Vampires with Self-Control
…that about sums up the Twilight series…if you don’t stop to think about the implications of the Twilight series. I have read all of the books, and am (somewhat) embarrassed to admit that I enjoyed reading much of it - if only on a very superficial level. The books are very superficial, and they are pretty badly written. More importantly, however, I think they say something about the culture we live in. For starters, the fascination with vampires, as others have mentioned, is rampant, especially among young adults. Young people are enchanted by the idea of being more than merely human, perhaps because they are so removed from reality by tv and video games that they don’t have a very good understanding of what it means to be human in the first place? I don’t think it’s simply the idea of being immortal that attracts people today to the idea of vampires: I think it’s the idea of being unchangingly good-looking and attractive, of being more graceful, more beautiful, stronger, faster….of being more physically that attracts people. In the books, the Cullens are all supposedly very intelligent (even intellectual) people and yet the interplay between them and Bella (the heroine, I suppose you might call her) does nothing to evince this. In the end, the impression of vampires that you get from the books is that they are simply humans who have gone through a transformation physically that makes them more capable physically - not entities that used to be human but are now something else entirely. There is, at one point in the series, some angst on Edward’s part about making Bella a vampire because he didn’t know if it would cause her to lose her soul or not. The end verdict (though it’s never stated right out) seems to be ‘no, it’ll only make her a better (physically) version of herself)’.
Another thing: I found it profoundly disturbing that, as feministy as our culture has supposedly become, here we find a female heroine that is willing to allow herself to be battered and even killed for the love of her male counterpart. Do the words: “He just couldn’t help himself” sound familiar to anyone? Honestly, this was, to me, the most disturbing element of the books. Here we have a vampire who is portrayed as being like a man in every way except for his nearly uncontrollable thirst. He tries to control himself - bravo, for him - but he repeatedly places Bella in life-threatening situations. Sounds like an easy parallel for a girl who is in an abusive relationship, particularly one that’s exacerbated by alcohol.
Finally, there is the idea (more prominent in the later books) that one is justified in doing whatever is necessary for the happiness of the beloved. No need to go into the gory details, but basically Edward physically restrains Bella from seeing a male friend at one point, then decides he has to trust her, leading to her realizing that she loves them both but Edward more (ok this is nauseating already). In the end, the sickening spiral leads to the point when Bella, pregnant with Edward’s baby, who, being half-vampire is inadvertantly killing her, will not let the Cullens perform an abortion on her, and so Edward decides that it must be a baby she wants, thus leading to him asking her friend to stand in, so to speak, so she can have children in the future if that’s what she wants.
Based on what I said above, I don’t think I really need to say that these are not appropriate books for teenagers (or anyone really) to read. I am glad I read them only to the extent that I know many girls and young women from their teens to their twenties are reading them, and, if I want to be involved with teenage girls, it’s a good idea to be familiar with their content.
Another thing: I found it profoundly disturbing that, as feministy as our culture has supposedly become, here we find a female heroine that is willing to allow herself to be battered and even killed for the love of her male counterpart. Do the words: “He just couldn’t help himself” sound familiar to anyone? Honestly, this was, to me, the most disturbing element of the books. Here we have a vampire who is portrayed as being like a man in every way except for his nearly uncontrollable thirst. He tries to control himself - bravo, for him - but he repeatedly places Bella in life-threatening situations. Sounds like an easy parallel for a girl who is in an abusive relationship, particularly one that’s exacerbated by alcohol.
Finally, there is the idea (more prominent in the later books) that one is justified in doing whatever is necessary for the happiness of the beloved. No need to go into the gory details, but basically Edward physically restrains Bella from seeing a male friend at one point, then decides he has to trust her, leading to her realizing that she loves them both but Edward more (ok this is nauseating already). In the end, the sickening spiral leads to the point when Bella, pregnant with Edward’s baby, who, being half-vampire is inadvertantly killing her, will not let the Cullens perform an abortion on her, and so Edward decides that it must be a baby she wants, thus leading to him asking her friend to stand in, so to speak, so she can have children in the future if that’s what she wants.
Based on what I said above, I don’t think I really need to say that these are not appropriate books for teenagers (or anyone really) to read. I am glad I read them only to the extent that I know many girls and young women from their teens to their twenties are reading them, and, if I want to be involved with teenage girls, it’s a good idea to be familiar with their content.
It’s not surprising that adults on occasion can enjoy cotton candy, if you know what I mean. I’ve read fluff that I’d be embarrassed to admit I found entertaining. ;)
You’ve made good points about the attraction to vampires and Twilight] /i] being as much about eternal youth and beauty as anything else. I also found it troubling to read about the direction the other novels have taken- especially the themes of staying in an unhealthy and even abusive relationship. Even if your boyfriend is a vampire, it is not OK for him to throw you across the room. The underlying S&M elements are also troubling, and walk hand in hand with the violence that is part of the Cullen’s lives.
I’ll eventually get around to reading the other novels, because I also need to be able to address specific issues in the books with young women who talk to me about them. Thank God I can speed read.
