mental_floss magazine
SUBSCRIBE >
GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS >
DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS >
subscriber services >
by - July 27, 2009 - 1:46 PM
For four days this week, July 30 through August 2, Dallas is playing host to the most rabid fan base outside Red Sox Nation. Thousands of fans of The Twilight Saga will be flying into town for what organizers are billing as the largest Twilight conference in the US, TwiCon 2009.
There is virtually no one on the planet who hasn’t heard of the Twilight saga – a series of four books, Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, about a human girl and the complications arising from her budding love for a vampire. In an era of massive blockbusters fueled by zealous fan bases, Twilight is one of the biggest; the first book in the series, Twilight, debuted in fifth place on the New York Times bestseller list in 2005, hitting the top spot shortly after. Together, the books in the series have sold more than 53 million copies and been translated into 37 languages.
The books have even spawned a resurgence in the vamp-lit market, with hosts of would-be Twilights littering the shelves, hoping to catch some of the wave that the series created. They have also engendered a film series, which has itself inspired a weekly television show about a film that’s not coming out until November, and a graphic novel (manga style, in keeping with the predilections of the books’ fan base) version.
[In the interest of full disclosure, I should say here that I have read all of the Twilight saga (and, this being the part that might get me beaten up, I loved the first three books but found the final one seriously lacking, primarily because it seemed that the author had fallen far too in love with her characters for the good of the story).]
Sadly, TwiCon is already sold out – so if this is the first you’re hearing of it, it’s too late to buy tickets. But had you been on the ball, you would have been able to have your picture taken with actors Peter Facinelli, Jackson Rathbone, Billy Burke and others from the original Twilight cast; you could have attended breakout sessions to meet other Twilight20somethings or talk about the role the film has had in shaping Twilight fan fiction; discuss the role of the female, specifically the heroine, in the books; relive prom at the Volturi Mask Ball; or relax at a concert with the Bella Cullen Project and the Twilight Music Girls.
Please consider this post looking at all the weird and wonderful things around Twilight like a tiny, tiny fraction of the universe of experiences you could have had at the TwiCon:
In the beginning…
Stephenie Meyer was a Mormon stay-at-home mother of three when the idea for Twilight came to her came to her in a dream. She says on her website that she woke on the morning of June 2, 2003, from a particularly vivid dream in which two people were having “an intense conversation in a meadow.” One half of the couple was just an average girl, but the other was “fantastically beautiful, sparkly, and a vampire.” The subject of the conversation will be familiar to readers of the books, since Meyer says that Chapter 13 of Twilight is basically a transcript of the conversation: The vampire and the girl are falling in love, but the vampire really wants to eat her because her blood is like his particular brand of heroin.
Meyer says that from that day on and for the next three months or so, she was writing the Twilight saga every day, in between taking her kids to swimming lessons and taking care of her recently born baby. It took Meyer awhile to figure out what to call her heroine and the gorgeous “vegetarian” vampire (he only eats animals, not people); in the first write-up of the dream conversation, she simply referred to them as “she” and “he.” Eventually, she settled on “Edward,” finding it a romantic name straight out of a Jane Austen novel, and “Isabella,” which she said was more difficult to hit upon as she’d come to love the character “like a daughter.”
After finishing the book, which was originally titled Forks after the small and super rainy Washington state town in which the story is set, Meyer shopped it around to about 14 agents before finally hooking one. Her agent took the story to nine different publishing houses before Little, Brown finally picked it up, offering her a $750,000, multi-book contract. The whole thing took about six months and, of course, has completely changed Meyer’s life.
Meyer also started writing a companion to the first book called Midnight Sun, which told the Twilight story from the perspective of Edward. However, the author abandoned the project, for the moment at least, after chapters from it were leaked on line.
The author has a cameo in the Twilight film: In one of the scenes in the Forks diner, Meyer is seen sitting at her laptop at the diner counter and ordering a sandwich.
Are all Twilight fans really teenage girls?
When the final book in the series came out, bookstores everywhere battened down the hatches and prepared for a long siege of teenage girls wearing glitter make-up and chattering ecstatically about Bella and swooning over Edward or Jacob, depending. I know this because, well, I saw it happen – waiting in line for the last book to come out, I was the only person over the age of 18 not there as an accompanying adult.
