What's wrong with the Twilight series??

[Gabes_mommy]

O.M.G. the mormon + twilight + livejournal thing is HI-LARIOUS.

Totally classic! Very informative about the Mormon connections in the book as well.

 

[WriteDisney]

Yeah, except they she's 18 (or 19?) when they get married. Which they do pretty well because they want to have sex. Yeah, that's a great reason to get married. Of all the issues in the books, and there are many, this one actually irritated me the most. Getting married because you are horny is not a good basis for a marriage!

I agree!

I think the creepiest part was (spoilers ahead)







the pregnancy/birth scene in the last book and the imprinting thing

 

[Gabes_mommy]

I agree!

I think the creepiest part was (spoilers ahead)







the pregnancy/birth scene in the last book and the imprinting thing

I had forgotten about that - yep, that was creepy. In that link mentioned earlier the writer said that Mormons believe their partner is pre-destined (or something along those lines) so that explains SM's creation of the imprinting concept.

 

[WriteDisney]

I had forgotten about that - yep, that was creepy. In that link mentioned earlier the writer said that Mormons believe their partner is pre-destined (or something along those lines) so that explains SM's creation of the imprinting concept.

Oh really? Do you have a link?

 

[Jennasis]

What's wrong with it? Where do I start?


The books are written horrendously. But I'll give Mrs. Meyer credit for at least coming up with a compelling story. I just wish she'd figured out a way to put it on paper that didn't suck out loud.

The characters are wooden, experiencing little to no personal growth. Learning nothing. Suffering no nosequences, and certainly not earning anything.

The characters are insufferable. Whiners, brooders, sulkers, stalkers, manipulative, and in some cases bordering on abusive. Bella is particularly intolerable, but Jacob (in the books) just needed to be brought up on harassment charges. Nearly the definition of what an emotionally abusive boyfriend is.

My biggest complaint was book 4, where IMO, the series crashed an burned like the Hindenberg. Plot points that were so out of left field, so bizarre...character actions that made NO SENSE in the context of that character. The MOST anticlimactic climax ever put on paper, and of course, the worst character name ever invented (and I've read high fantasy!).

That's what is "wrong" with Twilight. Is it harmful? No. Is it inappropriate for teens and tweens? No.

It's just a fluffy piece of literary trash.

 

[MrsPete]

I'm just being curious. I have seen a few people post that their kids are not allowed to see/read the Twilight series. I just read the first 2 books and saw the movies and I'm stumped There is no sex, no cursing in fact they were the tamest books/movies I've ever read/seen. My girls have zero interest...oldest saw the first movie and thought it stunk but I would have no objection to them seeing the movies and would actually love them to read the books b/c they never read!

Random thoughts:

The movies are stinkers, but I like the books.

The books contain a great deal of "damsel in distress saved by handsome prince" plotline, which some people find objectionable. I personally don't. It's fiction. I don't think my daughters are going to turn into wimps because they find Bella appealing. Plus these aren't the only books my girls'll ever read.

If you want to balance out the "damsel in distress", have them read Graceling; Katsa is a strong young woman who breaks away from her uncle's enslavement and accepts the world on her own terms. Once she chooses a man, she is fiercely loyal to him, although this book contains more sex -- nothing graphic -- than the Twilight series. Katsa perhaps is less moral than Bella because she decides to accept Po as a lover but will not marry him (says she cannot belong to anyone but herself), but the two of them plan to stay together although she has plans to travel and provide self-defense training to the young girls in the kingdom. Essentially she will have career AND love.

And then there are the people who against the whole "I cannot exist without you, you are my whole reason for life" thing. I think this series can provide fuel for discussion with your daughters -- not an example for how they themselves should behave. Good topics for talking with teens: Which of Bella's choices were good? healthy? How about the way she treated Jacob? Jessica? What would it take to give up everything else in your world? What other options did she have?

 

[MrsPete]

Bella is a horror. I don't get the appeal, she walks around with a snotty look on her face all the time. I have seen Kristin stewart on a few talk shows and she is BORING(or stoned)

Ok, I am waaaay too old to be obsessing over this stuff!

Yeah, I have something of the same impression of Robert Pattinson. Taylor L______ is the one who seems to have the best head on his shoulders.

 

[MrsPete]

It's the same thing that happened with the Harry Potter books, some extremists that never read the books jumped on the bandwagon

My problem with the people are are rabidly anti-Potter is that they tend NOT TO HAVE READ THE BOOKS. Sorry, but you're not allowed to have opinions on books you haven't read!

 

[Karibeth19]

Random thoughts:

The books contain a great deal of "damsel in distress saved by handsome prince" plotline, which some people find objectionable. I personally don't. It's fiction. I don't think my daughters are going to turn into wimps because they find Bella appealing. Plus these aren't the only books my girls'll ever read.

