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I've been reading tons of posts about Twilight lately on the boars and while I can understand why some people don't care for the movie because they just don't generally like the storyline or the characters don't live up to what they read in the book, but some people are just going OVERBOARD in my opinion. Saying things like "I'll never let my kids read the books" (yeah like your going to have control over what they read lol) and "she's setting a bad example for children.
First off it's a FICTIONAL story, meaning that just because vampires "sparkle" etc doesn't mean it's completely crap or "ruins" vampires as some have been saying. Plenty of people like the alien movies when in reality, they probably aren't green and slimey right with egg shaped heads right? So CHILL with the whole "they don't act like real vampires". It's FICTION, which means you can do or make whatever you want out of something thats already not real. The author made a vampire as a BASE character then added some stuff to make it unique, like "sparkles" for example. Calling the author "uneducated" is going too far. Since when is it a bad thing to have some creativity and imagination?
Secondly, the whole "she sets a bad example" for children is just BS. Please. There are TONS of things that are much worse in life then "Bella" being madly in love with a vampire. So freakin' what. The part where she jumps off a cliff to see him or hear him was overblown and thrown way out of porportion. From what I'm guessing, the author wanted to show how in LOVE she was with him and willing to do anything. Not saying that anyone should do that type of thing in real life to express their true love for someone but don't forget, it's a BOOK! HELLO!. It's done for dramatic effect to portray the lengths bella was willing to go to in order to see Edward. Is ROMEO AND JULIET ALSO AN ABOMINATION? We for some reason find Romeo and Juliet a classic story that we don't mind the school having our children read when in reality they aren't that differen't. At least bella doesn't kill herself.
Lastly, the whole "it's bad for feminism" Oh.my.GOODNESS. It's not the only book or story that doesn't portray the female as a "warrior". There are tons of movies/books/stories about the female moving across the world to be with the guy she loves, whats the difference? I think it's so tasteless to say that anyone who reads the books is supporting anti-feminism. Thats a load of crap if I've ever heard one.
Remember. It's a BOOK and it's not REAL. It's OK to make vampires sparkle and add dramatic effect to convey the emotion. 
I'm not worried lol. :)
Not to mention I've seen some pretty nasty threads about Kristen Stewart lately and while I must admit I'm not a huge fan of her, that "expressionless" attitude that most people hate, earned her quite a bit of cash lol.
I think part of the reason some people are turned off by it is because some Twilight fans can come off a little fanatical.
@MissHippoPotamus: People can choose not to let their kids read it and they have legitimate reasons. Im not sure why this even bothers you. Honestly, there are twilight lovers and haters here and I think you are getting really worked up over peoples opinions on the internet..."opinions are like a**holes, everyones got one" and not everyones will be the same. If you see someone post something that you don't like about twilight skim the post and move on.
I've never read a page or seen a minute of the movies. I don't feel I've missed out.
The assho** analogy is a bit old now lol. But yes everyone has their own opinions I think thats obvious.
So what if that fans are "fanatical" thats kind of the point of a FAN..no?
@MissHippoPotamus: It may be old, but it fits. Everyone has different opinions, which is why all the ladies here are on a forum..if you want to find a twilight lovers message board (There are tons) I would suggest going there for your twilight love fix because a lot of ladies here aren't the biggest fans.
I haven't seen it/read the books, and I don't care to so I can't really have a strong opinion of the series either way. Articles like this one from NPR lead me to believe there may be valid cause for concern on the part of parents about letting their pre-teens and tweens read the books, though.
An excerpt:
"But when a saga popular with pre-adolescent girls peaks romantically on a night that leaves the heroine to wake up covered with bruises in the shape of her husband's hands — and when that heroine then spends the morning explaining to her husband that she's incredibly happy even though he injured her, and that it's not his fault because she understands he couldn't help it in light of the depth of his passion — that's profoundly irresponsible."
I was using the term consistent with this definition . . emphasis added.
fa·nat·i·cal (f-nt-kl)
adj.
First of all, everyone is entitled to their opinions - I stayed off of pro-Twilight threads as I had nothing to contribute, and it appears that most Twilight fans stayed off of the anti-Twilight thread as I'm sure they didn't want to read what we were saying.
My problem with it is when teenage girls think that the relationships portrayed in the movie are 'acceptable' or 'normal'. Don't try to tell me that doesn't happen, because my own sister is one of those people.
