Twilight: Alluring or Accidental? - Comments

hello, i would just like to say that this is an amazing article! your writing style, descriptions, everything! it's spectacular to be honest, much better than many articles i have read...

well, i would just like to say, i like "Twilight" but i am nowhere near a "Twi-hard". I only enjoy the book from a fantasy point of view. I know that her view on vampires was very obscure from the traditional outlook on them from "Dracula", however, i found it actually an interesting different view of these mythical creatures. now, i totally respect what you said, i won't be all defensive and say "you are totally wrong! "Twilight" is everything! how could you say all of this?!" etc. but, this is why a book is written for the "Fantasy" or "Fiction" categories, so many different stories and views on such "Traditional" subjects can be made and allow people to stretch their minds and gaze in a different direction every once in a while. without that, life would be boring. i know for a fact that vampires were forgotten for a long period of time, barely mentioned in literature or among common conversations, except on Halloween. now, they are a HUGE topic. now, people are taking a different vantage point on this subject, creating something that was SO traditional and had become somewhat boring, into something more interesting. sometimes, tradition can ruin certain things (not saying tradition is bad or ruins everything! i loves traditional thing, seriously! but, some people don't... the sad and true fact of us people...), it can create something to have too many borders and lines that we are scared to go outside the box on it. you see? now someone went outside the box and others are following behind...

but, i would just like to say, yes, some of the characters are slight boring, but, so are some people in life, correct? a book is written, but the characters have to be fairly real, not perfect, not exactly having a flaw, different, even some being perfect, to create a somewhat real atmosphere to the book. there are people out there like Bella, i know it seems impossible, but, it is true. just like how there are people out there who are gentlemanly, a perfect boyfriend, but are unseen or not heard of enough to be fully known. yes, some of the things of the "Twilight" characters characteristics were farfetched, i won't deny that, but in a book, anything can happen. most people read to escape the cruel and terrible real world they live in, they want to have something too perfect to be true to just unwind and feel good about something. that's also why some people daydream, we make something too perfect to be true in our heads and it helps us cope with the twisted life we have. take this from a person with hands on experience from it.

now, i know i probably sound defensive now, i don't mean to be, but i just wanted to put my voice out there, send in my opinion. my friends keep telling me i don't do this enough.

but, what i think makes a good book is not really how the characters are made, or what happens in the story (of course that applies) but what really catches the reader's interest is the turns, twists, cliffhangers, suspension, the moments where you are like "no! don't do that you idiot! they'll hurt you" (or something) or "ohmygod! what happens next! no! don't stop! I need more!". those moments always make me read more. and yes, romance is EVERYWHERE. it is something many people must get used to. it might not be exactly aimed at you in life, but without romance, it would be a little boring in life. in ways. but, since romance is in everything, of course there has to be moments where it's just about that couple.

"Twilight" was the first book i read that actually caught my interest, it was the book that got me into reading more. yes, i admit, i probably liked it more for the romance. however, i was always caught by the new outlook on vampires...

hello, i would just like to say that this is an amazing article! your writing style, descriptions, everything! it's spectacular to be honest, much better than many articles i have read...

well, i would just like to say, i like "Twilight" but i am nowhere near a "Twi-hard". I only enjoy the book from a fantasy point of view. I know that her view on vampires was very obscure from the traditional outlook on them from "Dracula", however, i found it actually an interesting different view of these mythical creatures. now, i totally respect what you said, i won't be all defensive and say "you are totally wrong! "Twilight" is everything! how could you say all of this?!" etc. but, this is why a book is written for the "Fantasy" or "Fiction" categories, so many different stories and views on such "Traditional" subjects can be made and allow people to stretch their minds and gaze in a different direction every once in a while. without that, life would be boring. i know for a fact that vampires were forgotten for a long period of time, barely mentioned in literature or among common conversations, except on Halloween. now, they are a HUGE topic. now, people are taking a different vantage point on this subject, creating something that was SO traditional and had become somewhat boring, into something more interesting. sometimes, tradition can ruin certain things (not saying tradition is bad or ruins everything! i loves traditional thing, seriously! but, some people don't... the sad and true fact of us people...), it can create something to have too many borders and lines that we are scared to go outside the box on it. you see? now someone went outside the box and others are following behind...

