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Twilight  

post #1 of 22
1/26/09 at 5:31pm
Thread Starter 
I just finished the first book. As an adult reading the book I thought it was enjoyable. But when I started thinking about the fact that the book is marketed to teen girls I was disturbed.

I felt that the relationship that was described between Edward and Bella demonstrated the model for an abusive relationship. I know that the book is not real life but bear with me on this....

1. Edward is obsessed with Bella; he breaks into her house and goes through her things, watches her while she sleeps at night (w/out her permission), listens to her conversations with friends, family, etc and gets upset w/ her, and finally her follows her (yes, he saves her but that is not the point of my post).

So, what do you think? Was I reading too much into it?
post #2 of 22
1/26/09 at 6:53pm
I read the first three books and found them very interesting. I refuse to read the last book; it sounds awful.

If you go to Stephenie Meyers' website, you can download the first few chapters of the book she started to write from Edward's point of view that was leaked. You see his experience from the beginning of Twilight up almost to their date in the meadow.

Reading from his point of view sort of made the relationship less creepy, although he is still obviously pretty controlling and a little bit crazy. Bella, for her part, is kind of crazy and obsessed, too.

I don't know. I try not to take romance novels very seriously. The people who write them and who star in them have a very different idea of romantic than I do. I still find them interesting to read, though. Someday my DD will read stuff like this and we'll have many long discussions about relationships and boundaries and love. It will be fascinating, I'm sure.
post #3 of 22
1/26/09 at 9:39pm
wow, maybe I'm weird, but I totally did not see Edward that way. Now that I've read Midnight Sun especially. I wish Meyer's had written it from a third person POV and not Bella's, I think that would have drastically changed people's perceptions of the relationship and made it more balanced. just mho, but had to jump in.
post #4 of 22
1/26/09 at 9:44pm
By the time kids are old enough to read Twilight (and comprehend/enjoy the sexual tension) I think they're old enough to understand the difference between reality and fiction. Edward is a vampire! He's not SUPPOSED to act like a normal human man!

My daughters and I read the Twilight books around the same time and we discussed them. I've told them I don't want them dating vampires.
post #5 of 22
1/26/09 at 9:48pm
Yes Ruthla, but did you warn them about werewolves too or are you cool with them?
post #6 of 22
1/26/09 at 9:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leilamus View Post
Yes Ruthla, but did you warn them about werewolves too or are you cool with them?


Ami
post #7 of 22
1/26/09 at 9:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruthla View Post
By the time kids are old enough to read Twilight (and comprehend/enjoy the sexual tension) I think they're old enough to understand the difference between reality and fiction. Edward is a vampire! He's not SUPPOSED to act like a normal human man!

My daughters and I read the Twilight books around the same time and we discussed them. I've told them I don't want them dating vampires.

You're no fun!

post #8 of 22
1/26/09 at 9:55pm
You won't find any positive reviews about the book from me. The first few chapters, or maybe it was just the first one, of the first book were really intriguing, what with him stopping the van and all. Then ... good lord, by the time I got done with the third book, I was literally reading a few sentences every few chapters just to get the main jist of the story line. If I read one. more. time. about how the vampire was just too beautiful for words, I would have heaved. The werewolf, Jacob, was a bit interesting, but she's really not that good of an author and she wasted that too.

As a post-Mormon (the author is very active Mormon), I have my own theories about some of the underlying issues and relationship stuff in the book, but these books are so massively popular to the mainstream, that I'm honestly kind of flummoxed by it.

I will say (not meaning to offend, though I know *some*one will be offended by it) that no outspoken feminists I know online or IRL have admitted to enjoying these books, some of them have been outspokenly disgusted with it for the reasons you listed, along with the whole 'Bella needing an older man (he is quite old ) to save her from herself' theme.

I thought that this - http://www.laineygossip.com/The-Twil...s-reviews.aspx - was a pretty good review of the Twilight books. I agreed with her so much that when I read her review of the last book, I refused to even pick it up even though every last one of my Mormon SILs was clamoring about how fantastic it was. Ugh.
post #9 of 22
1/26/09 at 9:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leilamus View Post
Yes Ruthla, but did you warn them about werewolves too or are you cool with them?
I think werewolves are HOT!

But I'd like my kids to stick to normal humans when they're ready to date.
post #10 of 22
1/26/09 at 10:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruthla View Post
I've told them I don't want them dating vampires.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leilamus View Post
Yes Ruthla, but did you warn them about werewolves too or are you cool with them?


I had some issues with Edward through all the books, but still enjoyed them. Also, seeing Bella change in each book made a difference to me.

I very much enjoyed the portion of Midnight Sun that is available on-line as it helps explain things a bit more and makes Edward seem a bit less full of himself.

