Here's my problem with Twilight: 17 year old girl falls in love with 17 year old vampire boy. Fine. 17 year old girl falls in love with 110 year old vampire in the body of a 17 year old boy? Kind of icky. There were a lot of lover-as-father/paternalism things within the second half of the book that kind of weirded me out. I might read the second one to see if that goes away, but I might not.
Also, I felt like there was so much undercurrent of denying your primal urges in that book. The whole set up of falling in love with someone who could theoretically kill you if he smells your intoxicating scent too much was very repressed. Almost like a closeted lesbian in a religion that doesn't recognize homosexuality would write. Hmmmm. And! At the end of the first book it is very clear that she wants to become a vampire too so she can be with her beloved. The whole changing yourself completely to be more like your help-mate doesn't square with my independent figures in a relationship world view.
Summary: Twilight not best book to read from a feminist perspective.
On the other hand: I thought about the plot for many days.
It just dawned on me that I missed this one. I thought I out-clicked on it and instead got a picture. I just go through my reader and click on each page I need!
ReplyDeleteThis post is similar to en email that I have in my inbox. I have been meaning to reply to it. You know that I loved the book. But I feel like you bring up very excellent points. I can very much agree with you about the age issue from an intellectual perspective. But the romantic girly-girl me loved Edward and the match. I also see the rather anti-feminist points about the book. And the undercurrent of repression - but having chosen celibacy until marriage myself I could understand and relate to some of those feelings. Yet, your points are very valid on that issue. Complete change of yourself - also a toughy. A strong point as well. I just didn't read this as an intellectual or as a feminist (though I kind of feel like a feminist lite and an intellectual lite - if that makes any sense). I allowed my inner teenage girl self to read it with pure joy and absolute abandon! -S