Monday, May 2, 2011

Day 22 - The most over hyped book you have ever read

by Stephanie Meyer

I avoided this book for as long as I could and I was finally convinced to read it by a girl at work who was also studying literature and I presumed would have some semblance of taste when it came to books. Turns out she didn't. Because I'm me and I can't start a series without finishing it I have read all 4 books, and I have also read that leaked 11 (or 14?) chapters of Midnight Sun which was just the first novel re-told from Edward's POV, and I detest them all.

I reviewed the book before (if by reviewed I mean abused) so I'm not going to go into to much detail here but this is hands down the biggest pile of garbage I've ever read.

But as I said in my "review" what annoyed me the most is what the fame of this book has done to vampires in fiction. While there have been many incarnations of what a vampire is and for that I don't necessarily fault Meyer for altering hers, what I fault is her making Edward and his family these perfect beings, these "vegetarians". It isn't meant to be easy being a vampire, countless novels and films have depicted them as being tormented with what they have become, however it is an intrinsic part of being a vampire to desire and engage with cannibalism. This is meant to be a fatal flaw, something that makes it impossible for a human to love the vampire because of the ever present threat of death and the knowledge that your lover has killed many times over. The human lover then needs to look inwards and battle with their own internal darkness and decide whether they can remain human and love a monster who would always want to kill them or change and become a monster themselves. Is their love strong enough to withstand the resentment that becoming such a monster would likely spawn?  Twilight eliminates all of this by making him a perfect being who shines like freaking diamonds and by eliminating this struggle it skips all the interesting bits that should be in the story. Bella does have reservations about Edward but they fall flat because why wouldn't she be with him, he's wonderful and bright and shiny and smart and hasn't killed a human in decades. Even if she is his own "personal brand of heroin" why should she be too concerned if he's restricted himself for all these years, the threat is completely eliminated. Meyer turned vampires into flat one-dimensional puppy dogs and for that I truly can't stand her.

I understand why people like these books and they're hyped as much as they are. People like these books for the same reasons they like romance fiction (just to clarify by romance fiction I'm strictly talking about the Mills and Boons variety) it eliminates all the difficulty that love and relationships have in real life, it makes something that is traditionally tough into something unquestionably easy (because fights over money or work isn't sexy), and personally I find that boring.What is interesting about a couple who have everything handed to them in a platter? Meyer may chuck up hurdles (Edward leaving, Jacob's arrival etc) but they aren't real hurdles. From page 1 we know that Bella will ultimately end up with Edward and they will join the ranks of the happy couples in the books and will live happily ever after. But this kind of bland love story is always lapped up by readers, and unfortunately Twilight has spawned a hundred clones who don't bother to challenge their readers any more than Twilight does.

So in conclusion Twilight sucks and has destroyed vampires and real love for everyone. the end.

4 comments:

  1. I couldn't agree more! I've been struggling to put my own gripes into words, and you've done it perfectly for me. You take away the one thing that makes vampires scary, and frustrating, and flawed, and you're left with nothing but a sparkly 90-year-old man. I read your review, too, and I couldn't have said it any better. Awesome post!

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  2. Although my answer to this question won't be up for a few days, this was exactly my choice as well. You, however, bash it in a much more eloquent way. I've only read the first book (pretty much at gunpoint) but I found the fact that the Cullens didn't attack people to be sort of a cop-out. I couldn't exactly explain why I felt that way but what you said really resonated with me, so it must be that.

    Glad to know that there are others out there who dislike these books as much as I do. Wonderful answer.

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  3. I'm glad you both agree with me! One of the most disheartening things I've come across on the internet is how many book bloggers seem to love these books and constantly list them in memes like top 10 Tuesday. I can't wait for the day these books disappear from our collective memories and we can enjoy vampires once again!

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  4. At least you were able to get through the books. I got through the first 2 pages (barely) and then chucked it aside. Granted, I don't have as much clout as those who have read the books and don't favor them, but still there are so many other books out there that I do want to read. Why should I spend my time reading something I'm not enjoying when I could spend that time reading something I love? Serious kudos to you for being able to get through the books and being able to express your honest opinion of them. :)

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