You’ve made good points about the attraction to vampires and Twilight] /i] being as much about eternal youth and beauty as anything else. I also found it troubling to read about the direction the other novels have taken- especially the themes of staying in an unhealthy and even abusive relationship. Even if your boyfriend is a vampire, it is not OK for him to throw you across the room. The underlying S&M elements are also troubling, and walk hand in hand with the violence that is part of the Cullen’s lives.
I’ll eventually get around to reading the other novels, because I also need to be able to address specific issues in the books with young women who talk to me about them. Thank God I can speed read.
I am not a reader of vampire lit…truth be told, I read very little fiction; but I found [url] http://shelf-life.ew.com/2009/09/09/amish-romance-novels-vampires/ interesting…a parallel between Amish romance and vampire romance. Perhaps a little closer to passing through the Phil. 4:8 sieve? :)
"I pray to God this day to make me an extraordinary Christian." --Whitefield http://strengthfortoday.wordpress.com
I don’t get the comparison- do Amish people not fall in love or have romance in their lives? Or do women in Amish romances fall in love with Maytag repairmen and computer programmers?
Now, an Amish vampire- that would be an interesting twist….
Now, an Amish vampire- that would be an interesting twist….
[Susan R] I don’t get the comparison- do Amish people not fall in love or have romance in their lives? Or do women in Amish romances fall in love with Maytag repairmen and computer programmers?
Now, an Amish vampire- that would be an interesting twist….
If you noticed, that suggestion has already been made in the comments to that post.
I think the “forbidden factor” is basically falling in love with someone outside of Amish circles. I grew up in Amish country, but am not real up on their practices…but if it is anything like the Mennonites we became familiar with in MO, then there are lots of “flavors” and the taboo of having a relationship outside of those who adhere to your set of beliefs would only be an issue with “old order” types…hence the “bonnet books” handle.
"I pray to God this day to make me an extraordinary Christian." --Whitefield http://strengthfortoday.wordpress.com
of those Amish romances or bonnet books… I don’t mind a romantic thread in a novel, but romances are not my flavor when it comes to reading.
I didn’t read the comments, just responded to the post. I suppose the ‘forbidden love’ plot is similar to vampire romances like Twilight, especially if embracing that love costs the person their past life- family, friends, home, etc… but the comparison of bonnet book vs vampire romance is IMO cotton candy vs tobasco sauce. I’ve never read a vampire novel that wasn’t soaked in violence and sexual content. Falling in love with someone who drives an SUV sounds pretty tame. :p
I didn’t read the comments, just responded to the post. I suppose the ‘forbidden love’ plot is similar to vampire romances like Twilight, especially if embracing that love costs the person their past life- family, friends, home, etc… but the comparison of bonnet book vs vampire romance is IMO cotton candy vs tobasco sauce. I’ve never read a vampire novel that wasn’t soaked in violence and sexual content. Falling in love with someone who drives an SUV sounds pretty tame. :p
I just found the parallel interesting.
Agreed that one can more easily use the term “cotton candy” for the bonnet book discussed than for those like Twilight. (more like http://www.toodarnhot.com/pd_fire_n_brimstone_hot_sauce.cfm] Fire and Brimstone hot sauce than mere tabasco…in more respects than one…IMO).
Agreed that one can more easily use the term “cotton candy” for the bonnet book discussed than for those like Twilight. (more like http://www.toodarnhot.com/pd_fire_n_brimstone_hot_sauce.cfm] Fire and Brimstone hot sauce than mere tabasco…in more respects than one…IMO).
"I pray to God this day to make me an extraordinary Christian." --Whitefield http://strengthfortoday.wordpress.com
I think it’s important to point out that the subtle things often lead to more obvious ones when it comes to satisfying a fleshly desire. If a woman is pacifying herself with fluffy romances, it isn’t too far down the road before she’s into more explicit material. I don’t think any of this stuff is harmless, just that some is more blatant.
It was like that for me with the occult. I started out with some children’s books that had an occult element, and since I started reading adult books by the time I was 10, it didn’t take me long to get into King, Rice, Anson, Saul, Farris… yuck yuck yuck. I can see the progression very clearly in hindsight.
Even if Twilight was a well crafted novel, I’d still not be supportive of the premise.
It was like that for me with the occult. I started out with some children’s books that had an occult element, and since I started reading adult books by the time I was 10, it didn’t take me long to get into King, Rice, Anson, Saul, Farris… yuck yuck yuck. I can see the progression very clearly in hindsight.
Even if Twilight was a well crafted novel, I’d still not be supportive of the premise.
Once again, agreed. I have blogged about my opinion of chick lit, and came under fire for having a strong opinion about it. So be it. I can certainly see how occult lit could draw one in in much the same way, and even moreso with the melding of the two elements in one novel.
"I pray to God this day to make me an extraordinary Christian." --Whitefield http://strengthfortoday.wordpress.com
Don’t even get me started on chick lit. http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php] http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-whacky098.gif You must not have gotten the memo- you are allowed to have an opinion, but not a strong opinion. Any time you write an opinion piece, make sure you garnish it well with equivocation and serve it sprinkled with obscurity.
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