I tried to read Twilight when I found out that Kristen Stewart was going to be in this movie I was seeing everybody get inexplicably excited for. I got through the Genesis quote and the first few lines about the girl talking about thinking about her death or something before I had to put it down… later I heard about Vampire Baseball from a poor unfortunate who had to sit through the film. I think it’s safe to say that this story just plain sucks, whether its because it is filled with tropes that make no sense except to latch on to more successful YA books or because it is misogynist makes little difference to me. I did catch Let The Right One In, and that movie was the perfect vampire/youth romance story so I’m even less inclined to care about Twilight now.

I guess you didn’t read my post, either, where I said that I was tired of people who hadn’t read the book ragging on it.

Hey, I’ve not read the novels, haven’t seen the film, and really have no interest in doing so. But I am interested in one thing; I read one review that made a connection between that peculiar American celibacy pact crap, and the ‘romantic’ subject of the film. Is that for real? The reviewer mentioned the author being a Mormon?!.

I’ve read a number of reviews of the works and laughed at the snark, but your take attempted to answer why these books are so popular, so thank you.

It’s possible to be split about a work, to understand that you may not be the target market, that it may not be well-executed in ways that you like, but also to understand and show some empathy for WHY it works. There are loads of vampire books out there, and loads of books aimed for girls. Why did these make it? What are they saying that girls respond to? That’s what I wanted to know.

Well done.

Thanks so much for this honest review, Sarah! I really appreciate the fact that you explain why it appeals to people. I also appreciate that you try to show both sides of the argument and that you stated that people should read the books before offering an opinion on them. Also, I don’t feel like you were shaming feminists into reading Twilight, merely showing that it can be seen from many different angles.

I, for one, am a huge fan of the Twilight Saga and I have read the books several times. And yes, I am above the age of 18. But, just because these are the books that I am reading does not mean that I am not an intelligent person. This goes back to the “elitism” you were talking about. People think that for someone to be intelligent they have to read obscure literature written by authors full of angst, and I have to disagree with that statement. Just because I want to read a book that doesn’t require an in-depth analysis of what is going on between the lines of the story does not mean that I am any less intelligent. I am not a dense or unintelligent person, and I don’t feel that people should be thought less intelligent just because they read a book series. And, for that matter, Twilight can be turned into a deep, thought-provoking novel that you can infer plenty about; it all depends on how you approach the novel. I understand that each person is entitled to his/her own view, just don’t make others feel that they are any less intelligent because of their interests. So, please, don’t judge a book or its fans by the hype surrounding the series.

Again, Sarah, I thank you for the honest review. Keep up the good work!

Sarah, thanks for a great review! I am an over 60 year old retired librarian/teacher of literature. I hold several degrees from respected universities. I always feel “obligated”, due to my former occupation, to read everything that generates “buzz” in the literary world. “Twilight” definitely fell into that category. I have been as entertained by the overly-analytical critical reaction to this series of young adult books as I was by the books themselves! And I did, really, enjoy the books!

It amazes me that critics would find it necessary to pick apart, in the most minute and negative way, books that MILLIONS of teenage girls actually ENJOY reading. (Did they have the same reaction to Madeline L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time”?) In this day and age, as difficult as it is to engage youngsters in reading, shouldn’t we just revel in the fact that they have found something they will read?

(As someone who was around during the actual birthing of the “femminist movement”, I have to agree with you, we never intended for women to sacrifice everything femmine in order to be male equals. That would seem to be the anthesis of our original goal, wouldn’t it?)

This is a love story about the perfect man. He’s every woman’s dream man, plain and simple. It appeals to all ages because of it’s “prince charming” story. It’s not just about “teens in love”. It transcends that and is a story about all consuming love. Yes, it’s written for women by a woman, however, if more men read this book they would gain some true insight to what a woman really wants…a man who is totally and completely devoted to them. I have read all four books twice and plan to read them again, several times. They are well written and entertaining and I thought the movie was okay, too. I’m look forward to seeing how the new director handes New Moon. After watching the Golden Compass, I think he’ll do great with New Moon and Eclipse. By the way, I’m a Twilight Grandmother!!!

