Sinnful 2 Cents -- Twilight Series


With Breaking Dawn pt. 1 hitting the theatres last week, there has been another resurgence of Twilight. On Facebook, the local Hastings, little girls screaming about Edward, scary Twilight Moms coming out the the woodwork, and throughout the book blog community. Aside from my close friends and family, I haven't said much about the Twilight series.

Back in 2008, I took a class in Young Adult fiction in relation to education. Out of the several books we had to read for class, we had to pick an additional 15 across YA genres. Since Twilight hit the bestsellers list (and a friend of mine highly suggested it), I decided to find out what all the hype was about. And, honestly, I still don't get it. It took me about two hours to finish the book, and I swore I would never read any other book written by Meyer. However, later that year, I would be drawn back into her messed up world of teenage romance and angst.

I worked at our local theatre for about a year. They were getting ready for the Twilight fever with the release of the new movie. Since I didn't finish the series, I decided it would be a good opportunity to finally pick it back up. In addition, my parents started reading the series after my brother had suggested it (I still cannot get over this! My brother is a very picky reader!). After delving back into the series, I still cannot find any redeeming qualities, and I cannot understand why parents would allow their children to read such drivel.

With that intro, I will ascend my soap box and give my opinion about why the Twilight series fails.

Bella Swan: The Passive Co-Dependent


The character of Bella Swam is a poor role model for teenage girls. Not only is she extremely dense and has no common sense, she cannot function without Edward or a strong man taking charge (e.g., when Jacob comes into the picture after Edward leaves). She is dependent wholly on him and finds his outrageous behavior acceptable. While I understand that teenagers live passionately and are highly melodramatic, Bella's seemingly attempted suicide when Edward leaves really makes me wonder about her mental health.

Further, Bella was exceptionally 2D and over dramatic – crying at the drop of a hat (25, 51, 391, and on). She is also a martyr (25). She feels like nothing more than a stereotype. Her whining was over the top. Not sure whether she realized it, but Bella is the perfect Mary Sue.

Teenage Voyeurism Taken Too Far


In YA novels, teenagers find a way to live vicariously through the characters. They are essentially voyeurs. Therefore, the parental figures are not as present and the characters have more freedom to experiment, fall, and eventually learn life lessons. However, the fact that Bella is able to travel back to Arizona without anyone knowing and later to Italy is too far fetched. Also, what life lessons does she learn? How to be a cock tease? Full dependency on someone? Never learning to grow up?

The Case Against Edward Cullen: The Archetype of a Classic Abuser


Edward is the perfect model of a classic abuser.
  • He is extremely jealous of other men, especially Jacob. He forbids Bella from even seeing him in a friend capacity.
  • He is controlling and restricts her movements (e.g., intentionally taking the engine out of her car.)
  • Several times he mentions that he could easily kill her.
  • He shows up unannounced (e.g., breaking into her room at night to watch her sleep).
  • He tried to kill himself
  • Uncontrolled temper
  • He has physically detained her (Twilight, 103, 104)
  • He isolates her from family and friends under the excuse that only he/his family can protect her
And, sadly, the list goes on.

While the idea of a person you love watching you sleep is kind of sweet, Edward broke into her room and watched her several times before they really met or where an item. How is that not stalker behavior? Why is Meyer showing this as perfectly appropriate behavior for men to exhibit? Do we want girls to seek out abusive relationships? Do we think so little of our daughters?

Biology 101: Stephanie Meyer's Creative Alternative to Biology


Biology, anyone? Reading Breaking Dawn, I have to wonder whether Stephanie Meyer ever took an elementary bio class or had basic sex-ed. The way she explains Bella's pregnancy makes no sense. Granted, a vampire being able to impregnate anyone is fully in the realm of fiction; however, her reasoning is just plain stupid! It would have been better not to try and explain it and have Carlisle completely clueless. First of all, when girls hit puberty, they have the maximum amount of eggs they will ever have. Ladies, our bodies do not generate more. Men, on the other hand, constantly regenerate their sperm cells. How, with that in mind, does her explanation work? Bingo! It doesn't.

What is This Plot You Speak Of?


Plot . . . Ah, plot, that wonderful chain of events that make up a story. It is something that Meyer really didn't think too much about. The plot of the whole series can be summed up in one simple sentence: Girl falls in love with boy and ends up with him despite a few setbacks. There you go, ladies and gentlemen, that is the plot of a four book series. Anything else is just filler fluff.

