Comments on: Bite Me! Literary Criticism of Twilight

By: Dannii

Dannii — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 20:36:23 +0000

When I read the twilight saga the first time I’m ashamed to say I became a Twilighter instantly, I loved it and the movies, luckily once I started reading the series a sedcond time (slower) I began to notice things that irritated me.
Bella’s personality or lack of it, I mean I myself am not the most social person but I at least have a life. Edward is a weirdo stalker and the books are just predictable and sometimes just plain wrong.
If I asked any girl in my year at school if she would act like a zombie for months if her boyfriend told her he didn’t love her and dumoed her, they wsould probably laugh and tell me they’d have punched him been upset for a few days then got over it.
And seriously saying to Jacob ‘I feel complete when your with me’ with your new husband right next to you is just wrong on soooo many levels.
and where the hell was the big fight between the Cullens and The Volturi??

By: Happy Third Blogiversary to Me!

Happy Third Blogiversary to Me! — Sun, 22 May 2011 12:34:41 +0000

[...] 5,607 = Views on my most popular post, Bite Me! Literary Criticism of Twilight [...]

By: Review: ‘Reality Bites Back’ by Jennifer Pozner

Review: ‘Reality Bites Back’ by Jennifer Pozner — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 11:16:39 +0000

[...] views, the most popular post on this blog is one from back in February 2009 where I commented on a literary analysis of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight books. That always makes me laugh, since Twilight is almost the exact opposite of what you can normally [...]

By: Dexter

Dexter — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 09:36:49 +0000

Even though i hate twilight with all my heart I like the character of Jacob. I think he’s way better than Edward. Edward just bores me while Jacob is full of life. Together Edward n Bella make a boring couple n their affection makes me puke.

By: sarah

sarah — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 07:47:47 +0000

the books are amazing, the movies are also good. but you know bella gets on my nerves in both!! why she should even think about jake when EDWARD is there! this is not fair believe me! sometimes I feel surge of pitty for Edward. I actually love him.

By: Kim

Kim — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 01:31:34 +0000

I’m glad this was helpful, Lindsay. And I agree — I think the series raises a lot of interesting perspectives and things to talk about, as long as we’re not afraid to interrogate it just because it’s “pop culture.”

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 22:16:48 +0000

I’m writing an article for class on Twilight and American/family values, and I found your post very helpful. Although I generally don’t agree with the feminist perspective on the series, I really enjoyed your comments and found the articles you linked to very interesting. If we can’t have a dialogue on things in pop culture, than what’s the point! I think the series as a whole raised some interesting questions and perspectives. As a masters’ student in English I often have to defend my favorable opinion of the series, but it’s just that – an opinion.

By: Sara Allander

Sara Allander — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 23:06:27 +0000

The problem with this book series isn’t the whole feminist bit however Stephanie’s grammar or lack there of. These books hold no traditional value to what Bram Stoker held True to Vampires and so Many authors after him. Never in history have they sparkled or been made of rock. I think Stephanie Needs to stop hitting the bottle and read a little deeper in Dracula to write a great novel that doesn’t have people bored to tears.

By: Sissy999

Sissy999 — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:15:00 +0000

Twilight forms part of patriarchal writing where the helplessness, submissiveness and sensitivity is highlighted. Even if vampires are put in a new light as compassionate and loving, I think that their love story is too what society expects of women. Women are to be saved from men because they are unable to look after themselves is the main theme throughout the series and her longing to become a vampire is way too much. Guess it would have been funnier if Bella was emotionally independent.

By: nat

nat — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 08:44:53 +0000

The way popular culture, which reflects what children adults and teens believe to be true; the norms the morals the ethics. The definition of love is really, lust, or sexual pursuit. The popular culture (mainstream movies, shows, consumer products( place women in the passive role and men in the aggressive, and any deviation risks risks being ostracized. This can be seen in the taboo nature of gay transexual transgender or any breaking away from gender roles which are inextricably linked to sexuality.Gender and sexuality are social constructions. The roles in western society, esp American society classify women as passive and men as aggressive, and the resulting heterosexual relationship is dominant submissive. The scale between equal partners valuing separate roles equally or sharing roles equally is in itself taboo, it is not “true Love” which movies such as twilight and most pop culture (and true blood though a intelligent version of vampire mythology) maintains the dominant submissive definition of love. The I can’t live with out you animalistic sexual instinct, with inevitable conflict and the love hate phenomenon becomes love. The stable mutual respect may not sell, and is a working active process of love. Passion surely can exist without dominant submissive; I cant live without youl i will kill myself without you is all played out in twilight, and yes we know these are myths (vampires) but we (as a culture) conncet to the relationship dynamic.
My point is bella is beautiful and with the popular bad boy (an aggressive male who just cant help but try to kill her half the time) she rarely makes her own decisions. But coming from a mormon tradition women are subversive to men, so this bellas role should not be of any suprise. The vampire boyfriend rarely takes her feelings into consideration, rather he “knows whats best for her. The abstinence only message is clear, though I dont really have qualms with finding love that is not based on sex. But bella and the vampire guy arent really connecting on any deep level. Further more bella has the dad, and absent mother, like all disney princess movies (which young girls idolize) mothers are dead, or in this case irrelevant. It is not just women who suffer growing up with the black and white roles of gender norms, men must be angry and aggressive, or they fail to live up to manliness. And it is sadly true how many women, adults, would rather pursue a male that is somehow a “bad boy”; aggressive controlling emotionally unavailable than to pursue a realtionship with a man that respects them. This movie perpetuates the stalker, aggressive definition of male love; if he is jealous and violent its out of love, and if he is respectful, letting the women make her own decisions and not stalking/jeaoulous/controlling than they dont love you, its not passionate.