I had read an interview with the kid who played Edward and he said he figured Bella was so gushy about how WONDERFUL Edward cuz, well, vampires are SUPPOSED be gorgeous, BEAUTIFUL, etc. to their natural prey...so some of Bella's mushiness was due to her loving him, but a lot of it was also due to the whole vampires are irresisitable thing.

It was a fun read, but like Ruthla said it's not REAL! Fiction, romance and um, vampires and werewolves.
post #11 of 22
1/26/09 at 10:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Niamh View Post
You won't find any positive reviews about the book from me. The first few chapters, or maybe it was just the first one, of the first book were really intriguing, what with him stopping the van and all. Then ... good lord, by the time I got done with the third book, I was literally reading a few sentences every few chapters just to get the main jist of the story line. If I read one. more. time. about how the vampire was just too beautiful for words, I would have heaved. The werewolf, Jacob, was a bit interesting, but she's really not that good of an author and she wasted that too.

As a post-Mormon (the author is very active Mormon), I have my own theories about some of the underlying issues and relationship stuff in the book, but these books are so massively popular to the mainstream, that I'm honestly kind of flummoxed by it.

I will say (not meaning to offend, though I know *some*one will be offended by it) that no outspoken feminists I know online or IRL have admitted to enjoying these books, some of them have been outspokenly disgusted with it for the reasons you listed, along with the whole 'Bella needing an older man (he is quite old ) to save her from herself' theme.

I thought that this - http://www.laineygossip.com/The-Twil...s-reviews.aspx - was a pretty good review of the Twilight books. I agreed with her so much that when I read her review of the last book, I refused to even pick it up even though every last one of my Mormon SILs was clamoring about how fantastic it was. Ugh.


I'm an outspoken feminist and I love these books. It's a fictional semi trashy book not a manual for relationships.
post #12 of 22
1/26/09 at 10:16pm
I did not even get that idea reading those books. I guess it never crossed my mind. Interesting concept though.
post #13 of 22
1/26/09 at 10:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nannymom View Post
I'm an outspoken feminist and I love these books.
I'll have to say "all the feminists I know, except for one" from now on.
post #14 of 22
1/26/09 at 11:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tinybutterfly View Post

I had read an interview with the kid who played Edward and he said he figured Bella was so gushy about how WONDERFUL Edward cuz, well, vampires are SUPPOSED be gorgeous, BEAUTIFUL, etc. to their natural prey...so some of Bella's mushiness was due to her loving him, but a lot of it was also due to the whole vampires are irresisitable thing.
Yep, this. I think Edward says something about this to Bella around the time they're going to the magical field or whatever it was in book 1.

Quote:
Originally Posted by nannymom View Post
I'm an outspoken feminist and I love these books. It's a fictional semi trashy book not a manual for relationships.
I've reported you to HQ. You'll have to hand in your ID and your comfortable shoes.
post #15 of 22
1/27/09 at 12:33am
rotflol
post #16 of 22
1/27/09 at 1:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Niamh View Post

I thought that this - http://www.laineygossip.com/The-Twil...s-reviews.aspx - was a pretty good review of the Twilight books. I agreed with her so much that when I read her review of the last book, I refused to even pick it up even though every last one of my Mormon SILs was clamoring about how fantastic it was. Ugh.
I am also not reading my last book. I read reviews and the book sounded awful so I skipped it.
post #17 of 22
1/27/09 at 1:20pm
I had the same thoughts.
Don't get me wrong, that didn't stop me from getting sucked in and reading them all(even though I threw them across the room a couple times apiece!)
But I wouldn't want dd reading them, without an open discussion about the problems/red flags in that relationship.
post #18 of 22
1/27/09 at 4:56pm
Quote:
I've reported you to HQ. You'll have to hand in your ID and your comfortable shoes.
OMG, this was hilarious! :

I think my problem with the books is that I'm too dang old! As I was reading them, I was thinking, "When I was 13-14, I would have loved these books!" But as the mom of a boy-crazy little girl, I was cringing at Edward's creepiness. I just could not read them without all my mom alarms going nuts.

PS - Did anyone read Werther? I thought the same thing about him - he's supposed to be all romantic and brooding, but really, he's just a creepy stalker!
post #19 of 22
1/27/09 at 6:23pm
I won't get into the relatioship b/t Bella and Edward and whether or not the writing is any good. I've discussed that all before LOL

But Niamh, I am so glad to read/see that someone else noticed how the author's being an active Mormon affected the storyline and behaviour of her characters.
post #20 of 22
1/27/09 at 6:51pm
Oh me too karaboo.

I am another radical feminist who enjoyed the book, but found the relationship disturbing.
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