by 3 people |
"Twilight": The Subject of Widespread Blind Worship
Stephenie Meyer's new series "Twilight" has topped the "Best Sellers" lists for months now. The books are raved about by the media and by every female reader who has ever craved a romance novel with a fantastical twist. Meyer has been hailed "the new J.K. Rowling" and has enjoyed incredible fame and fortune in the wake of the staggering success of this series.
And I do see some similarities between the two deified authors of popular young adult books -- similarities that lie mainly in the juvenility of their writing styles.
While I may well be opening myself up to attack for having the gall to publicize my criticisms of the "Twilight" series, I feel it is my duty as an avid reader to do what I can to stop the blinded masses from mindlessly worshiping this drivel. If I can make even one person apply reason to the love they lavish upon these books and admit that, while they are enjoyable, they are not, by any means, great works of literature, then this lens will have been a success.
Please note that this critique is of the original book, "Twilight". While I have read the others in the series as well, the same complaints I had had about the first book carried into the others, so I will focus on only the original novel for the purposes of this lens.
Table of Contents
Wait -- I'm A Fan, Too!
Fun reads, for sure... but great literature? No way!
That aside, these books were beyond terrible on a number of other levels: writing style, plot points, character development, et cetera. I will address each of these in turn. As I do so, bear in mind that there's nothing wrong with liking a book that is not the equal of Tolstoy or Shakespeare; potboilers are fun -- there's no denying it! But I want people to comprehend why hailing Meyer as one of the greatest authors of our time is simply laughable.
PLOT SPOILERS AHEAD!
If you have not yet read "Twilight"
but are looking forward
to doing so...
STOP HERE!
Terrible Thing #10
It's sort of like, "She came home and put her clothes in her dresser. [End of chapter.]" The flow of the book was often interrupted by this. It got slightly better in the later books, but in the original "Twilight", at least, it was a common occurrence. It may sound silly that such a minor detail could interrupt said flow, but trust me: it's jarring.
Terrible Thing #9
Edward is beautiful. This is made clear from Bella's description of him when she first lays eyes on him.
A reminder of his hunkiness is given us the next time she sees him.
And the next.
And the next.
And we continue to hear it, over and over and over again. Purple prose abounds as Meyer forces the character Bella to focus solely on Edward's appearance. I would be so bold as to estimate that there are no fewer than fifty mentions of his beauty throughout this rather small novel... and by "mentions", I mean "full paragraphs". Ridiculous.
Other points are hammered into us as well, such as those tense scenes between Bella and her father. We get it, Meyer. She's a bratty teenager who doesn't like her dad and would prefer not to live there. Do we need to witness the same exact scene over the same exact dinner table twenty times?
Really, it might behoove Meyer to give her readers a little more credit than that.
Terrible Thing #8
Example: toward the end, Bella's heart stops when Edward kisses her in the hospital. She's on a monitor, and when the nurse comes in five or ten minutes later to check on her, she looks at the readout and says, "Are you feeling anxious, honey? Your heart rate got a little high there." Okay, I'll let the heart stopping thing go in respect for the needed suspension of belief that it takes to even get through this book; that being said, she's on a heart monitor because they're monitoring her heart. Her going into tachycardia and then momentary arrest would have set off the alarm and sent hordes of nurses instantly running in there. Second, since when is "arrest" equivalent to "heart rate got a little high"? You don't need medical training to know that that's literally incredible bullshit.
Terrible Thing #7
My favorite author is Orson Scott Card; compared to his character development, every author is a second-rate wannabe in that department. But Meyer's attempts -- or, rather, lack thereof -- are severely disappointing. So much could have been done with these characters, but they're the same filler characters that can be used in any book to fill any purpose. Very disappointing. (Again, though, maybe I've just been spoiled by OSC.)