The Twilight fandom has stereotypically been associated with teenage girls. Recently, Psychology Today blogger and PhD Gina Barreca explored the question “Why Do Smart Teens Love Twilight?” by asking the teenage daughter of some friends to explain why she loved the books Among the reasons the girl highlighted were the total escape from reality Twilight offers and the fact that so many other young girls were also eyeballs deep in the Twilight universe, creating a community of shared experience – at a time, I would add, when girls tend to need community the most. [Image courtesy of TwilightSeries.ca.]
Even early on in the phenomenon, reporters noticed the link between teenage girls and the nascent Twilight saga, often engaging in a little pop psychology themselves and theorizing that it was the chaste but desperate passion between Bella and Edward, who are unable to consummate their love owing to the fact that Edward is a vampire, that inflamed the imagination of teenage girls. And there is also some evidence that vampires, especially tall, handsome and wealthy vampires, are particularly attractive to women.
And are they dangerous?
While for the most part, Twilight fans are no more dangerous than your average sci-fi or fantasy fan, for some reason, Twilighters have gotten a bit of a bad rap.
It is true that in November 2008, Twilight fans started a mini-riot at an event at a Hot Topic in a mall in San Francisco. Basically, the event coordinators promised that the first 500 fans to show up would receive a free Twilight T-shirt and a chance to meet Robert Pattinson, the pale British hearthrob who plays vampire Edward Cullen in the films. When it became clear that there was virtually no organization to the event at all, the crowd of more than 3,000 turned violent, leaving one girl bloodied and other fans bruised, sadly solidifying the image of Twilight fans as a ravenous pack of screaming teenage girls.
But there are also “reports” on fan forums and blogs that Twilight fans, called Twihards, are lashing out against their anti-Twilight fellows. Stories range from an enraged fangirl beating an anti with a copy of the book, to encounters involving broken arms, cigarette burns, pencil stabs, acid and, probably best of all, improvised weapons a la the “shank” and “shiv.” And then there’s the Twilight-related suicides, typically involving young girls who want to be undead like their favorite vampires. Now, none of these urban legends have made it to the mainstream media (presumably because they’re just as fictitious as Twilight itself), but they have been handily catalogued out there in the blogosphere and passed around as fact.
What is true, however, is that more than a few Twilight fans have pledged their undying love to the series via that time-honored message board, the human skin. Remember, folks, a tattoo is (almost) forever.
Twi-merch
So, with a fan base as, ahem, affectionate as the Twilighters, it should come as no surprise that many a merchandiser has come up with ways to allow fans to express their love (and, of course, to pay for it).
There are the T-shirts (“Edward is a VILF”), the BBQ aprons, the infant clothing, the lunch boxes, the life-size cardboard cut-outs of Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen, the pillows, the bookmarks and posters, magazines and special edition film companion books, trading cards and board games. If you’re looking for something a little more high-end, in October, Nordstrom is launching a line of Twilight clothing, which includes T-shirts reading “Team Edward” and “Team Jacob,” after the two heroes involved in the books’ central love triangle, and many jewelers are 
marketing the Bella bracelet, a recreation of the silver charm bracelet Bella wears in the third book, Eclipse, featuring a carved wooden wolf from Jacob and a diamond heart from Edward.
But there are also the items that only the truly Twi-hard fan would consider – like a weeklong cruise/floating convention around the Alaskan and Washington state coasts with a few of the actors from the film. The ship sets sail in August of 2010 and you too can be a part of the fun for between $1000 and $3300, depending on the accommodations.
And then there’s just the weird stuff – like an SAT vocab prep book that references the Twilight books to help define SAT words: for example, Edward’s “alabaster skin” and “ochre eyes” make an appearance.
Twi-rock? Vamp rock?
Like Harry Potter before it, Twilight has inspired legions of rock bands and musical groups who play music about and derived from the books.
Much of the music ranges from the angsty (unsurprising since the books also tend towards the angsty) to the blatant paean: The Bella Cullen Project is a trio of girls who sing acoustic guitar songs with lyrics like “Edward, won’t you come and take me away,” and started the band in their eighth grade year. Bella Rocks! sings “Twilight is not all about Bella/ Twilight is not all about Edward/ and Twilight is not all about Jacob/ Twilight is all about Alice,” about how great it would be if your best friend were a “vampire fashionista.”