And then there are the people who against the whole "I cannot exist without you, you are my whole reason for life" thing. I think this series can provide fuel for discussion with your daughters -- not an example for how they themselves should behave. Good topics for talking with teens: Which of Bella's choices were good? healthy? How about the way she treated Jacob? Jessica? What would it take to give up everything else in your world? What other options did she have?

ITA!!!!
It's fiction, pure and simple. Not every book I read, or my DD12 reads, is going to have a strong, independent heroine who is a perfect role model, and that's fine. My DD is Twilight obsessed, and has Edward posters all over her room, but when it comes real life, boys are "so stupid" and she has told me several times she "doesn't need a boyfriend yet". It makes me proud, considering how over-the-top boy crazy some of her friends are!

And, in defense of Edward, I don't believe his relationship with Bella is over-controlling. In fact, he constantly makes attempts to convince her to have a "normal" life, taking her to prom, encouraging her to go off to college or spend time with her mother in Flordia, even going so far as to leave her when he thought her life would be better off (and safer) without him. Bella's the one who chooses to be with him rather than friends and family, and his hovering is simply an attempt to keep her safe from the multitudes of "bad" vamps after her (and also from her clumsy, accident-prone self!).

No, it's not great literature, but it's a fun read, and one of my favorite guilty pleasures! There's absolutely nothing "wrong" with it at all.

 

[themilesfamily]

I love the books and love the movies.

Gosh, these books are practically Victorian. The hero insists that the heroine marry him before they have sex. Sex is saved for their honeymoon. How often do you see that anymore? In real life OR the movies.

BTW, I am a born-again Christian and see nothing wrong with Twilight or the Harry Potter books. I can differentiate between truth and fiction, as can most sensible people. And I don't find either series particularly dark. Harry Potter is a children's series -- Twilight is a love story.

I'm really irritated by people who think the devil is going to "get them" if they read a Harry Potter book.

 

[golfgal]

I am not an extremist nor do I think I am a great parent for not encouraging the Twilight series. I haven't jumped on any bandwagons lately either. I am just a normal parent who happens to not encourage HP or the Twilight series. My reason comes from my personal faith and has nothing to do with bandwagons or fear of cults....my faith simply leads me to be uncomfortable with origins of the characters. I do not have to read a page in any of the books to know that the characters in them have their origins in hell or evil. No matter how wonderful the story line or what great moral spin they put on the characters, the characters are still characters that are ultimately dark. They are vampires, werewolves, wizards, etc...all of which are representatives of the darkness that my faith leads me to be cautious of. I don't like the idea of dark characters being passed off as "good", and I am not comfortable with encouraging my children to fill their extra time with those type characters. My concern is not about forming cult followers but about entertaining my kids with books that represent the ideas that I feel fit within the comfort zone of my faith. I don't forbid the books. I just do not encourage them. I do not make any judgements on anyone who thinks differently...the books are just fictional reads for enjoyment.

My point exactly and see below why. I know of no mainstream faith that prohibits Harry Potter or Twilight books. You have the right to censor your children's reading if you choose but don't spout faith or your perceived notion of what the books are about or "rooted in" without actually reading the book. These books are far less "evil" then most classics.

My problem with the people are are rabidly anti-Potter is that they tend NOT TO HAVE READ THE BOOKS. Sorry, but you're not allowed to have opinions on books you haven't read!

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm so glad others brought up Shakespeare. Even when I was 15 and reading it for school I was wondering "why are we reading this, this is awful!"

Yeah, except they she's 18 (or 19?) when they get married. Which they do pretty well because they want to have sex. Yeah, that's a great reason to get married. Of all the issues in the books, and there are many, this one actually irritated me the most. Getting married because you are horny is not a good basis for a marriage!

Seems to work for my stepdad. He and my mom got married asap...gosh wonder why. And he married his current wife 10 days from the anniversary of my mom's death (the date is the problem, not the number of years, which was nearly 3 years...but when one anniversary is March 11, you just don't get married March 1...at least i don't...anniversaries are too important for me) only ONE month after proposing to her, so they could move in together and be a married couple.

Code for..... He and my mom were late 40s early 50s when they married, and he and his current wife were well into their 60s when they married, so it's not just 18 year olds marrying so they can "live as married people"...

 

[Pigeon]

I don't like the Mormon overtones and the anti-feminist messages. My dds have read the books. On the one hand, they got my 9 yo to read hundreds of pages in a weekend, which is a good thing.

OTOH, they have my 12 year old obsessing about how she doesn't have a boyfriend. She's 12, for goodness sakes.

 

[LoraJ]

I don't like the Mormon overtones and the anti-feminist messages. My dds have read the books. On the one hand, they got my 9 yo to read hundreds of pages in a weekend, which is a good thing.

OTOH, they have my 12 year old obsessing about how she doesn't have a boyfriend. She's 12, for goodness sakes.

What exactly are the anti-feminist messages in these books?

