dianamer994 bravely faces Twi-haters—but will she win you over to the dark side?—Sparkitors
Ok, STOP. Put down those pitchforks, torches, and very sharp carrots (which incidentally make a weapon that is both healthy and delicious!) and listen before assaulting: I am like you. I became hooked on SparkLife through Blogging Twilight (I mean, Jexual? That stuff is comedic gold), I snickered aloud when Eddie actually covered his nose at Belly’s scent in the first movie, and I have my status for when I see Breaking Dawn all planned out. (For the record, it’s going to be “Twilight-Comedy of the Year.” Get it? Because it’s actually a drama, so the comedy part would be laughing at it… oh you understand.) Despite all that, I stand here today, hopefully not alone, willing to defend Twilight flaws and all.
To Mr. Bergstein: Danny-boy (can I call you Danny-boy?), you are totally, completely hilarious, and I aspire to one day be as good a writer as you are. But c’mon man, loosen up. Reading a fantasy novel is all about suspending disbelief, and accepting that the reason not everything makes perfect sense in the real world is that the book isn’t set in the real world. An unexplained digestive system, or whatever, is not a fair basis for hatin' on a story. Ya hear me? They call it fantasy because it isn’t real, so, really, there’s no reason it should have to make sense.
PS. You are my life now. Murmur.
To get back on subject, I would like to present several reasons Twilight is not all that bad, maybe even good.
1. The characters: So they aren’t 100 percent magic. They can be annoying, whiny, and overly perfect. But if being too perfect were basis for disliking a fictional character, how many Potter fans could there be—for goodness’ sake, the kid couldn’t lose a dang Quiddich match if he tried. And who among us is never irritating? The best characters have flaws; that’s what lets us, the reader, relate to them. And how different is Bella, really, from any teenager caught in her first love? Basically, she obsesses over the guy, constantly. That’s not so far from real life; perhaps it's not normally so dramatic, but often enough that’s what the turmoil looks like on the inside.
On to Edward. Now, I am the first to admit I wanted to slap Lullaby Lad upside the head at all this “You can’t see Jacob, so I’m gonna go ahead and break your truck,” nonsense. But Edward tries his best to do what he thinks will make Bella the happiest, which in my book (if that book is a love story) is pretty good. The rest is all incidental, even the vampire stuff—the story is about romance, not mythical creatures. Edward is a boy who’s easy to fall in love with: he’s honorable (note that he is “vegetarian”), treats Bella right (nonwithstanding above mentioned truck incident), and would literally die for Bella. More than that, he gives her more love and affection than most teenagers experience, making him seem doubly (or even quadrupley) amazing. And if all that isn’t enough, the drop-dead gorgeous looks don’t hurt.
2. The plot: Say what you will, but I, along with thousands of other Twilight readers, raced through each page eager for more, then went back and reread just for the fun of it. It’s no Shakespeare, but it is captivating and entertaining, which for this type of book is good enough. “Aha!” you cry. But you have ignored the plot holes, the glaringly obvious plot devices *cough* Alice *cough cough*. Again I say, so what? Are you really reading Twilight for a stunning literary experience? Didn’t think so. So if the story is moving along, and keeping the reader involved, and also painting a picture of incredible love, what else is really important?
2.1. The writing: Here, I have less to say, except honestly, who cares? My argument here is essentially the same as above—it’s clear that Twilight is not a literary masterpiece. The important thing is that the reader feel Bella and Edward’s emotions, not that he or she gets worked up over a word’s overuse.
3. The love: This, I think, is the most important thing that can be said about the novel. It’s a love story. And there is a lot of love. Too often we read teen romances with not nearly enough scenes of the lovebirds…well… being in love. Twilight does an excellent job of showing the passion, the excitement and all the other feelings that accompany true love. Not to generalize, but for a lot of teen readers, getting caught up in the amazingness of romance constitutes a pretty effing good book. ‘Nuff said.
Disclaimer: I understand that not everyone feels the emotions, or was captivated by the plot. This is true of every book in existence. This is not a case for why everyone should love Twilight, it is a case for why loving it is not so wrong. So, hopefully by now the angry mob has disbanded, ideally to go get cupcakes (because a perfect pastime usually involves cupcakes.) I recommend red velvet!
So, whaddaya think? Do you finally understand the Twilight phenomenon?
Related post: A Few Reasons Why The Twilight Series Isn't Actually That Bad
Image credit: http://www.filmoria.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/TwiBooks1.jpg
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