I think, should I ever become a heroin addict, that I shall start by taking 1-6 very conservative shots and then accidentally killing myself with a seventh overdose. I am a somewhat addictive. Fortunately, I limit my addictions to books and tea. The latest bibliographic addiction is the Twilight Series. I am done 2, working on number 3, and I think I understand why they are so rabidly popular, now I need to figure out if I approve.
Bella Swan is a very weak, feminine, human girl. She is afraid of blood, gets motion sick, has the grace of a drunk centipede, she has lousy self-esteem, and struggles with school. A typical young woman with no pressing reason for anyone to fall passionately and self-sacrificingly in love with her. Yet, here comes Edward Cullen, who loves her deeply, loves her so deeply that he cannot leave her and will not drink her blood. Even though her blood is more sweet to him than anything else on the planet.
Here you have it girls. The perfect boyfriend. He will never leave, he can never leave her. He also loves her enough to put her good before his own--he wants to drink her blood and kill her, but he will never hurt her, and in fact drops everything in his life to protect her from all harm. The comparison is fairly obvious, he has a raging lust for her blood yet controls it for her good, contrast this an average stereotype of a boy who has a raging lust for sex, and can either choose to guilt the infatuated girl into sleeping with him or he can not sleep with her, risk losing her, and generally make himself miserable for her sake. To add to this boyfriend's general perfection, he is no wimp. Far from it, he is a perfectly designed killing machine: fast, strong, precise. So, here is a man who who has perfect self-control, has the ability to destroy every living thing in the town if he chose, and is wise enough to fall for a girl who isn't really pretty and has all the feebleness of your average human girl.
In all this, I can see why it is so appealing to large portions of the teen population--though I do admit I have no idea why it is so appealing to boys. But, while painting a beautiful picture of what should be the case in relationships, I wonder if they aren't tainting the the expectations of youth and presenting just too clear a picture of what the reader will not have. I am not sure what I think--but it appears to be a very pleasing lie.
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Can't say I've read it, but all accounts say that it emphasizes physical and emotional lust, as well as any PDA short of actual sex. A review in a family magazine says that were the vampire sure he wouldn't kill her in the process, they would have had sex too, implying that it's OK for non-vampires.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, Lady, but you're the only person I know of on which Twilight seemed to have a positive effect. Generally, the girls who go for it don't impress me as being very mature and the reasons they seem to like it are the lust and the emotions, not the self-sacrifice (unless it's self-sacrifice for them, not of them). Glad you found redemption in it.
As far as I know, most boys who like it have girlfriends who like it--i.e. love has blinded them.
ReplyDeleteIf you want a Catholic movie reviewer's perspective on the Twilight phenomenon, here's a link: http://www.decentfilms.com/sections/articles/twilight.html
He basically argues that it's a girl's fantasy of being desired by someone perfect who makes no demands on you. It has also been argued that Bella is deliberately designed for the reader to project herself into.
Couple of things Natalie: first, I am still not sure they are fully redeemed. They could be, but I have to decide what I think of their view of proper love before I am sure. Second, in their defense, it is more than Edward's fear of hurting her that keeps them from having sex. She really wants to sleep with him, but he holds her off for the sake of her virtue. This is actually explicitely stated. Edward does not know if God is real, but he knows that the command of Christianity "Thou shalt not kill" extends to life, therefore, he extrapolates that holding off sex until marriage is also a reasonable defense of goodness and the soul. He does not sleep with her because he does not want to damage her soul. So, it isn't just the pain, it is a moral (albeit highly ambiguous) stand. Also, I am not sure if it is about lust....it is about satisfying the feminine desire to be wanted and be protected, but I am not entirely sure that is the same thing. Okay, there is my tome in response. :-)
ReplyDeleteV-Dawg-good point, but I am not sure if he does not make a demand on her...t that, he demands she stay alive. Not sure where this is going yet. But it is a definite demand.
I can't comment on the books, not having read them. I will note that a certain genre of romantic literature/film has been compared (plausibly, they tell me) with pornography, only appealing more to the feminine desire for emotional connection and commitment, rather than the more visual masculine desire. A passionate and powerful man in love with you who can never leave, rather than a beautiful and desirable woman who can't help but offer herself to you -- both of which lead to much fantasizing, neither very profitable for life and Godliness.
ReplyDelete(Note: the above comment is so chock-full of oversimplifications that I can't possibly defend it, so feel free to tear it up but don't expect me to fight back. ;-) Just offering one possible angle, set forward by others more knowledgeable on such things, which may or may not even apply to the book currently under consideration.)