 

[TheZue]

I like them, I hate that I like them lol. I think Bella is weak, probably the weakest character in the series. She just happens to look nice and aparently smell good. I'd rather see a strong female lead.

 

[krcit]

I'm so glad others brought up Shakespeare. Even when I was 15 and reading it for school I was wondering "why are we reading this, this is awful!"



Seems to work for my stepdad. He and my mom got married asap...gosh wonder why. And he married his current wife 10 days from the anniversary of my mom's death (the date is the problem, not the number of years, which was nearly 3 years...but when one anniversary is March 11, you just don't get married March 1...at least i don't...anniversaries are too important for me) only ONE month after proposing to her, so they could move in together and be a married couple.

Code for..... He and my mom were late 40s early 50s when they married, and he and his current wife were well into their 60s when they married, so it's not just 18 year olds marrying so they can "live as married people"...

I see a big difference between teenagers marrying so they can have sex for the first time and middle-age people who have been married and don't believe in sex before marriage. I think it's kind of sweet actually Also, anniversaries aren't all that important to some people(me, lol) so maybe he didn't realize it would upset you

I always hated Shakespeare!!

 

[WriteDisney]

I'm always surprised at how few people are creeped out by the imprinting thing.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Hahaha! Come one, we're discussing "literature" here! I think that makes us cultured!

Now, in response I think Bella and Edward were obsessed with each other, which is not the same as love and not particularly healthy, either. Besides, they never actually got to know each other. He loved her because she smelled yummy and she loved him because... He was cold? Had a lot of hair? I never was too clear on that point, actually...

and PALE How could you forget pale LAte on she loved him more becuase he sparkles in the sun. He's jsut like a giant diamond or something.

I'm just personally not interested in it, yet. I am so not a fan of anything vampire. It just heebs me regardless of how "good" it may be.

My 9yo who could read it--hasn't been given the option, but it hasn't been denied either. She loves reading novels involving animals and isn't into getting spooked. She does enjoy a good mystery.

I haven't heard of any mass anti-twilight movement. Everyone I know is gaga over it.

As a genre, it just doesn't appeal to me and no I don't find Vampires cute, sexy,and irresistable.

I have also heard--that as a piece of literature, it isn't all that great. But part of that (I think) is that adults are interested in it, but it is written at a much younger level. It isn't going to be Sense and Sensibility or Dracula. That would be right up my alley as I like "easy reader" novels that don't provoke a lot of thought. But again--so not interested in Vampires.

I didn't even like the Vampire storyline on Wizards of Waverly place. But my kids got a kick out of it.

There are so, so, so many well written books aimed at young audiences though. I honestly think that should not be an excuse for poor writing in the slightest. Meyers has made a fortune off of her dribble though so more power to her.

Random thoughts:

The movies are stinkers, but I like the books.

The books contain a great deal of "damsel in distress saved by handsome prince" plotline, which some people find objectionable. I personally don't. It's fiction. I don't think my daughters are going to turn into wimps because they find Bella appealing. Plus these aren't the only books my girls'll ever read.
If you want to balance out the "damsel in distress", have them read Graceling; Katsa is a strong young woman who breaks away from her uncle's enslavement and accepts the world on her own terms. Once she chooses a man, she is fiercely loyal to him, although this book contains more sex -- nothing graphic -- than the Twilight series. Katsa perhaps is less moral than Bella because she decides to accept Po as a lover but will not marry him (says she cannot belong to anyone but herself), but the two of them plan to stay together although she has plans to travel and provide self-defense training to the young girls in the kingdom. Essentially she will have career AND love.

And then there are the people who against the whole "I cannot exist without you, you are my whole reason for life" thing. I think this series can provide fuel for discussion with your daughters -- not an example for how they themselves should behave. Good topics for talking with teens: Which of Bella's choices were good? healthy? How about the way she treated Jacob? Jessica? What would it take to give up everything else in your world? What other options did she have?

I don't mind damsel in distress books either so long as they are not all a kid reads. My DD actually gravitates heavily toward books with strong women (her favourit author is Robin McKinnley--whose Sunshine is what DD recomends as a good vampire book--who has very strong women in all of her books). I think when combined with the bad writing and the outright obsession that many girls (and their mothers) have for these novels that it gets to be a bit much.

 

[Pigeon]

What exactly are the anti-feminist messages in these books?

Bella is a spineless, unstable wimp, chasing around after Edward pathetically. She's willing to give up everything, including her family and friends, to be with him after knowing him for a very short time. Indeed, she's willing to chuck aside her humanity. I don't see anything admirable in her character at all.

 

[Jennasis]

I'm always surprised at how few people are creeped out by the imprinting thing.

Yeah. Eww. Not to mention that despite having the looks of a 17 year old, Edward is a cradle robbing old pedophile. Looking young does not give one license to mack on underage chicks.