Twilight Bashing

I think I have just run across too many of those, “why this books sucks essays” because I am getting fed up with the Twilight bashing.

Let me preface this by saying, I am not a Twihard. However, I would be lying if I didn’t admit that the series does have a certain charm – and I love vampires. If the novels were completely bad then it would be impossible to hone in on any one aspect that needed improvement. Since the essence of the novel is solid, the areas that need work stand out.

I have already written about the problems I have with the Twilight series. You can read about it here.

From what I have observed, Twi-haters fall into two categories, those who read the novels and those who didn’t. Let me just briefly address the latter.

There are always people who dislike something simply because it’s popular. Twilight is no exception. I was at a party recently and Twilight came up in the conversation. The young man I was chatting with jokingly told me he had made it his life’s mission to have nothing to do with Twilight. He was exaggerating for dramatic effect of course, but not by much. This is an attitude I see with a lot of people.

“Did you read the books,” I ask the random Twi-hater. “Did you see the movies?”

The answer is always “no,” and they usually follow up with, “It looks stupid.”

Well, that’s just plain silly. Hugh Laurie looks stupid, that doesn’t make him so. (I say that with great respect. I adore Hugh Laurie. I think he’s brilliant and talented – but, c’mon, he looks like a bug eyed twit.) I dismiss anyone who claims to not like something because “everyone likes it.” I fall into that trap myself. If something is too popular I tend to ignore it. But I have never claimed to dislike something I have never experienced.

Of those who have read the novels, one of the top arguments is, “Twilight is not as good as Harry Potter.” Just for the record, I agree. But, why should it be? Why are we inviting a comparison anyway? I don’t recall Stephanie Meyer and J.K. Rowling entering a best written teen fiction novel contest. Yes, Meyer’s isn’t as sophisticated a writer as Rowling but Rowling isn’t as good as David Sedaris. Just because the books belong to the same genre comparing them against each other doesn’t make sense, nor does it prove anything. They were never in competition. Neither Meyer nor Rowling set out to become the next “it” writer. They simply had a story to tell and they told it the best way they could.

Another illogical Twi-hater argument is, “Twilight is bad because Bella is a Mary-Sue.” My response to that is, so what? Creating a cookie cutter character is perfect in some instances - for example, Tintin. Tintin is one of the most beloved comic characters of all time and he is a complete self-insert of the author. He doesn’t have a favorite food, an eye color or even a last name. That format works for Tintin and it works for Twilight too. Bella is mean to be the “every girl” character in a romance novel. And Meyer does describe Bella, just not with any great detail. (By the way, for you comparison lovers Rowling didn’t tell us Malfoy was blonde until book three.) The details of Bella’s hair, face, eyes, etc. is not important to the story. In fact, the less said about Bella’s physical appearance, the better. The point of romance novels is escapism. If Bella was described down to the last atom then the audience would have a more difficult time imagining themselves in her shoes. Edward, the object of her affection, is described in great detail. We know that Meyer understands how to paint a picture. With Bella she consciously chooses not to do so.

Another unfounded Twi-hater argument is the “sparkly vampire” bash. People love to point out how un-vampire like, and thus how not dangerous the vampires in Twilight are. Sparkly vampires just “make it stupid.” Hold the phone here kids. How exactly are the vamps not dangerous – or did I read a different novel? The whole latter half of the book is devoted to escaping a group of crazed vampires. I can’t speak for anyone else but James, Victoria and Laurent seemed awful dangerous to me. In the second novel, Bella cuts her finger and Jasper Cullen, her boyfriend’s brother (of sorts) has to be physically restrained from ripping her apart. If you were in Bella’s place and someone you trusted came after you, to eat you… yeah, that’s scary. There is plenty of dangerous vampire action going on. Anyone remember the Volturi? They didn’t play a big role but they certainly did their fair share of eating and torturing helpless victims. Just because the vampires bounce light like a brilliant cut diamond it doesn’t make them less dangerous. In fact, vampires that can go out in the day and sparkle like jewels seem far more dangerous to me than distorted, fetid, monsters in lurking the darkness. Think about it, who are you less likely to run away screaming from?

The last and most valid argument is that the writing in Twilight isn’t great. Okay, Meyer’s writing has flaws, but unless I missed something, Twilight was her first novel.

“I could write a better story than that,” just about every Twi-hater claims.
Okay, then do it.

Writing is not easy, folks. Like anything else, it comes more naturally to some than others. As a first novel, Meyer really did a bang-up job. She offered us a heartfelt, romantic piece that people across the board can enjoy.
And given the sheer number of people who do enjoy it, she must have done something right.

So give the sparkly vamps a break guys. Let’s talk about why we like Twilight for a change.