The Twilight Music Girls sing sweetly angsty songs that seem to come straight from Bella’s tortured, fictional heart (“I don’t feel the pain/ I don’t feel a thing/ I just see your face/ I know it’s wrong/ but you don’t care anyway”). And the Mitch Hansen Band might be single-handedly trying to smash the “Twilight is for girls” stereotype with songs from the Twilight male perspective that achieve a kind of Nickelback sound.
Even Rob Pattinson, who plays Edward in the films, is a bit of a Twi-rocker – two of the actor/musician’s songs, recorded before the film, were heard in the film and appeared on the Twilight soundtrack.
Twi-tourism
In the wake of the series’ mind blowing popularity, the tiny town of Forks, Washington, has been inundated with Twilighters making pilgrimages to the town of the book. More than 100 fans are pouring into rainy Forks, a former timber town that had long been abandoned as hard luck, and townspeople have been cashing in on the boom: Sully’s Drive-In offers a Bella Burger that comes with a side of fake vampire teeth; Twilight T-shirts are available at nearly every cash register in town; Subway even offers a Twilight Special, bleeding with marinara sauce.
But Forks isn’t the only Twilight town reaping the benefits of being association with the book: Volterra, the Italian town in which some of the major action of the second book, New Moon, takes place has seen an influx of tourism since the book came out. Like Forks, the small Tuscan town has embraced the Twilighters, with Twilight displays in many shop windows, as well as a special Volterra New Moon map showing sights from the book.
However, the director of the second film chose nearby Montepulciano to play the movie Volterra; Montepulciano is a tiny, beautiful hilltop Tuscan town that’s been in a number of films, including The English Patient, and it was deemed more picturesque and more appropriate for the film. Volterra was understandably upset about it, as were a number of Italian Twilight fans, who all put together a petition to have filming moved to Volterra, to no avail.
* * * * *
So, are you a Twilight fan? Would you buy a Bella bracelet or a spot on a cruise? And why do you think Twilight has become such a phenomenon?
Comments (50)
Comment
- Follow mental_floss
Ok, I’m probably going to be flamed horribly for this, but I have not read the series, and have no desire too. Normally I don’t let fans influence my decision to partake in something (The Harry Potter Books, I’ve enjoyed despite rabid fans), but I just can’t even begin to try Twilight. I’ll admit I enjoy Buffy, and that’s as pansy as vampires should get. Vampires should not be SPARKLY. In the sunlight, they either burst into flames or disintigrate. A real vampire wouldn’t normally have these “Feelings” (without a curse or a microchip, see Buffy comment). There is no angst about not wanting to bite someone. They bite, the drink, they fill up, they go home. End of story. I know these things about Twilight because it is everywhere.
posted by GoF on 7-27-2009 at 2:20 pm
Perhaps my English degree has made me a bit curmudgeonly, but I find these books absolutely unreadable. And this coming from a girl who thrived on the Babysitter’s Club and such as a child…
The books prey (har, har!) on the want of every teenage girl – to belong, to be loved. It’s a common theme. At that age, many young girls start thinking of their one true love, fantasizing endlessly. How such a poorly-written piece of literature with flimsy characters fulfills this, I don’t know.
But I can see that it works, and so to the author – good for you for making it big!
posted by Amanda on 7-27-2009 at 2:23 pm
I will admit that i’ve had my obsessions, but i also knew my limits. Some people really get fanatical about these things and turn radical to their beliefs. (sounds eerily familiareligion OMG i didn’t say that!)
I also have a tattoo rule. I won’t ink myself with any band name, person’s name, movie/book/tv titles because these things are finite, could lose its effect to me, or gain a new meaning entirely! I also find it hard to take someone seriously when they’ve done it to themselves.
On another note, i’ve heard that Forks residents are split on the idea of visitors in town. Some places have signs that read “Vampires Go Home” on their properties.
(reCaptcha: oral gutters…reCaptcha has frowned upon my comment)
posted by Steven on 7-27-2009 at 2:25 pm
Nitpicky, I know, but you spelled her name wrong.
It’s Stephenie Meyer. Apparently, E’s are her vowel of choice.
posted by Josh on 7-27-2009 at 2:25 pm
Is now a bad time to plug the mental_floss Vampires tee shirt? It’s on sale! $12! Next time, we’ll figure out how to make it sparkle …
posted by terri on 7-27-2009 at 2:25 pm
Twihards? Aye maraschino.
posted by Johnny Cat on 7-27-2009 at 2:37 pm
I haven’t read the books or seen the movie(s).