Terrible Thing #6
She claims to be ordinary and second-rate, and that not a single boy in her big-town school was interested in her; but the minute she moves to Podunk Nowhere, suddenly all the boys want her, as if they're a sub-breed of human or something and she's their goddess -- like Yasmine Bleeth to every lonely man ever. I know that the main character is supposed to be the best of the best (else why write about her?), and I know that it supposedly gives her a kind of appeal, to be the innocently naïve beauty who is bewildered as to why so many guys like her. But, seriously -- every young male character she comes across? Really? And by the fourth guy, she's still surprised? All that tosses any sense of realism straight out the damn window.
Bella has been referred to by critics as a "Mary Sue" -- an empty shell, more or less, onto which the reader imprints his or her own personality. But to a reader who expects characters to have their own personalities (gasp! I ask too much!), Bella is a severe disappointment as the protagonist.
Terrible Thing #5
Again re: Bella: she glares way too much.What the hell. Every time she doesn't get the response she likes, or doesn't get a response fast enough, she "glares" at the person. Apparently, Meyer seems to think that this is the only reasonable facial expression to don when you're not getting exactly the answer you want exactly when you want it. Either the main character is a bipolar raging bitch, or Meyer is just a pretty crappy author. Since the former would signify an inconsistency unparalleled in any bestseller I've yet read, I'm banking on the latter theory.
Terrible Thing #4
Again re: Bella: she represents all that those who fight for feminism are battling to demolish.Bella is timid, meek, and not terribly bright. She latches onto a guy she barely knows because of how pretty he is, and then she proceeds to crumble in book 2 ("New Moon") when he leaves her, giving no thought to the possibility of lifting herself up and moving on with her life. She lets him do everything for her: drive her, cook for her, save her life, tuck her into bed, sing her to sleep, even carry her places on his back (and while there is a plot connection to this that speaks to a need for him to do these things because of his vastly greater strength and skill in all areas, the image is a demeaning one). She has no actual interests or hobbies outside of "loving" him. She looks at him like she's a whipped puppy and he's the human who's come to feed her, if she agrees to behave.
I don't think "sickening" is a strong enough descriptor of just how abhorrent her anti-feminist behavior is.
Terrible Thing #3
Edward is completely devoid of anything actually resembling real, human characteristics.Edward was meant to be perfect... and so he is. In every way. Not only is he drop-dead, "mind-scramblingly" gorgeous (as Meyer sees fit to have Bella point out more than fifty times throughout the novel), but he's a shiny diamond statue on the inside, too. He has no weaknesses, except for Bella's love (d'aww). He has no moral scruples. He's always insanely polite and always says the exact right thing at the exact right time. His IQ must be through the roof. He speaks multiple languages and plays the piano, and his only concerns are to make the girl he loves happy and to protect his family.
How about a flaw or two, Meyer? Something to actually bring him to life? As it is, he's a cardboard cutout of [insert your favorite male daydream here]. Perfection does not make a character feel real. An example of his balance between good and bad -- that same balance that each of us struggles with every day of our lives -- is needed to lift him off the page and into our hearts.
But Meyer prefers her cardboard cutout, which is, in the end, really too bad.
Terrible Thing #2
Edward is, by his own reckoning, over 100 years old, as he "died" (read: became an immortal) at the age of 17 in 1918. Yes, he's forever trapped inside the body of a seventeen-year-old boy. But his mind certainly hasn't stayed that young.
Yet with whom does he fall in love? "Plain Jane", been-a-million-just-like-her-since-1918, seventeen-year-old Bella.
It's one thing to make an allowance for the physical attraction; after all, there's nothing wrong with one 17-year-old body liking another 17-year-old body. That makes sense. But there is something darkly frightening about a man who is mentally, emotionally, and experience-wise well over a century old falling in love with a mere child.
There are other vampires of his age with whom he could carry on a relationship and to whom he could have a deeper, more meaningful connection, as they would share age, wisdom, and experience. Then again, the whole love story doesn't make sense at all anyway... which leads me to Terrible Thing #1.