Jacob and the Infamous Deus Ex Machina


Jacob imprinting on Renesmee pushes the boundary of what is appropriate. Not only was it a cheap way to fix the love triangle with Bella, it made Jacob into a pedophile. It was obvious that Meyer was an immature writer and wrote herself into a box. As a reader, I would have rather seen Jacob just slip into the background with unrequited love. Of all the characters, he was my favorite. Meyer did him a disservice. Plus, Horace makes it perfectly plain to poets not to rely on the Deus Ex Machina to solve plot issues.

"You Must Not Do It Until You Go Through It"


Meyer's stated purpose for writing the books is a noble and admirable one. With teen pregnancies and underage sex seemingly on the rise, it is good to give girls a role model that abstains. However, Bella is obsessed with sex! Further, she is showing the couple acting in ways that Bella's father would disapprove of. How is her alternative better than fornication? It also shows girls that if you're itching for a good fuck, just catch I guy right out of high school and get married. I'm sorry, but getting married because you're horny is not a good reason to take vows. I guess that Bella's life lesson in all of this is that continual disobedience will get you what you want in the end.

Because Only Real Men Sparkle


Every author has to make things their own and put their own spin on creatures. However, Meyer's interpretation of vampires is ridiculous! I understand the attraction to vampires. When I was a teenager and saw Interview With the Vampire, I secretly imagined myself with Lestat. Dangerous, out-of-bounds men are sexy! However, it is hard to find emo vamps that sparkle (oh, don't for get vegetarian) as anything but pansies! In addition, I still don't understand why they go to high school. With how excluded they are, it seems pointless. Another thing is their reaction to blood and Carlisle's profession. There is only so much self control someone can exhibit constantly around something they desire. I find his resolve unbelievable.

I'd Like to Buy an Adjective


Flashy writing and 50+ point Scrabble words does not make you a good writer. And it does not make you look intelligent. Come on, "diminutive municipality" is overkill! When it takes you multiple metaphors, similes, and adjectives to describe something, you run into word vomit and bogged down writing. Honestly, I felt that at least half of the length of each novel was needless word filler. She should have paid more attention to the story and less time reading a thesaurus.

"Look at Me, I'm Mannequin Skywalker!"


There is no real character development. I felt that some of the side characters are more fleshed out than Bella and Edward. There also needs to be a balance of flaws and virtues. Bella's clutziness is so over the top, she is shown as stupid, impulsive, and flighty. She doesn't have many virtues until she becomes a vampire. On the other hand, Edward has no flaws. There is only so long, as a reader, I can suspend my disbelief.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my 2¢.




1 comment:

  1. Thank you! I thought the very same things about this series. I felt Bella annoying, with NO self esteem and a bad role model for women. Edward obsessive compulsive and more then kind of creepy. Dont get me wrong I swept through all four books very quickly I just couldnt stop reading even when I wanted to throw the damn books out the window bc I was so annoyed. Jacob was my favorite of the guys I thought he was too good for Bella. Alice was actually my favorite character of the series, now she has an interesting story. I'd read an Alice prequel.

    I can't explain it. You may like my Breaking Dawn Part 1 movie rant.

    My Rant is here

    -Amanda P

    Books, Shopping & Rock N' Roll

    ReplyDelete

I comment in the thread. Please subscribe to receive my comments and the things other awesome people have to say ^_^