I just know that every person that has told me to read them/watch them have been goofy teenagers and/or simpleton 20somethings.
I hate to judge a book by it’s cover, but I don’t think I’d be interested.
posted by holly on 7-27-2009 at 2:41 pm
sorry for double post, but i agree completely with GoF on the grounds of influence and Amanda about the marketing demographic. However, this will blow over and a new generation of teenagers will emerge with a new fad and new obsession that will spark controversy and unheard of profit margins on specific products. I do appreciate that this fad originated from literature – granted fantastical fiction and something i choose not to even open – and our young minds are tempted to read more. Perhaps the Harry and Edward characters can do something for our kids like Bilbos, Huckleberry’s,and even Romeo/Juliets did for their generations.
I still think it’s all crap though.
(reCaptcha: 1044 churls…would that be us or the Twi-fans?)
posted by Steven on 7-27-2009 at 2:41 pm
Twilight…ho hum. I don’t believe I developed any interest in this website because of its coverage of adolescent love stories.
posted by Bubba on 7-27-2009 at 2:43 pm
I used to work in a bookstore and consider myself a bit of a book snob, but after watching the film I gave in and read the books. I was HOOKED! But very disappointed with myself, too ;)
posted by Nikki on 7-27-2009 at 2:44 pm
As a 29-year-old male, I’m fully aware that I’m nowhere near the target audience for the series. The closest I came was watching the Rifftrax version of Twilight, and I thought the movie deserved the skewering.
That being said, I don’t see the problem with taking variations on existing mythology. Sure, the “sparkling in the sun” stuff is pretty silly, but at least it’s keeping a well-tread topic a little fresh — if you don’t count the sappy teen love story.
Most vampire films take the vampire legend with a grain of salt and alter it where they see fit.
posted by Mike on 7-27-2009 at 2:46 pm
Wow. Whilst I don’t follow pop culture or have a tv, I expect to be up to date enough to be included in the category “virtually everyone on the planet”, yet I have never heard of Twilight, or if i have, didn’t take note of any significance or fad. Now I feel weird.
I mean, I knew about Harry Potter long ago before any movies.
posted by mark on 7-27-2009 at 3:02 pm
i have read the books, and while they were entertaining [at the primary school level] i would not recommend them to anyone. the flaws range from insufficient plot and character development to an overzealous repitition of cheesy descriptions (edward is described as having “alabaster skin” and “ochre eyes” at least three times in each book). reading these books is comparable to watching tv shows. There is very little substance to either.
i understand that teenage girls feel the need to connect with these characters and belong, really, i do. but as a teenager, I would not want to be the dependant, angsty, and helpless girl bella is portayed as. ever. i hope that “twilighters” can find better role models once this fad wears away.
p.s. GoF is right: vampires DON’T sparkle.
posted by Trish on 7-27-2009 at 3:11 pm
Haven’t read the books, but my wife has. I’ve picked up enough here and there to believe I wouldn’t like the series, but I won’t hammer on anyone who likes them.
As for the “sparkly” bit, yeah, I found that a little odd. However, I found the vampire mythos of the Midnight Blues series very inspired despite going against a lot of what’s “reality” for vampires, so I guess I shouldn’t judge.
In a side note, I recently found a “Edward v. Buffy” short on the net. Hilarious.
posted by That Jeff on 7-27-2009 at 3:28 pm
i read the first two books, and i enjoyed them purely from an entertainment aspect. but i will agree that they are horribly written and the characters are extremely one-dimensional. not to mention that the story makes absolutely NO SENSE. 16 year old chick falls in love with 100+ year old dude and decides to become a vampire in less than a year’s time? and this is respectable? hell no. i can see why people like them, but this harry potter level of obsession is just awful – at least the books and movies display talent!
oh and i also agree with GoF – vampires DO NOT sparkle.
posted by Jenna on 7-27-2009 at 3:33 pm
*by the books and movies i meant harry potter books and movies, of course.
posted by Jenna on 7-27-2009 at 3:36 pm
I personaly have not read the books. I did rent the movie when it came out and was not impressed. I have pretty high standards when it comes to the vampires. I am a Ann Rice fan and i know i should not but compare every other vampire incarnation to hers.