Terrible Thing #1
The "love" that Bella and Edward share is nothing more than shallow attraction that neither of them is willing to fight, despite the fact that his instinctual drive to drink her blood might at any point override his physical desire, resulting in her death. Because there is nothing concrete to either character, there is nothing concrete on which true love might be built. They don't share any interests, because neither of them have any interests. They don't have the same views on philosophy, because neither of them is any deeper than a teaspoon. In fact, the only "real" reasons we plainly see for the mutual attraction are that he's pretty, and she smells good.
As one blogger so aptly put it, it's "[l]ike if you fell in love with the best brownies you have ever smelled but you can't eat them."
This is not a soul-crushingly beautiful tale of romance and love. It's the story of two incredibly shallow, underdeveloped characters who like each other for superficial reasons and childishly refuse to let go of that, even for the sake of the physical safety of one of the two. It's disgusting.
Duel
Do you disagree?
Let everyone else know your opinion of this critique of "Twilight"... good or bad! My opinions are not necessarily right or wrong, and I want to know your thoughts in response to my review.
What do you think of this critique of "Twilight"? Do you think I hit the nail on the head, or do you think I'm a crotchety pessimist who doesn't believe in true love?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byThis is dead on!
Rabbit says:
What I wondered as I tried to slog through this piece of crap... why would Edward, a 100 year old vampire, still be IN HIGH SCHOOL? If he could survive sunlight, stakes, garlic and all of the other pitfalls of immortality don't you think he could figure out a way make a fake ID that says he is 18?
Posted December 03, 2009
emily says:
You are completely right. I did enjoy these books, but they were completely unbelievable and unlikely. Edward has no reason to love Bella because like you said, there's been hundreds of Bellas since he was her age. Edward's stalking Bella is also a bit disturbing. I think that Stephanie Meyer was trying too hard to make Edward a likeable character. He has no flaws, and then there's Bella who is a bull in a china shop. Everything Edward touches turns to gold, and Bella has no purpose in life but to be average and a total klutz. The characters are what irk me the most. I think Alice is annoyingly bubbly and vivacious. Rosalie is slightly more believable, as she actually has flaws. Jacob is a complete dolt for not just leaving Bella while he had the chance. Another thing that annoys me is that Bella uses Jacob from day 1. She flirts with him in order to learn more about her beloved Edward, which is incredibly mean and goes against her personality (always worried about other people, even impenetrable vampires). She realizes she's hurting him, but she doesn't do anything about it. The Twilight series is cheesy, sappy, corny, and unlikely. Calling Stephanie Meyer a great author is the overstatement of the year.
Posted November 30, 2009
Franny says:
I completely agree with the above points. I have never seen either of them have any lives other than "loving each other" We learn things about her families (i.e. Charlie loves football and beer, her mom loves Phil, who loves baseball) But, all of the Cullens are perfect, and Bella is clumsy. What a load of crap. All of the guys in Forks fancy Bella, probably because she has no separate interests and will basically go along with anything they want, if they're attractive enough. As for the Fourth book, after we've seen Eddie save Bella in 2 out of 3 books....We have Breaking Dawn. The idea that a corpse could procreate is completely over the wall. She has completely made Ed just a pretty immortal being and tacked the name vampire on it. Being someone who loves Vampire tales, I am appalled at the fanciful notions of a lonely housewife. If you want immortality, give them a fricken fountain of youth or something... To the defenders of Twilight, if you're going to defend it, don't look like a total idiot when you do, yes, the bestseller list has told us that it's a great book, so has every middle-aged soccer mom dissatisfied with the norm of everyday household chores and their teeny bopper young girl who thinks love means the most popular guy in 6th grade, because all of the others have cooties still. To the movie: Kristen Stewart has some of the most atrocious acting characteristics I have ever seen! She has the exact same facial expressions and mannerisms in every single movie she has ever been in. She even managed to fit in the open mouthed "I don't know what to do with my face," the lip bite of indecision, and the running of her hands through her hair in an effort to do something with her hands into the couple of seconds where she answered the door at the end of the movie "Jumper" If that is what Hollywood considers great acting, then I fear for that avid moviegoers will riot in the near future. While somewhere in there at the beginning, Meyer may have had some potential for a great vampire story, as soon as she started writing, that potential was brutally murdered. Having read all four of the books myself, I can honestly say they were a waste of my time. I don't understand the stalker like obsession of a fictitious character, (he's not real, by the way, for those of you hoping for the day when Edward will tire of Bella, there is no century old being out there going to come sweep you off of your feet, and ensure that you will be semi-permanent damsel-in-distress), or the total hopelessness of the life of one girl.
