie-making frenzy, complete with beautiful people, magnificent locations and hairstyles that could penetrate the skin of a victim’s neck as easily as vampiric fangs.
The Twilight Saga is many things. It’s popularity can be controversial in literary circles. It sets a whole new level for discussions about what is publishable and what is not. It raises questions about the importance of story (including the most important nuance of Sexual Tension between exquisitely-featured peeps) over exquisitely-written prose.
And until recently, I found that I didn’t care. I was happy enough to ignore the criticism about the poorly constructed grammatical stuff (to be perfectly honest, the rules of written English are not my forte either) and just become immersed in the story of a girl, a swoon-worthy, large-haired vampire, and a man-boy-wolf-dog with teeth so bright — that if the glare of vampire skin don’t blind ya — these will seer your retinas.
It was entertaining, if pitched a lot younger than my reading demographic. And, seriously, it’s hard enough to complete a novel. This author had completed four in her journey of the saga. If they are badly written, but popular? *shrugs* It’s hardly anyone’s fault. If this factor annoys the crap out of me, I should stop reading and STFU. Mother cutter.
That was until the arrival of Breaking Dawn.
There were elements of the first three books that sat heavily on my Girl Button (yeah, not that one, but the one that stirs my instincts of ‘what’s okay for girls’) Yep, okay, Edward is quite controlling and watches Bella sleep. Right, there’s a little bit of stalking in there too. And, yes, oh YES, he is manipulative for a bloke wot gets his stiff upper lips wobbling over the smell of blood. All really psychological for a figure with basic, visceral needs. BUT, it’s kind of part of the story — it explores that he does need to control his mind in order to blunt his blood-seeking desires.
Okay. But then, he uses his chess pieces (on the front cover of ‘Breaking Dawn’) to move Bella into a position where she marries him for many reasons, but mostly because she wants to consummate the relationship.
After this, the Twilight Saga lost my swinging vote. I can’t ‘do’ the sexual message sold in early Breaking Dawn, and it ruined the rest of the book for me. I can’t swallow the lovesick bride having to (almost) beg the vampiric, handsome groom for a reestablishment of intimacy after one round! It’s because he gave her bruises…um ‘don’t get me wrong, Bella, I think you’re great in bed, sexeh, lithe, flexible, experimental, stunning, with great breasts, BUT I gave you bruises on your arm…
Yeah, so we can NEVER do this again!’
Sorry, Bells. You’re married to a really good looking man, you enjoyed your wedding night of normal (with fangs added) sex, but you ended up with a sore arm. Now you can look forward to a celibate marriage (at the age of 18), college under the eye of Mr Bruise Giver and never enjoying a normal sex life again. Oh, and you’ll live for eternity, provided you still want to be changed. Then, maybe, you’ll be able to have a sexual relationship with the Bruise Giver, but it won’t feel human enough.
I’ve had chats with some readers and writers at LiveJournal who know The Twilight Saga like the back of their (unbruised) hands. Some of the discussion disagreed with what I’ve mentioned here, but most thought that Bella would likely have a crap self esteem and, in fact, should have set up kennel with Jacob Black. Aww, imagine how cute that litter would have been?
In a way, I’m disappointed I couldn’t just keep my reading appreciation light throughout The Saga. After all, it is a read for entertainment purposes, and I was happy with that pre-Breaking Dawn (and Bella). The mismanagement of the intimacy scenario on Edward and Bella’s honeymoon leads me to think I’ll be chatting with Pip and Pop before they read it so they understand the level of guilt associated with sex isn’t something inherent. Nor is being manipulated into marriage in the first place.
Provided they know it’s fiction, it’s fine. It’s a shame that the culmination (sexual and text-wise) of 3.5 novel’s worth wasn’t a better bang for its buck! But then, perhaps the buck wasn’t a huge concern for the author at the end?
Regardless of my opinion, The Twilight Saga is many things. A guide for girls it is not, but perhaps it could be used to generate female discussion and thus become an educational text?
Breaking Dawn (and Bella) — coming to a booklist near you!
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2 Responses to Breaking (Delta) Dawn
'A guide for girls it is not'…AMEN.
You know I enjoyed the series on a story level, and I find myself intrigued by the basic conflict Meyer's posed in the plotline, but what bugs me most about this series is the poor writing. But as you said, popular is popular, so who am I to judge the writing? And Edward's manipulation bothers me less than Bella's reaction to it…always so weak. The honeymoon scenes you mentioned bothered me too, but not as much as the actual wedding…the fact that her arm was twisted into marrying him to begin with; he shouldn't have asked that of her, IMO.
Thanks for visiting, lovely. It's always good to have you chatting about Twilight here, lol. You're no way addicted, though. I really get that.
And Edward's manipulation bothers me less than Bella's reaction to it…always so weak.
Yes. Definitely. Perhaps her only 'stand alone' and anti-edward decision is to go through with the misbegotten pregnancy in Breaking Dawn? Because I didn't fully appreciate BD, I can't comment with certainty, but from what I glean she goes through with giving birth to the babe named after both mothers (Renesme?) and this is very much against Edward's wishes.
I wonder if this was the author's way of showing some strength on Bella's behalf? Dunno!
When the girls get to this age (where YA literature is appropriate) Twilight is going to be on the bottom of the rec list. Bring on The Hunger Games, ploise.
*hugs*