I am still debating on reading the books, but i will not buy them unless the first one i borrow really captures me.
posted by Jennifer on 7-27-2009 at 3:40 pm
I’ve read the books, and while I confess that they might hold a certain appeal to some, they read more like PG romance novels than serious literature that is fully deserving of the massive influence it has on such a large demographic. The books contain little or no plot, confining themselves solely to the praise of Edward’s “alabaster skin” and “ochre eyes”, beyond the inexplicable and faulty “obstacles” that Stephenie Meyer uses so she can claim that the protagonists share “forbidden love” (How, I ask you, is it forbidden? Certainly no one seems too strongly opposed to it. Also, what’s with her bizarre use of the word “vegetarian”? It refers to one who doesn’t eat meat, no amount of context can change that.)
Overall, it comes out as nothing more than an overblown excuse for a book series, flaunting anti-feminist messages and disparaging human relationships, yet has managed to gain a foothold in modern pop culture by being basically an elaborate fantasy chaste enough to snare young women.
posted by Charlotte on 7-27-2009 at 3:54 pm
Ok, I am not the target audience of the books, I am firmly in my 30’s and have two masters degrees, including one in engineering. On the recommendation of a friend I read these books and I loved them. Maybe because I can still remember what it was like to be in love as a teenager, but there was something in them that I understood, and I did feel a connection to the characters. What more can you ask for in a book? I have read many literary greats that I have not had a connection to the characters and did not enjoy the books. Maybe that is why I did not major in Literature. But why knock books for being entertaining and drawing people in and engaging their imagination? Must everything be high brow to be worthwhile?
Oh, and a benefit of the teenage girl aspect, my friends with teenage daughters are using these books as discussion starters with their daughters on how to handle relationships.
posted by Michelle on 7-27-2009 at 4:01 pm
OK so yes some young teenage girls seem to be taking this a little too seriously, but I’ve read the series and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I understand a young persons obsession, but come one, we were all obsessed with something at that age (can you say New Kids on the Block?)
It is what it is. A love story that I think can be read and enjoyed by people of all ages and education levels. These things shouldn’t be taken too seriously.
recaptcha: Jacob In
posted by Kait on 7-27-2009 at 4:22 pm
I disagree with all the twilight bashing on this page. I think twilight is a well written book that fully captures your imagination. I will admit that the story moves slowly in twilight, new moon is severely depressing and the ending of breaking dawn is too much of a happily-ever-after, but you have to read deeper than the storyline.
You have to understand the emotions, and connect with the characters. You need to feel what they feel to make the books truly worthwhile, and in conclusion to that, I don’t think that many of the people on these boards have fully accomplished that. I enjoyed the books even more for the second time, and the third time, and I am looking forward to reading them for a fourth time.
I do think the film was truly rubbish, but the books really are amazing.
posted by mary on 7-27-2009 at 5:01 pm
Well, let me say this. This is coming from someone who is in the target audience. I am thirteen, I read them, and I did not enjoy it. Now, I have the highest reading score in the class, and I’m very, very picky. I don’t want to go on and on about why I despise these books. But I am posting for one reason. Some fans are dangerous. It all just depends. Some reports are true some are not. My friend was attacked recently.
But, there’s one positive thing,
At least kids are reading.
It’s better than nothing.
posted by Isabella on 7-27-2009 at 5:13 pm
Good article, I know nothing about Twilight but was interested in finding out so I proceeded to read it.
My only beef with it is the following quote \There is virtually no one on the planet who hasn’t heard of the Twilight saga –…\ Seriously? When did America become the WHOLE planet?!!! The superiority complex of Americans baffles me!
posted by Pink Coat on 7-27-2009 at 5:51 pm
I’m a 7th grade teacher, and my kids hate to read, with the exception of Twilight. I have had to take some books away from kids who decided to read them during my class, though sometimes I don’t blame them.
posted by Addie on 7-27-2009 at 5:53 pm
So I started reading the books when the third came out (I’m 17 now) and i have to say that I loved them. Primarily for the reason of how the story flows. While it isn’t a well written book, that’s exactly what I love about the series. All 4 books are unique in you can read them all in an afternoon or two. They require no brain power to process – which is a welcome relief somedays.
