Wow! I can't remember the last time I've been to a real movie theater. There's probably a good one in Denver, but back then there was no way my family could afford that; and most movies aren't worth a first-run showing anyway, especially with passable "cheap" theaters and, even better, waiting for the DVD for a dollar at RedBox to watch in the comfort of your own home with your own snacks and good friends. Sometimes it's good to get out, though, mostly just so you got out. I know this makes me sound like a small-town hick, but Boise has a theater as big as some of the "malls" I've been to!
Back to my point about the futility of avoiding Twilight, I went on a date to see Prince of Persia at a first-run theater last Wednesday. The movie was excellent, but I'll talk about that another time. What I'm trying to say is, the theater was packed with Twilight fans waiting all day for the midnight showing. Long story short, it was 100% worth the elbow to the ribs I received from Cassie to, as we walked past a pack of girls wearing Team Edward shirts, manage to be overheard saying "Man, who knew Edward would actually come out of the closet in the third movie?" Hehehe, I'm evil...
But there's another reason. Had Twilight fandom quickly evaporated as it should have, it would have escaped my attention; but it escalates and escalates, demanding investigation. I read the first book, have seen the first two movies, and am well versed in the details of all but the last book. I have done my research, and if I am to be as objective and intellectually honest as I can be, Twilight fandom is not healthy. It is so unhealthy, in fact, that I genuinely believe it is a favor to society to speak against it. Not with "Oh, it's so dumb, if you like Twilight you're stupid!" but with reasoned, thought-out arguments against the elements of the story.
What are those elements? Twilight revolves around the most bland, empty-headed, your-face-here central character I have ever encountered. I'll get back to this soon. This main character falls in lust (Meyer calls it "love") with a vampire who is over 100 years old and has accomplished nothing in his life, has no personality, likes her for no compelling reason, and is emotionally abusive and controlling (not to mention a creepy stalker). He's a boyfriend who likes her because she smells like steak cooked just how he likes it. But she also likes a warm, fun-loving, easy-going, potentially healthy relationship but also has a dangerous side werewolf. The characters don't learn. They don't develop. The books are 90% fluff (not an exaggeration).
The poor lessons girls (I wish I could say teenage girls, but it spans all ages) learn from these books could be the subject of volumes, and maybe I'll go more into that another time. So many people have already done so.
But this post is about feeling pity for Stephenie Meyer. So back to my point about Bella's lack of personality. It is painfully obvious that Stephenie Meyer is Bella. Meyer looks like her description of Bella. The books were "inspired" by a dream of Meyer's. Meyer spends so much time on Edward's and Jacob's physical descriptions, that the books read as a play-by-play daydream of Meyer's (which they are).
This is my point: Meyer is not well. Stephenie Meyer needs serious help. Before you get all offended, I am not disparaging Mrs. Meyer. We all have our problems. I am saying this out of genuine concern. The abusive relationship between Edward and Bella is Meyer's actual ideal of "true love". This is her fantasy relationship. If she views all the things Edward does to control Bella as okay "because he loves her" and because Bella understands that he loves her, I wonder how healthy Stephenie Meyer's real-life relationships are. Especially her marriage. It's not my business to pry into her marriage; but having been in and seen many unhealthy relationships, I can't help but wonder and have genuine concern.
That's the more serious reason I feel sorry for Stephenie Meyer, but there's also a second reason:
Twilight fandom has stunted Stephenie Meyer's growth as a writer. Twilight was the first thing Meyer ever wrote. Considering this (Twilight fans who think I am closed-minded, listen closely!), Twilight is amazing. Yes, I said it. Twilight is very good. For a rough draft of a first attempt at any form of creative writing, it is excellent. (Keep track: I used "amazing", "very good", and "excellent" in conjunction with Twilight.)
Here's what should have happened: Twilight gets picked up by someone at a publishing agency, who reads it and thinks "This has potential. The Harry Potter phenomenon will soon come to a close, leaving a vacuum for young adult literature, and this could fill it; but it needs work." The publishing agent should have written back to Meyer and said "You have the workings of a really good book, but it needs more character development, better internal logic, a more present and driving conflict, and more believable motivations for the characters. Also, you need an editor." Meyer and an editor should have gone back and forth through several drafts, finally resulting in a very good teen romance novel with a fantasy twist. The end product would be a well-written book worth reading that I am simply not in the target audience for.
Instead, crap is rewarded with high praise and rabid fanaticism. Yes, I just went from calling it "excellent" to calling it "crap". What changed? The context. Twilight is a horrible final product. I hear Host is much better, and will someday read it out of curiosity; but my expectations are very low. Stephenie Meyer could have been, not the next J.K. Rowling, but the next best thing; but because of the high reward for minimal effort, she has been elevated to a status she has not earned. I consider this to be a genuine tragedy. All you Twilight fans, and especially Little, Brown and Company, are responsible for destroying (or at the very least delaying) the potential of what could be a talented writer. I hold you all responsible for depriving the literary world of what could have been good, and seriously annoying those of us who respect art.
Stephen King has famously said that Stephenie Meyer "can't write worth a darn". I disagree. Meyer probably can write, but she has been encouraged not to.
Twilight fanatics, you should be ashamed of yourselves. To those of you who simply enjoy the books (do you really? Do you own a Team Insert-Flat-Character-Here shirt? Be honest with yourself!): you're not really the problem. But there are millions of you who are. I don't mean to offend. I only hope to inspire critical thinking. Let me have it in the comments if you'd like.