Search

Categories

'70s (1) '80s (1) '90s (1) 1 skull (7) 100 followers giveaway (2) 14 (1) 1980's horror (1) 2 skulls (21) 2011 in review (1) 2012 (1) 3 skulls (29) 3 stars (1) 4 skulls (33) 4 stars (1) 5 skulls (50) 5 stars (1) 50 books in 2011 (1) 5skulls (1) 80s nostalgia (1) a court of mist and fury (1) a court of thorns and roses (1) a local habitation (1) a perfect blood (1) a rush of wings (1) abuse (1) adam nevill (1) adam neville (1) adrian phoenix (2) adults only (3) after the ending (1) alice's adventures in wonderland (1) alien invasion (1) alien invation (1) aliens (3) aliens: earth hive (1) ally condie (2) alma katsu (1) amanda ashby (1) amy lukavics (2) anastasia (1) andrea cremer (1) ania ahlborn (3) annie walls (1) antarctica (1) antebellum (1) anthology (1) apocalypse (2) apocalypse watch 2012 (9) arc (2) ashfall (1) audio book (8) author interview (3) autobiography (1) award (3) bag of bones (1) batman (1) bdsm (5) beast fable (1) beautiful creatures (1) beautiful darkness (1) beauty and the beast (2) becca fitzpatrick (1) bentley little (1) best of 2011 (1) bethany griffin (1) beverly kills (1) biography (1) bird box (1) bisexuality (1) bite club (1) black magic sanction (1) blog award (1) blog layouts (1) blogoversary (2) blood rights (1) blood rights vampires kristen painter (1) blood rites (1) bloodfever (1) bloody mary (1) bob marley (1) Book Beginnings (2) book blogger hop (5) book challenge (7) book club (1) book review (146) book review suzanne collins (5) book review urban fantasy (2) book reviw (1) book tour (6) brenna yovanoff (1) brian asman (1) brian keene (1) brother (1) bullet for my valentine (1) business (1) c.e. murphy (1) caitlin r. kiernan (1) cameron dokey (1) cameron roubique (1) campy horror (2) Candace Welsh (1) cannibalism (1) carrie ryan (3) carrie vaughn (2) catching fire (1) catholic (1) catriona ward (1) cenobites (1) censorship (1) charlaine harris (2) charlene teglia (1) charlie higson (1) cherie feather (1) cherokee nattion (1) Chic and Sassy Designs (1) children of paranoia (1) china (1) chivalry (1) chris wooding (1) christopher moore (1) cinder (1) cinderella (2) civil war (1) claimed by the wolf (1) claire thompson (1) classics (3) clive barker (1) cold (1) comedic horror (3) comfort food (1) comfort foods (1) comic (2) coming of age (1) commenting (1) contagious (1) contemporary (3) conversation (1) cooking (1) courtly lover (1) Courtney Crumin and the Night Things (1) courtney summers (1) coyote (1) coyote blue (1) craig johnson (1) crime fiction (1) crime thriller (1) crossed (1) crossover (1) crow (1) cuckoo song (1) cyborg (1) D/s (1) dan wells (1) dana fredsti (1) Daniel Volpe (1) dante (1) dare (1) dark fantasy (2) darkfever (1) dathan auerbach (1) daughter of smoke and bone (1) daughters unto devils (1) David Clement-Davies (1) david hahn (1) david oliver relin (1) david tischman (1) days of blood & starlight (1) dd barant (1) dead (1) dead beat (1) dead light (1) dead on the delta (1) dead until dark (1) deadly night (1) dean koontz (2) dearly departed (1) death masks (1) deliverance (1) demon hunts (2) demon possession (2) demonic (1) demons (3) devil (1) diana rowland (3) DID (1) dirty little secret (1) disaster (1) disco deathtrap (1) discount armageddon (1) discussion (1) disliking a book (1) disqus (1) DMC: Devil May Cry (1) DNF (1) dnf skull (2) dreamfever (1) dresden files (3) duncan ralston (1) dust and decay (1) dying bites (1) dystopian fiction (7) e-book (1) e.l. james (3) eat slay love (1) edgar allan poe (1) education (1) elissa wall (1) elizabeth reuter (1) ellen potter (1) Emily Lloyd-Jones (1) England (1) erin a craig (1) ernest cline (1) erotica (10) even white trash zombies get the blues (1) exorcism (1) extreme horror (1) f. paul wilson (1) fae (6) faefever (1) faeries (2) fahrenheit 451 (1) fairies (1) fairy tales (3) fantasy (5) feed (1) female protagonist (1) fiction (8) fiction with zombies (5) fifty shades darker (1) fifty shades freed (1) fifty shades of grey (1) fighting to survive (1) film tie-in (1) final girls (1) fire baptized (1) first days (1) first days: as the world dies (1) flds (1) flesh and bone (1) follow friday (36) following (1) fool moon (1) Fragile (1) frances hardinge (1) FrankenDom (1) frostbitten (1) frozen (1) funny (1) furiously happy (1) gabriel's inferno (1) gabriel's rapture (1) game reboot (1) gargoyle (1) garth ennis (1) garth nix (1) geek (1) georgina kincaid (1) gerald's game (1) gfc (1) ghost hunters (1) ghost shadow (1) ghost story (4) ghost trackers (1) ghost walk (1) ghostland (1) ghosts (1) giveaway (7) godsmack (1) google reader (1) gothic (3) government (1) Grady Hendrix (3) grant wilson (1) graphic novel (8) grave peril (1) graveminder (1) greg mortenson (1) grim (1) guest post (3) gypsies tramps and thieves (1) halfway to the grave (1) Halloween (1) hammer of thor (1) haunted asylum (1) haunted house (4) heather blake (1) heather graham (2) Heather Morris (1) heavy metal (1) hellraiser (1) henry james (1) high school (1) hillybilly (1) historical (1) historical fiction (4) history (3) holiday (1) Holocaust (2) home before dark (1) horns (1) horror (37) horror/urban fantasy reading challenge (12) horror/urban fantasy reaing challenge (1) horrorstör (1) howard chaykin (1) humor (1) hush hush (2) IKEA (1) imm (1) in my mailbox (1) in the blood (1) infected (1) internet blackout (1) irresistibly sweet blog award (1) isaac marion (1) islam (1) isolation (1) it takes a witch (1) jane was here (1) jason hawes (1) jaye wells (1) jeaniene frost (6) jeff hirsch (1) jeffery deaver (1) jennifer blood (1) jenny lawson (1) jesse petersen (3) jim butcher (10) jodi lynn anderson (1) joe hill (2) jonathan maberry (3) joseph spencer (2) josh malerman (1) jrr tolkien (1) juneau (1) k (1) kami garcia (2) karen marie moning (5) kate williams (1) Katherine howe (1) katie alender (1) kelley armstrong (1) kenya wright (1) key west (1) kim harrison (3) kindle (1) kitty and the dead man's hand (1) kitty and the silver bullet (1) kitty thomas (1) kresley cole (1) l. frank baum (1) laini taylor (2) Lale Sokolov (1) late night (7) Laura André (1) Lazy Sunday (1) leaving (1) lee hunt (1) lee roland (1) lesbian (2) lia habel (1) liebster blog award (1) liesel hill (2) limerick (1) Lisa Unger (1) lit rpg (1) little red riding hood (1) living dead in dallas (1) lolita (1) longmire (1) lost and forgotten languages of shanghai (1) lovecraftian (1) madeline sheehan (1) mages (1) magic (1) malice (1) man fuck this house (1) margaret stohl (2) marilyn mason (1) marissa meyer (1) mark of the demon (1) married with zombies (1) masque of the red death (1) matched (1) matched series (1) matt baglio (1) matt shaw (1) MC (1) Melissa Marr (1) mental illness (2) meteor (1) Michael Vey the Prisoner of Cell 25 (1) middle east (1) midnight blue-light special (1) mike mullin (1) mike pace (1) mira grant (1) Mockingjay (1) monstrumology (1) monthly wrap-up (2) moon called (1) motorcycle (1) movie casting (1) movie review (1) muisc (1) my book boyfriend (3) my life as a white trash zombie (1) my wishlist saturday (1) mystery (11) mythology (2) naomi novik (1) native americans (1) nazi germany (1) necromancy (1) neil gaiman (3) nerd (1) new adult (2) new blog (1) new orleans (1) new year (1) night huntress series (1) nightlife (1) nightshade (1) non-fiction (4) nos4a2 (1) nyc (1) old kingdom series (1) on my wishlist (1) one grave at a time (1) opinion (1) order of the gash (1) pakistan (1) pale demon (1) parallel dimensions (1) paranormal (2) paranormal romance (11) partials (1) pass slowly (1) patricia briggs (2) paul kane (1) percy jackson (1) persistence of vision (2) peter clines (1) peter straub (3) philippa gregory (1) pinterest (1) plague town (1) podcast (2) podiobook (1) poison princess (1) police (1) political thriller (1) post-apocalyptic (10) post-WWI (1) promo (2) promo blitz (3) proven guilty (1) PSA (1) puppy (1) quote (1) r (1) R.A.K. (1) rachel morgan (1) random acts of kindess (1) ravenhurst (1) ray bradbury (1) ray chen smith (1) re-read (1) reading challenge (2) ready player one (1) red-headed stepchild (1) resident evil 6 (1) retelling (6) retellings (3) review (7) rhiannon frater (3) richard paul evans. 