I do have to say though, that while I love the series, the 4th books wasn’t the best and the movie was pitiful. Also, the fans do have a tendency to get a little to involved in fictional characters…
But as Isabella said before me, at least the series is getting kids to read.
posted by Ashley on 7-27-2009 at 6:05 pm
From what I have read of these books (mainly excerpts pointed out to me by my boyfriend’s 14 year old sister) they are really entirely inappropriate for the audience they are targeted at. In one book it discusses Edward ripping Bella’s unborn child out of her uterus as the child grows too quickly and will kill her. Totally not appropriate—so apparently its okay to have something that morbid, but heaven forbid we should actually have a real sex scenes in the book! Further, there are alot of sexual references, like the discussion of Bella’s bra, etc. I don’t think children should be closeted and I’m only in my mid-twenties (certainly not a parent) but as an educated female some parts of the books and the movie upset me. The movie portrays Bella as completely helpless and incapable of taking care of herself. She wants a man she can’t have and is willing to sacrifice anything to get him (including being killed by him or others). This is not the kind of role model I want for young women. Perhaps the books are different, but I found the characters in the movie appalling (not to mention the horrible acting)
posted by Lou on 7-27-2009 at 6:08 pm
Not all Twilight fans are teenage girls. The big fan at my house just turned eleven years old. I’m glad it kept her in reading material for a little while, but I need to find another series because she’s read all four books at least three times each.
posted by Miss Cellania on 7-27-2009 at 6:14 pm
Although I’m sure that we all want to encourage young people to read, I shudder to think that Twilight has become the vehicle by which this is achieved. I’m twenty and read the first book to find out what all the fuss was about. I wasn’t too impressed, but I care very little about the quality of writing and far more about the negative portrayal of women exemplified in the books. The main character is entirely singularly focused and lacks any form of independence. Her relationships are unhealthy and all of her future plans are second to her plans with Edward. If this is the new role model, I’d rather young people watch TV.
posted by Gina on 7-27-2009 at 8:00 pm
I read the twilight series, and I think they were interesting books. They kept me up well past midnight to finish them. It was a nice escape from reality, but a little too far from it. While reading them, I just kept wishing my boyfriend was that romantic and I had some decent friends -.- ah well, such is life.
But Harry Potter is way, way better.
posted by Julia on 7-27-2009 at 9:30 pm
Miss Cellania, you’re right. Not all of the fans are teenage girls. Some of them are middle-aged lonely women.
posted by Tonberry2k on 7-27-2009 at 10:14 pm
I’m 24 and I’ve read all the books and I liked them. (And I’m not lonely, either.) I think Bella was really very annoying, and by the fourth book, it was so ridiculous that I was annoyed at all the characters. And, you can’t judge by the acting in the movie because Kristen Stewart might be the worst actress I have ever seen. They might not be the most well written books, but they’re fun. I think all these crazy young girls are just that–crazy. And why are their parents allowing them to go out to Twilight parties at midnight? I like these books, but I do think people take them way too seriously.
posted by Chrissy on 7-27-2009 at 10:47 pm
re: Pink Coat – why do you assume that if the author says “everyone” she means America? According to the author, “the books in the series have sold more than 53 million copies and been translated into 37 languages.” I have done a lot of traveling in the past year and you see Twilight in bookstores EVERYWHERE.
As for me, I started as a doubter as well. But there’s no denying that these books are compelling, even if they’re not the most well written. Maybe I’m reading with a bit of nostalgia, but I miss those intense emotional moments in high school, when having a boyfriend seemed like the most important thing in the world. Beats dealing with today’s real world problems.
Like so many people have already said, Twilight is the ultimate escape. When you’re there, you’re completely sucked in – and in times like these when the world seems to be falling apart, that’s exactly what we need. Don’t make it Twilight’s fault that crazy teenagers give it a bad name.
posted by Debbie on 7-27-2009 at 10:57 pm
Spine-breaking vampire fetuses and milquetoast self-inserts have been mentioned above, but incredibly, nobody’s mentioned anything yet about Edward *jimmying Bella’s bedroom window open and sneaking in* to watch her sleep. I’ll pass on the skeevy stalker boyfriend, thank you.