but, i would just like to say, yes, some of the characters are slight boring, but, so are some people in life, correct? a book is written, but the characters have to be fairly real, not perfect, not exactly having a flaw, different, even some being perfect, to create a somewhat real atmosphere to the book. there are people out there like Bella, i know it seems impossible, but, it is true. just like how there are people out there who are gentlemanly, a perfect boyfriend, but are unseen or not heard of enough to be fully known. yes, some of the things of the "Twilight" characters characteristics were farfetched, i won't deny that, but in a book, anything can happen. most people read to escape the cruel and terrible real world they live in, they want to have something too perfect to be true to just unwind and feel good about something. that's also why some people daydream, we make something too perfect to be true in our heads and it helps us cope with the twisted life we have. take this from a person with hands on experience from it.

now, i know i probably sound defensive now, i don't mean to be, but i just wanted to put my voice out there, send in my opinion. my friends keep telling me i don't do this enough.

but, what i think makes a good book is not really how the characters are made, or what happens in the story (of course that applies) but what really catches the reader's interest is the turns, twists, cliffhangers, suspension, the moments where you are like "no! don't do that you idiot! they'll hurt you" (or something) or "ohmygod! what happens next! no! don't stop! I need more!". those moments always make me read more. and yes, romance is EVERYWHERE. it is something many people must get used to. it might not be exactly aimed at you in life, but without romance, it would be a little boring in life. in ways. but, since romance is in everything, of course there has to be moments where it's just about that couple.

"Twilight" was the first book i read that actually caught my interest, it was the book that got me into reading more. yes, i admit, i probably liked it more for the romance. however, i was always caught by the information given, the new outlook on vampires, the different opinion about how they look. i don't like something only have one side to the story, it makes it boring. i also liked the suspense, the cliffhangers that made you stay up 'till 4 a.m. just to finish the damn book. i admit, i don't like how sappy it can be at times, i'm not one of those people who LOVES romance. i know Edward isn't real, never will be, but is it so bad that i'm drawn to his personality? and to be honest, some girls are attracted to the gentlemanly, lost, hurt, 'i feel like a monster', type of guys. also, guys are also attracted to those klutzy, selfless girls. just because she wasn't liked in Phoenix, doens't mean it's wrong for Bella to be liked in Forks. it happens all the time. even with me! i wasn't like for the longest time at my school, then i moved and went to a new school, then bam! i have a LOAD of friends and even an AMAZING boyfriend! it happens... nothing is impossible.

so, basically, my main point here is that, fantasy and fiction are fantasy and fiction. only ideas that are made up for amusement. not for originality, but for something different, a change. it's more for uniqueness. to show the world that something isn't always what it seems. that real life, sometimes boring people, have crazy things happen for them. it also give some girls who think they are outsiders, or guys who think they are 'monsters' some hope that they can have a good life. this is all just a story, a well written one. it's also not likely that she would describe how Bella ate her Mushroom Ravioli and all that. normally writers prefer not to talk in great detail about what their characters eat, it normally bores the reader. (well, at least it bores me) and just know, fantasy and fiction are not real! non-fiction is. if she put this in non-fiction, i would be complaining. but, she only put it in fiction and fantasy, since it's myths, theories, a different outlook, a twist to something we thought was plastered and nailed in one place and couldn't be altered or moved in any way.

that's all i have to say. but, i still believe your article was great! i understand your point of view, 100%. i had fun reading it! ^^

First off, amazing article. You've got a talent, and I'm amazed.

Secondly though, I am a Twi-hard. Literally, as one commenter stated "If the book ever talks, I'm marrying it" or whatever it was they said. Yes, I have fallen in love with Edward Cullen, and I found Jacob, even though he was the most created character as you said, truely a pain in the ass. He was always in the way, and I didn't start to like him till Breaking Dawn, except when he imprinted, then I wanted to murder him.

For some reason your article did make sense to me, and I do agree with it. No, I don't think that it's THAT bad, but it's not as good as everyone's making it out to be either. (Trust me this has all just come to my attention today, and it's still hard to type and take in.) I'm still going to love Twilight, don't get me wrong I will. I just think that it's not as good as I first interpreted.

I think that I was, and still am, attracted to this saga because of the romance. I always feel that I've never had anyone for myself, and this kind of makes me think that its enough for me to feed my own romance craving. That by Edward getting Bella and vice-versa, I can get my piece of happiness too. If that makes any sense? Probably not.

I wasn't even going to read Twilight until all this fame happened. I'd heard of it a few times, but I had never considered it. 'Vampires' just wasn't my thing. But now it is I guess.