Posted November 21, 2009
finds it humorous when the people that ridicule you show their ignorance says:
sorry, i posted that on the wrong side, i'll just blame it on small font and being too impassioned to notice
Posted November 18, 2009
Samuel says:
i wasn't going to respond, for the most part i think you have legitimate concerns(some things are exaggerated or blown out of proportion. i won't elaborate on specifics because that isn't why im writing.) im writing to say, Heidi is a MORON!!!!! haha, she said omg, which is strike number one. she basically cussed you out for having an opinion(that was, like i said before, fairly accurate.) oh heidis of the world... do us all a favor. DO NOT PROCREATE!!!
Posted November 18, 2009
Frederic says:
wow...look at all the derranged twitards defending their sacred text. I totally agree with you, on every point, especially about Edward and Bella's "love" and Bella's empty shell. Also, I've read ALOT of bad books by bad authors, but this tops them all. Meyer can't write squat. (PS, I really hate crazy fangirls i.e, ones that throw a punch at you when you point out everything wrong with twilight.)
Posted November 18, 2009
Xasper8ing says:
I definitely think your Terrible Things #1 and #2 are spot on...I love the story of the series, but the writing is horrible, and those two facts you pointed out bothered me the entire time I was reading the books!
Posted November 18, 2009
Cat says:
While I agree with all your criticisms you have for Twilight I think it's a HUGE insult to J K Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, to say that the writing styles are similar. It's like saying that meals at McDonalds and Ruth's Chris Steak house are the same because they contain beef.
Posted November 18, 2009
Ekrem says:
I've seen the movie. Well.. My gf made me watch it (saying how bad it is) but I was willing to give it a chance... I just couldn't stand the stupidity of it and didn't watch it.
I don't know about the books and how much they changed it but in the movie:
Acting was crap. Scenes were crap. (God, those glares and empty looks!) Characters are far away from being believable. So is the plot. So many inconsistencies... Just stopped watching it at some point.
It's fine if someone want to tell a story of two teenagers falling in love. But two teens spotting each other and falling in love.. is hormones! So that's okay, BUT ONE OF THE TEENAGERS IS A GODDAMN CENTURY OLD VAMPIRE??!!
Watch.. say, Grease if you want a teenage love movie. Watch Interview with Vampire if you want a vampire movie. Then go back and watch twilight and see how utter crap it is.
Again, I dont know how much they changed between the books and movie adaptation so I'm talking about the stuff that exist in the movie.
One thing you've passed up:
Terrible Thing #Another
The Concept of Vampires
What are they? What is their origin? I mean the traditional vampire is a cursed creature, many times relating to a personal sin or to an heraditary one (say, abel and cain). That is why they are forced to drink blood (a horrible act) and avoid the sun. Sun is a metaphore, it represents the "good" stuff. But vampires cant have any sunshine. In fact, it burns them. They have become a creature that is on odds with the sun. That is a punishment. (In various cases stuff like crosses or crucifixes effect them too, they are all different metaphoric or obvious representations) And in Twilight? They twinkle and they look beatiful? What the heck? What is the downside of being a vampire really? Get some bloodpacks and you're set!
Another thing.
WHY DOES A HUNDRED YEAR OLD VAMPIRE GO TO HIGH SCHOOL??!! What the hell?! Just.. UGH!
Posted November 07, 2009
This is all wrong!
wendy says:
i hate your article shithead
Posted December 26, 2009
and so the lion fell in love with the lamb says:
why does edward need human characteristics? hes not human hes a vampire and they seem perfect to humans in every way!!