Cleolinda’s Twilight recaps are recommended for the lulz. Google ‘em up!
posted by Bwee on 7-27-2009 at 11:08 pm
It’s appalling to me, in the only way I can be appalled-literary matters, that this excuse for young adult reading has become such a personality cult, that I can’t buy groceries without seeing what’s new with the Twilight crew. It’s disturbing that parents just give in and let their daughters be exposed to this literary crap, and possibly the worst movie adaptation of crap ever.
(Sorry, Miss C. It had to be said.)
posted by Johnny Cat on 7-27-2009 at 11:16 pm
wow…this post has taken a life of its own hasn’t it?
has anyone else noticed that the same controversies in these comments are the same ones depicted in the post itself?
posted by Steven on 7-27-2009 at 11:21 pm
per Donna “…Don’t make it Twilight’s fault that crazy teenagers give it a bad name.”
Indeed. Metal music was blamed for suicides, Goth music was blamed for Columbine, Video games are blamed for violence and crime. . . twilight is just one more media voice that the public wants to scapegoat. Why are the parents of the out of control children blaming a static media for shaping the malleable souls they believe their children to be? Why don’t they take the time to influence the kids more and keep the fiction in perspective?
I’m 44 and my 17 yr old loaned me his copy of the first book, saying “I thought it would be too corny to stand, but I really enjoyed it! It isn’t a serious book but it is very fun!” I read it in a day, and asked him when the 2nd one was coming out!
It was delightful! A new take on the vampire legend, instead of the same folk tales- ‘what if they lived in the modern world for real?’ approach. Not that the characters were real but what if they did exist here? It’s an entertaining exercise of the imagination, like any fantasy or horror book- except the characterization in the first book was done so well that I was Isabella for a few hours (never mind that I kept cursing at her for not just going and getting Edward and doing as she wished!).
It’s not the age, it’s the imagination and the capability to fall into the fantastical- and isn’t that the point of a good fiction story?!
posted by KitiaraMajere on 7-28-2009 at 2:04 am
Just reading the backs of the books made me want to throw up from the ZOMG MELODRAMA.
posted by MetFanMac on 7-28-2009 at 10:10 am
Not all of them are teenage girls. My wife (in here upper 30’s) is as big a fan as it possible for her to be.
She was at the midnight book sales and the midnight movie premier. (However, she hasn’t asked me to take her to Forks, yet.) And she is not alone. She went to that midnight showing with a pack of about 30 similarly aged women.
The thing spreads like a disease. She never has the books because she is constantly lending them to other women, who then temporarily check out of life so that they can read all 4 books in two weeks.
Frankly, it the whole thing frightens me.
posted by n2y2 on 7-28-2009 at 11:44 am
Holy crap people, lighten up.
I’m 24 (and married) and I thoroughly enjoyed the books. Are the literature? No, but they’re a good escape.
When I was 14, my obsession was Hanson, and many of my friends were obsessed with N Sync and the Backstreet Boys. Does that count as our intro to music? I think not. So lighten up on those fears about teens reading relatively crappy novels. My musical tastes have improved since I was a teen; I imagine these kids will go on to read something better.
And really, 13-14 year olds will obsess about SOMETHING. My mom did when she was that age, and I already admitted to mine above. It’s a rite of passage.
posted by Kate on 7-28-2009 at 2:08 pm
Kristen Stewart isn’t a bad actress. I just think she probably isn’t that good in the movie. She can only do as good a job as the material she’s given which isn’t particularly well-written.
posted by Alison on 7-28-2009 at 4:05 pm
I was going to laugh at the people with Twilight tattoos, until I remembered the Golden Snitch on my back and the Dark Mark on my arm.
I was similarly addicted to Harry Potter, though that ended with the overly heteronormative epilogue to the last book, so I can see how people can get sucked into things. People screamed and fainted for The Beatles years ago too, and then hopefully grew up and moved on.
posted by Jordy on 7-28-2009 at 5:57 pm
I enjoyed reading the entire series and have been pleasantly surprised at how many individuals (both male and female) I’ve met who feel the same way. I understand that not everyone will be a fan, but it is unnecessary to express your opinions in a way that is both superior and ugly. What I don’t understand is why those expressing negative opinions and stating that they have higher literary standards cannot spell or utilize correct grammar when writing their comments. Interesting…
posted by EL on 7-28-2009 at 6:05 pm
Well…I’m 22, will graduate college in December, and my former roommate and myself went through a phase where we became strangely obsessed with the Twilight books. We saw the movie at the midnight showing and bought a couple posters. However, it was never nearly as extreme as some people – the thought of writing songs never crossed my mind – and it subsided. We’ll probably go to the midnight showing of “New Moon,” but that’s mostly because we like going to midnight showings.