You've earned my respect as a writer, and as a critic. I acknowledge your opinion and I'm not going to beak you about it. Thank you for this eye-opener, and this review, I was mesmerized.

This was a very well-thought out and organized article, and you obviously did a lot of research. Kudos to you, you've earned a lot of respect from me.

Now, now, here is my standpoint. I am a Twilight fan, I like the books quite a lot, but not for the reason's most others do. You see, I was a FanFiction writer long before I was ever a Twilighter, and well, to say the least, Twilight reminds me of those good-old-fashion feel-good romance's that I've come across so often in FanFiction. That's not nessarcarily a good thing, but the reason I like Twilight, is the twist. It's not all sunshine and rainbows from my point of view. But it's not all dark and depressive as some other's state it to be. (I've never once thought of it as 'seductive'.)

I could go on and on, but I won't. If you'd ever like to discuss this I'd be happy to oblige. It was a very good article.

I completely agree with you. Absolutely. "Twilight" reads like a poorly written, unimaginative vampire fanfic but sucks teenage girls in because they too want to be Bella, a girl who is humble and doesn't see her own attraction and yet is irrestible to men and vampires alike. As far as vampire mythology goes, Meyer's species is not a million miles away from that of Anne Rice, but that is hardly the point or focus of her novels. They are on a par with the countless MCR, Panic! At the Disco, etc. stories that pervade sites like this one and quizilla, with the same weak protagonist (who is, coincidentally, beautiful and selfless but without any knowledge of this), waiting for this unrealistic ideal of a man to come and look after her. And, as you say, the actual plot action is crammed into 150 pages because ours is a generation looking for instant gratification - the rest of the novel is devoted to lovey-dovey "fluff" as you put it, and the actual plot development has to be fast-paced to keep the readers' attention. I can see the attraction to "Twilight" - I have read it, and would be lying if I said I got no enjoyment out of it - but I cannot believe it is what literature today has come to. It is an interesting insight into what sells but I can only hope that it is forgotten along with all the other inane drivel that authors are spewing out today.

I'm going to just say this now, I love Twilight and will marry it if it ever talks, but I see what you're getting at.

If you ever find out why people like Twilight so much, I would love to know. I don't really know why I like Twilight so much, but I do, for some reason. I haven't lost any appeal in any of the characters or books, although I've realized that the characters aren't all that interesting.

Although, like said before, I will marry the book if it ever talks(Unless someone from a certain band beats it to the spot) I am not a 'Twi-hard' or 'Twi-tard' I must say. If someone were to dis Twilight like you, I would agree with them, I agree with you, but for some reason it still appeals to me. I'm not saying that's a bad thing though =P, I would like to get my aunts money's worth before I start to dislike it :D

Wow. It took me a while to get through it all, but I just had to read it. I feel as if Twilight has consumed every teenaged girl and reading this showed me that not everyone [i]adores[/i] that series and as for Hot Topic selling fucking glitter .. if absolutely rediculous! I found it horrible when Twilight was being sold in music stores, but that is just. .uck. You're amazing! This was very well written. You rock!

I agree with 100% of everything you said. I hate Bella as a character, the writing is not good at all, Edward is flawless, and I hate how Meyer describes how gorgeous he is every two pages. Jacob is the most developed character, but I don't like him. The first time I read Twilight, I loved it. Then over time, that love began to deterierate. I tried reading Twilight a second time. I stopped before I hit the midway point. I just couldn't take anymore of Bella.

She is a damsel in distress and it's sickening. She is a weak, helpless woman and Meyer is sending the message that a girl needs a flawless man to be happy and her entire life should revolve around him. Bella has no other interests outside of Edward. She even completely abandons her friends to devote 24 hours a day to Edward.

The sneaking-into-your-room-to-watch-you-sleep is creepy and horribly stalkerish. It is not romantic in the slightest. Bella is the stupidest main character I have ever read about. I don't care how amazing Edward seems, I would NOT want to be her.

Let's stick to Pride and Prejudice, people. It's a million times better than Twilight.

You make alot of good points and I agree with them, at least I think I do. At first I loved the books(I only read them because I got one as a Christmas present) they seemed so well different than other vampire anythings. Then I read your review yesterday and after starting reading Twilight again your right the books arent as great as they are cracked up to be. They are better than the movie by a long shot but not as great as I thought at first.

not only is this criticism/review as perfect as Edward Cullen is supposed to be, its perfectly and utterly true. so much mania over something so....bad....

i completely agree XD

For real reading about tragic and awkward love, I suggest reading Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He won a nobel prize for that.