Sad face.
Prince of Persia was very good!
10 comments:
Great blog post, dude (saw your link on Dan Bergstein's FB page - my name's Ash, I post there regularly).
Just watch out cause those psycho Twihards will eat you alive if they get hold of it. They're all so far gone rational thinking is beyond them. My ex girlfriend was one of them - she dumped me because I wasn't enough like Eddie C. Unfortunately, sneaking into her room and watching her sleep did not get me anything but the threat of a restraining order. And as for covering myself in glitter...let's just say I make a great drag queen.
I personally am Team Jedward (for Jacob and Edward to eat Bella and become a gay couple). Does that mean anything?
I know someone who apparently read the first draft of Twilight, and she claims it was a completely different story, thus contradicting that it is very good for a first draft. If I did not have this knowledge, I would totally agree with you about everything, though!
Hah!
Anyway, I love your writing.
With love from your mother.
OXO
Prince of Persia was awesome. :D New favorite!
@KingNothing - I'm all for Team Jedward! I thought I was the only one! >O<
well said!
Yes, this was all well said. From listening to you and reading about the "bad" things about Twilight, I may be changing my mind but I still love a romance, no matter what! :)
And Prince of Persia was a great movie! I am glad we saw it! And I am glad you like the Boise theater so much! It is not really that big so that means you have been to some sad malls! :-P
i agree with most of the stuff you said here. i think people need to speak out a lot more on the dangers of the twilight books. who cares if the twihards "eat you alive" anyway? i do have to say that i've read the whole series and thought it was amazing. the romance is really intense and basicly addicting. the thing is that since i've read twilight...nothing else is good enough now. no other book series can top the emotions i felt while reading it. not even harry potter is any good (i made the mistake of reading twilight before HP). so now i'm stuck after reading the twilight series and just wish that i could take it all back. i really just wish tht twilight never existed. it all really sucks...i'm a diehard twihard who wishes she wasn't.
I don't read much, but I would like to read Twilight just to see what the hype is all about. With that said, I think the fascination and obsession with the books (if they are as poorly written as you've said and as I've heard) isn't really surprising. Our generation and the rising generation are being raised in a YouTube, iPod, high-speed Internet, instant gratification society with very little emphasis (if any at all) in reading books. I guess the iPad and Kindle are bridging that gap, but it doesn't help a generation so bent on technology and entertainment to appreciate quality writing, let alone be able to subjectively argue its credibility, style, and message(s) (like you have). I am a perfect example of this--I would rather watch the movie in two hours, be entertained, and then go back to doing something else rather than read the book. So for Twlight to be such a success because of its shallow character development, over-the-top romance, and simple storyline is not a huge surprise. However, I have yet to read the books and formulate my own opinion.
You made a very good argument about what should have happened before Twilight was published. You are absolutely correct that is is 90% fluff. I couldn't agree more about Twilight setting bad standards for girls to look for in guys. The end of your post was really well written.
The beginning is a but jumpy, though. "I'm going to say this... but wait I wan to talk to you about this first. Oh and yeah, this... but wait, later." Just don't bring things up until you mean to bring them up.
Secondly, I think pitying Meyer is very natural. In interviews she has talked about being sad to leave her characters. She lives vicariously through them. What I thought was weird about your post was all of the concern you claimed to have for her. Like you said yourself, you shouldn't pry into her marriage because you have no idea what it is like.
I agree with everything you said (except the marriage thing) but take your own advice - revise first drafts.
I read this interesting article recently: http://bit.ly/adHqTw
Bella as a "your-face-here" heroine, as you put it, well, this to me has always been the key to the series' success, especially with women. If you can easily fill in the holes of B's personality with aspects of yourself, then YOU are the one in love with E, and he loves you. Essentially that's what the legions of fans sigh for - being the only girl in someone's universe, being overwhelmed by feeling and emotion on such a fantastic level that it IS impossible in real life. Some people just really long for that bit of fantasy in their life.
It’s probably useless to even make the suggestion to you, but there is the partial manuscript of Twilight from E’s POV on SM’s website - maybe it would change your opinion of him, maybe not. Since you probably won't, three quotes for you:
“I was repulsed by myself as I watched her toss [in her sleep] again. How was I any better than some sick peeping tom? I wasn’t any better. I was much, much worse.”
“At the time that I had become a vampire, trading my soul and my mortality for immortality in the searing pain of transformation, I had truly been frozen . . . my personality, my likes and my dislikes, my moods and my desires; all were fixed in place. . . . [But] love had changed [Carlisle] in an eternal way, a way that never faded . . . he still looked at [Esme] with the incredulous eyes of first love. It would always be that way for [him]. It would always be that way for me, too. I would always love this fragile human girl, for the rest of my limitless existence.”
“For one moment, the hag-faced fate I’d imagined, the one who sought Bella’s destruction, was replaced by the most foolish and reckless of angels. . . . With a heedless smile on her lips, her sky-colored eyes full of mischief, the angel formed Bella in such a fashion that there was no way that I could possibly overlook her. A ridiculously potent scent to demand my attention, a silent mind to enflame my curiosity, a quiet beauty to hold my eyes, a selfless soul to earn my awe. Leave out the natural sense of self-preservation—so that Bella could bear to be near me—and, finally, add a wide streak of appallingly bad luck. With a careless laugh, the irresponsible angel propelled her fragile creation directly into my path, trusting blithely in my flawed morality to keep Bella alive.”
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