Enjoying it as mindless fluff - no issue. Thinking that's acceptable in real life? No.
The only thing I've heard about them from people off the net is that they are poorly written. I don't read young adult lit, so I'm not about to read poorly written young adult lit. I don't understand why it's a problem if people dislike them, though.
@hisgoosiegirl: Same. I didn't comment on the twilight fan topics because I had nothing positive to add and it was for ladies who enjoy the series.
I own all the books and I have read them a few times for a mindless read. I don't know if I would let my young, impressionable daughter read them because I don't think that sort of content is appropriate for a 10 year old.
@Aure: yes, this.
I love Twilight for a guilty awful romance novel that I read in a bubble bath or at the beach. But if my hypothetical children ever read it, they're going to have to be saturated with strong, powerful role-models first. I don't want them set up to idolize this type of boyfriend and this type of relationship because it is abusive, it's not healthy, and it's not what they should be looking for in life.
Also, from a graduate-student-in-literature perspective, they aren't well-written. They are romance novels and to argue that they are finely crafted pieces of literature is pretty much comparing apples and oranges. Yes, I'm happy that kids are reading something, but if they want depth and well-formed prose, they should look elsewhere.
@bookworm88: agreed :) and to be fair, I've read a lot of romance novels that were much better written than Twilight.
@bookworm88: Agreed. The dialogue is pretty bad...and it seems like they didn't bother editing the novel before publishing it. There are SO many errors.
I LOVE this blog when it comes to critiquing her writing.
http://ebv.blogspot.com/2008/05/stephenie-meyer-sucks-blood-out-of.html
I think that when a book is aimed at young people, it gets a higher degree of scrutiny than a book aimed at adults. Hence why people have very strong feelings about the message Twilight is sending out.
When I was seven, I read "Little Women" and admired Jo, I think that influenced me and my life. I have no doubt that girls who read "Twilight" and its progeny will be similarly influenced. Whether that is good or bad is really their parents' call.
@MsNarwhal: It really was hard to read. She used so many run-on sentences and awkward phrasing that I wondered if she did actually have an editor. Or they were just trying to make a deadline.
@Aure: Totally agreed! Thank you for posting that article.
I try not to get into Twilight debates because yes, they are books, and if people want to read them, then I'm fine with that. But I don't read them, and it's not just because I don't like books about teenage vampires. I think that many of the themes and messages are dangerous and problematic. Books are incredibly influencial and formative in terms of shaping how readers understand and interpret the world. That has been one of the primary functions of literature for hundreds of years. And yes, I don't want to read Twilight because I have a problem with books that mix romance with violence against women. To me, that's a very dangerous mentality, one that has caused a lot of problems for our society and for women and one that has been perpetuated by things as innocuous seeming as books.
I only read half of it, because I could not handle her writing style. It made me cringe.
And no, I am not a writing snob. I like mindless reads, like the Gossip Girl books, LOL!
@Rubies: *threadjack* such a good book! loved it soooooo much! That and Anne of Green Gables :) Well, *shame*, I couldn't make it through the books, but I'll watch the movies until the end of time!
Clearly the books DO have a strong impact if you're worked up enough over this to create a new username and post here about them. If parents don't want their young girls idolizing a poor role model like Bella, they're well within their right.
@Lindsay12.31.2010: I have all the gossip girl books too! Haha such good reads...and the princess diaries series :)
I never got around to picking any of the books up, so I have no opnion on them. I'm a little behind...I think I started reading the Harry Potter books when the 5th one came out. I'll get to the Twilight books eventually.
@hisgoosiegirl: Yep, me too. I've read some pretty awesome romance novels.
This article sums up my serious issues on the subject and why I will never let my daughter read them:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-psychology-movies/201111/relationship-violence-in-twilight
On top of that, they are extremely poorly written and have bad character development.
@MissHippoPotamus: You are a bit het up about this. I see that you are a newly registered bee so I guess you've been lurking for a while reading all the threads. It does crack me up though that the thing that actually made you sign up to post on the bee is to write a post on the awesomeness of Stephanie Myers. I have no interest one way or the other on her book and/or the movies. I'm a huge book lover and anything that makes people read is good in my book (even though I shudder at chick lit, urban lit and Zane novels) 
BTW, when is the new book club discussion??