3 skulls (1) richelle mead (3) rick riordan (1) rick yancey (3) riley sager (1) rob thurman (1) robbie dorman (1) Robin L Rotham (1) rockabilly (1) romance (2) rosamund hodge (1) rosemary and rue (1) ruiyan xu (1) rumpelstiltskin (1) rusty fiischer (1) ryan c. thomas (1) s. evan townsend (1) s.g. browne (1) salem witch trials (1) sandman (1) sara gruen (1) sarah j maas (2) sarah kernochan (1) schools (1) sci-fi (7) scott sigler (2) sean mcdonough (1) seanan mcguire (4) seether (1) serial killer (1) sexuality (1) shadowfever (1) shaman (1) Shawn Sarles (1) sherlock holmes (1) sight (1) silk (1) simon holt (1) sinnful 2¢ (3) slasher (4) slasher horror (2) slavery (1) slippage (1) smallpox (1) song (1) SOPA (1) Soulstice (1) soundtrack (1) speculative fiction (1) spinning silver (1) stacey jay (1) stacking the shelves (1) stalker (1) steampunk (2) stephanie meyer (1) stephen ayers (1) stephen king (3) Stephen King project (1) steve perry (1) stolen innocence (1) stop online piracy act (1) storm born (1) stylish blogger award (1) submission (1) succubus blues (1) succubus on top (1) summer knight (1) summer reads (1) supernatural (1) supernatural suspense (1) susan beth pfeffer (3) susanne winnacker (1) suspense (3) sylvian reynard (2) T (1) taking on the dead (1) tami jackson (1) TAPS (1) TBR pile (1) tears don't fall (1) teaser tuesday (39) technical difficulties (3) ted naifeh (1) texas chainsaw massacre (1) the auction (1) the babysitters coven (1) The Bone Collector (1) the car thief (1) the cold dish (1) the dark and hollow places (2) the dead and the gone (1) the dead girls of hysteria hall (1) the dead-tossed waves (2) the demon of renaissance drive (1) the divine comedy (1) the donner party (1) the eleventh plague (1) the enemy (1) the forest of hands and teeth (2) the game (1) the haunted (1) the hobbit (1) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (1) the house of salt and sorrows (1) the hunger (1) the hunger games (2) the isle of blood (1) the jazz cage (1) the kneebone boy (1) the lady of the rivers (1) the last house on needless street (1) the monstrumologist (1) the other life (1) the physick book of deliverance dane (1) the replacement (1) the rite: the making of a modern exorcist (1) the sandman (1) the sight (1) the summer i died (1) the taba convention (1) the taken (1) the talisman (1) the tomb (1) the vampire of new york (1) the women in the walls (1) the wonderful wizard of oz (1) theme song saturday (65) Theme Thursday (15) theodore weesner (1) theories (1) this is not a test (1) this world we live in (1) three little birds (1) thriller (6) tiger lily (1) toby venables (1) tomb raider 2013 (1) tomes of the dead: viking dead (1) top ten tuesday (1) trevor shane (1) trickster god (1) truth or dare friday (2) twilight (2) undead (1) undeniable (1) underneath (1) unrate (1) update (6) updates (1) urban fantasy (54) vacation (1) valentine's day (1) vampires (10) vanyel ashkevron (1) versatile blogger award (1) vicki pettersson (1) video game review (3) video games (1) vikings (2) viper moon (1) vladimir nabokov (1) volcano (1) voodoo (1) waiting on wednesday (1) war of southern independence (1) war of the roses (1) warm bodies (1) water for elephants (1) werewolf (1) werewolves (4) western (1) what maisie knew (1) whispered truth (1) white night (1) winner (2) winners (1) witch (2) wrong turn (1) wyoming (1) YA (17) YA adventure (3) ya comedic horror (1) YA contemporary fiction (1) ya dark fantasy (1) YA dystopia (1) YA fantasy (6) YA fiction (22) YA historical fiction (1) ya horror (6) ya issues (1) YA mystery (1) YA paranormal romance (2) ya post-apocalyptic (14) ya retelling (1) ya retellings (1) YA romance (4) ya sci-fi (1) YA series (14) YA supernatural (1) YA supernatural romance (2) YA suspense (2) YA urban fantasy (2) ya with zombies (1) yellowstone national parl (1) zombie month (12) zombie music and movies (1) zombie queen of newbury high (1) zombies (24) zombies don't cry (1)

Archives

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Grab my Badge

Sinnful Books
 

Follow Me!

Follow on Bloglovin
Follow on Bloglovin

Followers

Linky Followers

Reading Addiction Blog Tours

Contributors

My Photo
"If you’re a freak like me, Wave your flag! If you’re a freak like me, Get off your ass! It’s our time now, To let it all hang out!" I am a recovering English major, closet bibliophile, breve addicted, zombie lover with a rockabilly and heavy metal fetish.
MyFreeCopyright.com Registered & Protected