Posted December 23, 2009
Ghd says:
You are right in some parts, but not entirely.These books are meant to be read just for fun,I know it's far from Dostoevsky or Dickens, the writing is bad, there is no character development and the plot has obvious flaws, but since you know that, why do so many people bitterly criticize these books?What did you expect?Sometimes you need these kinds of books to relax and unwind, for example when you go to the beach or on vacation,some light reading, for fun, and amusement.If you'd read 'serious' novels all the time like the great Russian novelists or Shakespeare, like you said, you'd go nuts losing yourself through the multitude of symbols,character analysis,settings and trying to decipher every single meaning put into those books .You need variety.Sometimes you mind needs a break.Some entertainment, a read just for the fun of it.That's what books like the Twilight Saga are for.It's just entertainment.Plus, have you ever considered that some people's mental capacity of understanding and perception cannot go beyond the meanings of this book?Some people are not as perceptive and literary competent to grasp more ...'serious' novels, in lack of a better term.If most of the fans of the book like it for the obviously wrong,shallow reasons (like Edward is hot, bla bla bla) can you expect them to understand deeper books?These are the kinds of books that appeal to the majority of the population, the mediocre and the shallow.It's a pop culture phenomenon because it appeals to the majority, not because it is well written but because it what the mediocre actually want and understand.It's catchy and...people like it. I have read all the books in the series and I loved them,but I never considered them a great work of literature.It never was and never will be.But I appreciate Twilight for what it is. It's fun, it's catchy, it's an easy read if you want a break from serious cerebral activity at work or at school,it's entertainment.I agree with you on this :the characters are terrible and the plot is majorly flawed.Bella is a 'Plain Jane' who seems to be madly, unconditionally in love with Edward only because of his good looks,there seems only physical attraction she feels for him.The author insists so much on Edward's physical features it's annoying sometimes.It's shallow.But have you thought that maybe true love does not need logical reasons?Sure, there is no serious conversation between them,she seems so average and uncoordinated it baffles me, but maybe...just maybe...love does not necessarily need all of that to happen.I think that Bella, as undeveloped and poor a character she may be, stands out with her capacity to love and to sacrifice herself for the ones that truly matter for her.She is average and simple minded, yes, but how many 'plain Janes' would literally give their lives for their impossible love and even trade their mortality for an eternity of aching bloodlust, of hiding their true identity and always fighting with the desperate thirst to kill in order to survive and be with the one they love?Think about it.I think this is Bella's (only) feature that makes her stand out as a character.As for Edward, I have to contradict you.He is not perfect.Even though I do not know why he fell in love with Bella in the first place, I believe he is not perfect.Who would love a perfect character?Only shallow crazed 14 year-old fangirls maybeThere is no such thing as a perfect character.As inhumanely beautiful and moral as he may be, remember he was not always so...seemingly perfect.He killed people in his first years as a vampire.He was too weak to fight the thirst,the killer instinct.He was a murderer, a thief, a liar.He killed to survive, and lied to keep his identity secret.Every minute with Bella and, actually, with every human, is a constant struggle against the crippling pain of bloodlust, against his very nature, the one of a predator, a killer, a ...carnivore.Do not get tricked by his good looks.It's only the wrapping.It're more seducing if he is inhumanely beautiful, mannered, graceful etc., but he is still a killer. Like a carnivore flower; it may be beautiful on the outside, but only to attract its prey,to which is merciless, deadly.So Edward learned from his mistakes,he is flawed.But we learn from his struggle to keep Bella safe that not abilities , or looks, or the very essence of your soul make you who you are, but choices. Edward is a vampire, a killer by nature, by chose to fight against his nature.His love for Bella is his redeeming feature.He chose love instead of giving in to the obsessing desire to drink her blood.He might have killed her,it would have been much easier,but he didn't.A perfect vampire is evil by nature,Edward denies his evil nature just to be with Bella, so he is not that perfect.Plus (if you've read New Moon), if he would have been so perfect as all of you say, he would have succeeded in getting over Bella and would not have tried to kill himself by going to the Volturi.He is weak, no matter how physically strong, disgustingly shiny,fast and godly beautiful he is!I'm sick of everyone who says :"Oh Edward's hot!He's strong,he's perfect, he loves Bella!"Blah!!Such shallowness, even for a somewhat shallow book as this one.And notice the sexual tension between them?