*Or are you a regular bee who made up a new identity to post this? If so, why? I don't think this thread is anything that one can't post under one's user name....
Twilight is just so poorly written and so poorly acted, I can't even. Now if they make a movie for the HUSH HUSH novels, I will be all over that.
I really dislike the twilight books, and have said so in several twilight bashing threads, yet i never entered a Twihard thread and posted my issues with the books. To me that would be rude, and while i dislike the books ( i have read all of them ) i feel that everyone is entitled to their own opinion of them. I haven't seen a thread that said " Twilight Lovers... Why do you read this shit?" although I would like to understand the Whys of that. lol
Just because there are worse role models than Bella out there does not make Bella an acceptable one.
And her relationship with Edward is NOT a healthy one. I feel like most females would be creeped out if their boyfriend watched them sleep, Got brusied ( i mean a hickey is one thing but really?) left repetedely, became over jelouse. Not to mention how obsessed bella is with Edward, it is not normal to be in a coma because your boyfriend left you...
As for her "ruining" the genre, I will give some credit to that. She took the Brahmn Stoker Vampire Cannon and messed with it, which in itself is not bad, however when I find Twilight books in the Horror section, thats a bit much IMHO.
Comparing it to Romeo and Juliet.... That's a bit much... You are compareing apples ot oranges. Romeo and Juliet is not actualy about two people who are so in love they kill themselves. Romeo and Juliet is about the bad things that happen when you defy your parents wishes. It's based off of a greek legend calld Prymis and Thisbe. There is a lot of scholarly work on this if you go on google.
One last thing, Books have the power to influence people, Huckelberry Finn, Jane Eyre, Animal Farm, you can look at them as Fiction, but look at the changes these books have made. Look at the influence of the disney princesses have had on girls of my generation. Yes, they are fiction, but they do influence your thoghts and beliefs to an extent.
Oh, and if it is just a book, then what was the purpose of the origional post?
Edit: That last sentence was a bit snarky... I am sorry.
@bRooklynRocks: Agreed. Im pretty sure its a regular user though, from the format of her posts.
@MissHippoPotamus: As you have stated your opinion, others have as well. Everyone is different and that's what makes life so interesting.
@zippylef: hmmmmm now I'm curious what you like......I'm a big historical fan myself
@imalittlebirdie: Romeo and Juliet is also viewed as 'school' reading by most girls, I would bet. And it's not a hugely popular movie book series and movie right now. They aren't exactly going nutso to get that book from the store!
I have read all of the Twilight books (they are a great quick, guilty read) and seen all of the movies except for the latest (I'll no longer spend my money on them, they are too bad.) This being said, I agree with a lot of the things PPs have said. The relationships portrayed in the book are unrealistic and harmful. Not just between Bella and Edward, but between Bella and a lot of the other characters. This is not a book for young, impressionable girls to be reading.
This book was based off of Romeo and Juliet, but I do not think there is a valid comparison. First off, Romeo and Juliet is written in an English that kids of this day and age no longer understand, some of the underlying themes and humor are much different and no longer apply to today's youth. Second, I don't think that they're relationship was really unhealthy, especially not for that era. They were doing everything they could to be together, where as a lot of the time, Bella does things that are harmful and dangerous to be with a fictional Edward or Edward himself does harmful things to her.
Something some of the PPs didn't touch on that I'd like to say a little bit about is that there is a lot of established vampire lore out there. Things that have been around for centuries that people firmly believe when they think of vampires. Changing those sorts of things (like the "sparkly" for instance) alters the core of the character of a vampire. The creatures that Stephenie has created are vampire-esque therefore and not vampires. For example, if someone writes a story about a horse with a horn they are horse-esque and based off of horses, but they are now unicorns.
hisgoosiegirl : ahaha yea, this is true too. Sorry I jsut got out of class and am a bit grumpy. :)
@imalittlebirdie: no I completely agree - just pointing out some additional differences. Twilight has a much bigger impact on current culture than Romeo and Juliet does.
@Natalieh86: I think part of the reason some people are turned off by it is because some Twilight fans can come off a little fanatical.
the books and movie never interest me and the film trailers makes me think everyone looks creepy and needs a happy meal but as a sci fi fan this always makes me laugh
All these fanatical threads about books targeted towards teenagers confuse me. It's a book. Inhale, exhale, repeat, repeat, repeat.
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