@Alexa: I am a huge fan of the saga, so I will give you a few examples of “a lot more than some English literary canon name-dropping.” In Phenoix Bella was in advanced biology, and she had read all the books on the required reading list for her English class prior to moving to Forks. I personally find it intelligent to be able to read classic British lit and understand and appreciate it; it is not an easy thing to do. Bella is smart enough to know what she wants and not get persuaded from it, and she’s non-judgemental towards others.

I think there is something greater then the literary merritt or idea of feminism in the Twilight Saga that people don’t seem to realize — the fact that the Twilight Saga has reminded a generation of kids of the joy of reading. I’ve heard many people say they didn’t like/hated reading because they were slow and/or poor readers, but because of the easy read and likeable characters in Twilight, they love to read now. A love of reading makes a huge impact on a person’s life.

@LD: I totally agree!

I don’t know how anyone can read this as me shaming feminists into supporting something, or me attacking feminism. I’ve self-identified as a feminist many times, including in this post.

I guess I’ll just quote myself:

“I’m a critic by trade, a rather overeducated one, and so I’ll stand by anyone’s right to read and critique a text. If you read the Twilight books and hated ‘em, great. However, when you haven’t read the text, I think at some point you lose your right to be snotty about it.”

“I like dresses and makeup and boys, and I’m still a feminist. I maintain that I can also be a romantic (when I’m not being a cynic) and be a feminist, too.”

@ Lisa Fortuner thank you! i was just going to mention that the problem with the books isn’t how it’s trivial literature, or how the story is full of superficial love, but how the main relationship is so unhealthy and that young women, who’s ideas of healthy relationship are just being formed, are the target audience for these books.

like you Sarah, i’ve read all the series and i’ll admit i mostly enjoyed them because of the trashy aspects and i’m not ashamed to say so). also like you i cite myself as a feminist who can enjoy being feminine. but that has nothing to do with the main problem presented by this series. these books are a huge phenomenon targeted at a segment of the population that i feel can be pretty vulnerable. the relationship that all these young women are swooning over is problematic and borderline abusive. i definitely don’t think that it’s a positive thing that so many young adults are sighing and imagining themselves as one of the books main characters. i would really urge people who haven’t read twilight and the rest of the series to check these books out of the library, borrow, or buy them used from someone and read for themselves what is wrong with these people and characters. especially if they have young women in their lives. i don’t mean to get so preachy here, but i feel it’s a real disservice to let your daughters, sisters, cousins, nieces, or young friends read this without knowing what is going on within the pages so that you can explain to them how this is the fantasy of the author, and not a good example of positive attitudes about relationships.

Great article! Elitism, Feminism and Romanticism were the topics discussed in this essay, not just feminism. Any one who is getting angry over this is just plain over reacting. It’s fine to have a negative oponion of these books, to think they are less than worthy to read, or to skip them all together, but to suggest that those who do read and enjoy them are less enlightened or anti-femminist is wrong. There are some elements in these books that border creepy or bend the comfort levels of the readers (stalking, being in love with infants, obsession, etc…) but the characters motivations behind these actions are not evil. Characters can do strange things, but that does not make them bad people. I guess I don’t see the appeal in trashing something others enjoy because it’s not how you would have done it.

@katyP “As someone who was around during the actual birthing of the “femminist movement”, I have to agree with you, we never intended for women to sacrifice everything femmine in order to be male equals. That would seem to be the anthesis of our original goal, wouldn’t it?”
Well said *applause*

I am a thirty-year old teenager who also fell in love with the Twilight Series. I have to say that when I went to the bookstore looking for it I didn’t expect to be lead into the teen reads. Still, as an English teacher I have read books for kids of all ages. We never really grow up do we? I love how unbelievably girly the Twilight series is, and that is why I devoured every sentence of all four books. I cannot say that I enjoyed the movie though. The books being so girly give our teenagers a sort of strength that sometimes goes missing. Yes! These same teenage girls are gushing over Edward but that’s what happens when you are a teen, you gush over a different guy every week. Still Bella is strong and demands sex, and independence (via becoming a vampire). The girl knows what she wants and goes for it. I hope teenage girls do the same (perhaps not about sex) but about everything. Mainly I hope teenage girls do not allow boys to tell them how to feel. Go Bella, and go Edward for being such a gentleman!