Are they well-written? Not really. WAY too many adjectives. Not enough character development (I mean, seriously, Alice has this great mysterious past involving a family who put her in an insane asylym, a vampire who stalked her, another vampire who turned her into a vampire to prevent her from being killed…and this is pretty much all we know?! What the crap?!). Are they entertaining? Yeah, kind of. They’re not exactly something I read when I want to really use my brain, but I will when I’ve had a long day and want some crack!fic. Does “Breaking Dawn” read more like a really long piece of fanfiction? Yeppers.
Still can’t beat “Harry Potter” though, and I don’t understand why some Twihards seem to think it can. Anyone who can plan out their books so well that minor references become major plot points later on is AMAZING – J.K. Rowling, I salute you.
posted by Kate on 7-29-2009 at 10:59 am
And might I add…the scary thing is not the teenage girls…the scary thing is the middle-aged women I see walking around with their families, wearing Twilight shirts.
posted by Kate on 7-29-2009 at 11:01 am
Smart girls, at least all the ones I know, do not like Twilight.
I fall square in the middle of the target audience — I’m sixteen. I read the first book when the craze first hit two years ago.
I utterly hated it. The writing is terrible, Bella is a helpless, boring idiot, Edward is a stalker (and that’s somehow okay and even romantic), and it’s filled to the brim with antifeminist messages.
If you want pure escapism, at least get something good. ‘Stardust’, perhaps?
posted by Emily on 7-29-2009 at 3:18 pm
I agree with the person who said these are basically teenage romance novels. And you know what? It’s a heck of a lot better than a 13 year old girl reading an actual romance novel, which several of my friends did at that age.
Also, the sparkly part I have to just associate as a \mormon vampire.\ Otherwise it would drive me crazy.
posted by Jen on 7-29-2009 at 6:57 pm
Thank you to all of you out there, who did not find these books to be as great as some think. Even Stephen King has said that Stephenie Meyer is NOT such a good writer.
posted by Maria on 7-31-2009 at 12:39 am
I’m clearly not in the core demographic at 40+ and I read all 4 1/2 books (Midnight Sun online is the 1/2) in 4 days. I could not put them down.
The writing is particularly atrocious, but the story was compelling. My similarly aged friends all agree that the books were like crack. We could not put them down. Stephenie Meyer is not a great or even a good writer, but she’s a good storyteller, and in the end, that’s what we were looking for.
Is it stupid that the vampires glitter? Yep. Is it ridiculous that she calls her vamps vegetarians? Absolutely. But, hello people, vampires aren’t real, so the other “inaccurate” stuff I can overlook to enjoy a compelling story.
posted by Fran on 8-5-2009 at 9:37 pm
thank you GOD!! Comments full of smart people!! Ahhh….
I have no desire to ever be anywhere associated with Twilight. I could rant for days about it. There are SO many better books out there!!
The ignorant youth of this planet will never actually read these posts, but I hope to god they find better books. I shudder to think what books today is doing to the world of tomorrow.
It’s the readers of Mental_floss that give me hope for the future.
And to Gina, you are so totally right. I get so angry to think of what goes on in the movies, and the books. The teenagers are already so screwed up with all kinds of bad, age inappropriate things. They don’t need more negative influences on top of that.
posted by Jenni on 8-6-2009 at 6:30 pm
I’m a fan of twilight, both the books and films.
I know everyone has their own opinions, you guys seemed closed minded.. most of you have stated you havent even read the book yet here you are slating it? saying its strictly for love struck teenagers.
No matter who it “relates” to, i think its fantastic that one story can interest so many teenagers to be honest, when was the last time it was in fashion to read a book? You will all probably know a book can help you escape from real life, give you a break and take you into another world entirely, regardless of how “primary school” the writing is, at least it gives people the opportunity to read a good book, and as a bonus discuss it with… well.. everyone!
posted by Leanne on 1-4-2010 at 11:12 am