So, to conclude, yes, Twilight is shallow, yes, it's poor in meaning,its plot is awful at times,the characters are underdeveloped and the writing style is flawed.It's aimed at teenagers and young adults.It's a modern fairytale.That's what teenage girls dream of nowadays!Some of them don't know any better.I may be a big fan of the books, but I know how to distinguish a true work of literature from books like this.It;s just entertainment ,people, enjoy the book for what it is and don't be so bitter about this!Good books need a term of comparison, don't they?Twilight may be such a phenomenon nowadays, but it's just a trend,it won't be remembered as a classic, like 'Dracula' or 'Frankenstein' etc.It's just for fun!If you are so bitter about it, why don't you stop criticizing it and try to write a better book instead to prove you know better?You see,Stephenie Meyer at least tried.
Posted December 22, 2009
elika says:
w/e you just dont get the book and yes there is love because if it was just that they had a "physical desire" as you put it then why did she try to kill her self (new moon) and why did he want to to the same , and why did she go and stop him after what he did to her, and why was she so so so so so like sad i dont see your poin because if it was just physical then why dont they just have sex !!! like they do in the last book ??? because they LOVE yes LOVE each other and ... you know what i am going to just stop you all get the point and by the way i am not same 14 year old girl in love with whats his name ... the guy that playes edward i really hate him but they books are really good and i get were she is coming from (Meyer)
Posted December 18, 2009
zainab says:
its an amazing book! ur wrong
Posted December 05, 2009
steve o says:
learn to use your imagination. it's a good book.
Posted November 21, 2009
just another face says:
im not saying its not vallad and i wont tell you your wrong its a book its completely up to interpretation but i think sometimes you have to do a little over looking to get a great read no auther is perfect and would you want a perfect novle?
Posted November 18, 2009
finds it humorous when the people that ridicule you show their ignorance says:
i read through some of the "duels" after posting my opinion, and just have to point out how many ridiculous morons posted absolute proof of their mental retardation. the avg IQ for those that posted on the "This is all wrong!" side must have been at least 70(which is the IQ of a mentally retarded person in case you aren't picking up on the association.)
Posted November 18, 2009
Heidi says:
they do so love each other omg, how could you not see that?
by the way
WHO THE FUCK DO U THINK YOU ARE MOTHER FUCKER,
twilight is the best book on earth this is most pointless thing on earth
if anyone agreesz with you they probably haven't read the book
Posted October 17, 2009
Paul says:
I agree she's not the best writer in the world -- she likes her adjectives and adverbs far too much -- but I think you're being a little unfair. Particularly on her characters. To tackle your points:
10 - Didn't notice that myself
9 - The problem here is the first person. She thinks that every time she sees him.
8 - Not sure about the plot hole. I don't think her heart actually stopped - that's just what it felt like to her. It probably just quickened a lot.
7 - Both Bella and Edward change quite a lot over the 4 books. It isn't unreasonable that the other centuries-old vampires don't much.
6 - Meyer claims to have had the same experience herself. She was at one school and was surrounded by attractive people who gave her no notice, then moved to a school with less attractive people who all came onto her.
5 - True
4 - She gets stronger as the books go on. She is particularly strong and brave when defending others.
3 - His floor is his all or nothing. He can only do black or white - never grey. Like leaving her in New Moon
2 - Piffle. Why not?
1 - You don't need to share interests or philosophies to be in love. I think it works at a deeper level than that.
Posted September 02, 2009
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- NAIZA NAIZA Dec 31, 2008 @ 8:08 pm
- Wow, what can I say. I've been a fan of the book and movie too. But there are some areas I have to agree with you. There is some inconsistencies with the writing and all of the stuff. Terrific lens! :)
Photo Credit
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- Ness301
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- Mindless~Infernal~Romance
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- Elphiegirl95
- Picture for "Terrible Thing #3".
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