I wholeheartedly agree. It was a strange experience for me to have only discovered Twilight about 3 weeks before the movie was due out. Strange because I am both an avid reader and stories about Vamipires, Werewolves and the like tend to be right up my alley. (My only defence, I suppose is that there are a LOT of books out there in that genre, so its easy to miss them. That, and my TV became a vehicle for DVDs, Video Games and The Food Network long ago, so I tend to miss all those shows that have its finger on the pulse of Teenage Girlmerica.) But, after having read them (before I saw the movie, even), two things leapt immediately to mind. The first was that although they weren’t the most well-written books, they were fantastic STORIES (and there is a distinction to be made there). The second thing was that this was the first book of this genre that I read that was really panned out to be something of an examination of female desire, sexual or otherwise. The feminine nature was given a voice. An occasionally whiny, shrill, and petulant voice, but, hey, sometimes our desires are whiney, shrill and petulant.

I think that the feminists that might have objected strenuously to the book did what most people who object strenuosly to anything do - looked at things on the surface. And, yes, on the surface, Bella was the kind of girl that would set any feminist’s teeth on edge. But, I really think that this has less to do with sexism and more to do with Stephenie Meyer’s Mormon upbringing. (Which, there are some very sexist elements of the Mormon religion.)

However, looking a little deeper, Bella was far from subservient or submissive (contrary and manipulative on some occasions), she was very strong, (to the point of stubbornness), had no problem taking matters into her own hands (even when they might have been best left in the hands of others), and was really very clearly a modern American Teenage Girl - she had her strengths, her insecurities, her moments of being a very good person, her moments of being a very bad one, her moments of wisdom beyond her years and of complete immaturity, she had some very romantic ideas of love and some very skewed ideas about committment. Despite the fact that there were some things about her that annoyed the crap out of me…I have to say that I agree that she is probably one of the fairest and most accurate representations of a girl-in-transit-to-womanhood in modern literature. Her view of Edward might have been romantic, but she, as a character was not romanticized. I think that that is something to give props to, because it’s not something you find every day.

Harlequinn Bell
Comic/RPG/Magic/Anime Girl Geek Goddess Savant

Sarah - I can only applaud people who speak their mind both freely and intelligently, regardless of whether or not I agree with their opinion (though I do, in this case). That is, after all, the nature of opinions.

I too have read the books, starting back with the initial release of Twilight and New Moon. I have not always been satisfied with the direction of the series took. However, I can still give credit where credit is due – regardless of sales, movies, etc. I recommended the books to friends several years ago, before popularity made them a household name.

For two days, I locked myself in my apartment and submerged myself into the world of Bella and Edward. Do I find flaws in both of their characters? Absolutely. However, I believe therein lies the draw.

Bella is impulsive, whiny and often misguided. She falls head over heels for the unobtainably ‘perfect boy’. (Read ‘Midnight Sun’ to see that this perfection is a matter of perception - here is where you will really see the most ‘literary’ of Meyer’s works come to life). Every teenage girl I know has demonstrated these attributes at some point in their life or another. I speak not only for myself but for the hundreds of students I have witnessed over my past three years of teaching.

Edward is mysterious, handsome, unavailable, tortured and wounded. A classic trope in romantic literature and life (and the reason why Meyer draws comparison the well known classics throughout the novel – not as a means of proving Bella’s intelligence). There is a reason why we have the culture phenomena of the ‘Bad Boy.’ Film, Television and Literature have spent years fleshing out the misgivings of the Bad Boy and the girl who wishes to save him. It’s an undeniably captivating design.

None of these literary devices are revolutionary. What is society-altering, however, is the impact these books have had (along with Harry Potter, Maximum Ride, Uglies, A Great and Terrible Beauty, etc) on the concept of reading amongst today’s youth. I second the notions expressed by Katy P and Alicia, we should be rejoicing at the ‘cool’ factor ‘Twilight’ has brought to reading and trust that the many teenagers (and adults) who have read these books will now be urged along in the pursuit of greater reading endeavors in the future.

Twilight has made their hunger insatiable and over time they will find themselves exposed to literature of all levels, ideologies and genres all because they first learned to love reading through a little series about a girl who falls in love with a vampire.