This was brilliant. I agree with everything you said. I only liked Jacob, he seemed to be the only real character. Basically just everything that xsian said. :P

"Edward promptly vomits in his mouth and leaves school for a week. Bella is adorably confused."
xD

I agreed with everything there, and I liked the fact that you wrote reasons to back up your opinions and didn't just slate it straight away. Very well analysed.

The only character I really liked was Jacob; he was the only one that had real personality. Alice was quite cute and likeable as well, but there wasn't enough about her. I also thought that Bella and Edward weren't interesting; they didn't hardly appeal to me at all, although I thought at the beginning they were alright because we didn't know everything about them yet and the story had potential.

Did anyone else think that the story may have had some sort of religious agenda?

-Bella is an 'average' girl, or so the author says, who doesn't really believe in herself, who many people could relate to. She meets Edward, the 'perfect' man, and Bella wants nobody else. But obviously perfection doesn't exist, and it's like the author is saying 'wait for your Edward' or something, or it seemed that way to me. I mean, who could live up to Edward Cullen in a lot of the girls who read Twilight minds? No one could. Edward isn't going to come along. I hope that made sense...

-Also, it really is quite sexist; Bella seems to be very reliant on Edward to the extent of obsession. As you said, she is very clumsy, and it's like she needs Edward there to protect her.

-They do things 'the right way' in Breaking Dawn by waiting until after marriage to have sex (I haven't actually read it but I know about the plot)

Anyway...it could have been so much better than what it is, and that's the sad thing about the book, in my opinion.

Lengthy but it had a point. Bunches of points actually.
AND it was well written.

There's no denying that Meyer drew me in. True, I did like the beginning of Twilight but after that it sort of . . . wasn't so fascinating. I would get bored in some places and -- sometimes -- confused in others because whatever Edward and Bella were talking about would go off on tangents and I would forget what they were [i]actually[/i] talking about.

After reading more [i]mature[/i] books and then going back to Twilight, I couldn't read it. Well, I could, but it didn't give me as much joy.
Love is great to read about, but sometimes it's just not enough.

I do like Jacob though. After he becomes all sarcastic but before he Imprints. That's when I like him.

That was a very, very well written article. It was obviously plotted out very well and I completely agreed with very well all of your points. I used to be a die-hard fan of the books but after re-reading the series, I realized just how... weak they really are.

Awesome article.

I hate how they made the thing into such a franchise and how Forks is now basically a tourist trap. I hated the movie (go ahead twilighters, shoot away) and the character of Bella.

[i]She is made out to be a strong, mature woman while actually being a very weak and dependent character.[/i]

That just puts it right there. She's so clingy, so dependent to everything in sight, yet she claims to be the mother to her mother. Why are guys suddenly SO intrested in her when she moves to Forks? I says several times no one liked her at her old school (*cough*with good reason *cough*), so why now?

And the whole sparkling in the sun thing... when I first read the book I though it was cool, but after thinking about it... It's such a stupid concept, I think.

For some reason, I still enjoy Twilight. New Moon was okay, but the last two... not so much... "Breaking Dawn" was just awful for me; so predictable, no action, and just... dumb. It was written like a bad fanfiction, I think.

Wow, I think I'll get shot now. Goodbye, world, I got killed by Twilighters.

I like Twilight but like you said, it was your opninion. I think Meyer made this book for romanic crazed girl(including me!). There are not exactly many books out there with that amount of romance i guess.

Two things real quick before I go into the article, there are two Twilight soundtracks? I've only heard of the one. And Stephenie Meyer's not the only person to have her vampires drink animal blood. Anne Rice had Louis drink rat blood in the beginning.

Now the article, I liked this, you didn't outright insult the book. You stated your opinion without being insulting about it and the fans. I think one of the biggest things readers are drawn to are the characters, mainly Edward, because of their looks. That's how it seems to me, especially the new readers that are younger. They hear that the main guy is basically sexy as anything so they read it and get to hear all about him because Bella's telling the story.

With me I like the story line throughout though some parts were annoying and boring. I like vampires (before the series) and romance so together it made a good read for me.

Personally, I would be much happier if they would just die all together.