I totally agree with everything u said, why can’t i be a feminist, romantic and girly at the same time!!!

I think there’s potentially a double standard at work in that some people I’ve talked to have acted like enjoying Twilight reflects poorly on women or something along those lines, while these people don’t feel the same way about men enjoying a movie like Die Hard. I mean, Twilight is wish fulfillment for teenage girls in exactly the same way that many action movies are just wish fulfillment for boys. But if that analogy is accurate, then we do also have to point out that Twilight is kind of trashy and lacking in artistic value, much in the same way that no one would ever suggest that Arnold Schwarzenegger is a good actor. I understand why many women enjoy Twilight so much and I don’t fault them for it, but let’s stop pretending like there’s an ounce of difference between Twilight and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

I completely agree with you. Your post was a refreshing breath of air when fifty percent of the world is looking at you like you are crazy because you read Twilight. I don’t understand why people can’t just read a book and not overanalyze and just enjoy it for what it is, or hate it, put it down and find something more to their liking. Like you said, if you haven’t read it there is no room for critisizing it.

wow, ive just spent an hour trying to come up with an intelligent sounding comment, rewritten it at least four times and come up with something like this:

Im a 19 year old, male, from australia, asian ethnicity, i love playing games, photovoltaics energy engineer and hip hop dancing, im straight, have a girlfriend, im probably socialist and im open minded when it comes to religion, sexuality and what not, im not crazy about books, so im not quite sure what category i belong to but i definately love twilight.

every once in a while i stumble across something that touches me, and effects me in a way that is quite undescribable. Twilight, did that for me. Edward and bella’s love is so strong, and yet so real despite the supernatural setting. The quirks of ordinary relationships interwined and woven into the fantastical love story between vampire and human is so… real. And i think thats really the most important part of the book.

and as a side note feminists really need to rethink their values if they’re going to call this book anti feminist, a woman shouldn’t lose femininity or sexuality in order to be feminist, equality between males and females shouldnt be about physical or emotional similarities (because if that was the case then wed be aiming for female to become men) its in the attitudes and opinions they take about themselves that matter.

I wanted to point out something I found rather amusing in all this discussion of misogyny. It may have something to do with something or nothing to do with nothing, because i don’t have the book here to reference exact details. However, I seem to remember Bella writing an english essay at one point which was to discuss whether or not Shakespeare was misogynistic in his writings. I’m sorry, but I can’t imagine that Ms. Meyer would write a misogynistic book, only to point it out via one of her characters…. or would she? Maybe that was the idea? Either way, it makes me chuckle and it gave me something to think about.

“…a woman shouldn’t lose femininity or sexuality in order to be feminist”

Women “should” be feminine, masculine, or whatever they want. That’s one of the main points of feminism.

[...] Blog@Newsarama » Blog Archive » Twilight, Elitism, Feminism and … [...]

[...] Blog@Newsarama » Blog Archive » Twilight, Elitism, Feminism and … [...]

Why can’t the people that enjoy these books enjoy them in peace? Why does it have to be about feminism, why do the books have to be written off as young adult, childish or stupid. I did not get into this saga when everyone else did, I didn’t really have an interest, but I didn’t mock or say anything malicious about the people that did. And I certainly did not spend my time on blogs about a book that I knew nothing about. I am now a fan, yes maybe that makes me stupid or weak, but those books made me happy made me look at the love of my life and feel so lucky that I had a love like Bella and Edward had, vampireless but life altering all the same. So please leave us twilight fans alone, the books did something for us, why do we need to explain that to you?

I had not heard of Twilight until the movie buzz started and then I found out that Robert Pattinson was in the movie (who I have an old lady crush on). Read the first book and thought it was pretty good. Read the second, okay. Read the third, okay can almost see the finish line. Now I’m in the fourth book and I’m glad this saga is almost over. As I get close to the finish line, I do feel like an elistist. I will soon be a member of a special group of people who survived through many hours of Bella/Edward whining. I’ve met others who also feel my pain. Strangers on the train, another person at Target buying one of the books, a stranger in the hall at work watching me carry a familiar book down the hall. We stop for a brief moment and bond. It’s a strange and great feeling to find an unexpected kindred spirit.