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Book Review: Twilight
So when I asked what books you were reading, I mentioned Twilight by Stephenie Meyer being amazing. And it is. [Yoda] It is. [/Yoda]
So I wrote a book review to share it with you all. I didn't actually finish the book review, because I was doing it at work and then even book reviewing got outlawed (counting rubberbands is still allowed!). Or perhaps it is . . . my style of book reviewing. Most things I do do require waving arms and--er, something I personally like to call vivacity, no matter what the people whispering behind their hands and looking at me strangely from the very farthest corner of the bus call it. Was it the "Everyone needs to see my book review for lo, I am genius!" part that got me in trouble?
In other news, last weekend I was camping with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
my_daroga and various Darcys, Mister (the dog) and Otherwise (I believe I shall call her Otherwise. Otherwise Darcy), for two nights in Ocean Shores on the Pacific before that, but those were just wasted days of my life I had to pretend to enjoy to make a Pilgrimage of Worship to the ribcage of my heart, Forks. As we all know, Twilight takes place in Forks. Yes, we stopped there. No, we did not eat at Restaurant, but one block from where we did stop happened to be the Forks High School. We saw the student parking lot, where Edward saved Bella from a raging blood-thirsty pickup truck. We saw the window of a staff lounge where the person who taught biology in which Bella and Edward first met must buy his Diet Lemon Pepsis. We saw ground on which he might have walked. And the very clouds which prevent him from sparkling.
We also saw a handmade sign for about a lost dog taped to a STOP sign outside the school. The dog was described as russet colored, and aggressive when angered. It said to contact Officer Swan if found at the bottom. We drew little hearts around the face pastede on the dog. Mr. Darcy might have peed on the post in his own form of sacrament.
We searched long and hard, but did not a find a timeless, beautiful house, which must be at least one hundred years old.
Honestly though, Twilight does merit a few serious words, and they are this: it disturbs me that people enjoy this book in the way that they seem to. I did enjoy it, but that is because bad writing can be funny, and haven't you always wished to read the phrase, "his eyes tightened" over and over again (it could be a drinking game). But it doesn't disturb me that people enjoy bad writing (I am not disturbed my Dan Brown). (I am a little disturbed by Dan Brown). (I can't help being a little disturbed; it's disturbing). It's not even that the characters are empty and non-sensical and hopelessly flat, and that the main character whose POV we are forced to suffer is a mindless and insightless cipher.
What disturbs me is the psychology of this relationship she has with this boy, Edward Cullen The Vampire (it's not that he's sparkly either, though there is that).my_daroga pointed out that it has many of the attributes of a physically abusive relationship. Edward knowing he is "bad" for Bella, but unable to stay away. Bella pathologically unable to say no or resist him, or even be aware that there might be anything wrong in her wanting someone who wants to hurt her (even if he also doesn't want to). There are other disturbing parallels too--Bella wants to become a vampire, and her longing for suicide is treated by herself (and thus the narrator) as nothing of large import. What makes that awful is that in this world Meyer has created, I can see nothing wrong with suicide either--vampires are perfect and beautiful and nothing hurts them. There are icky parallels there to fanaticism or drug addiction (and the drug addiction thing crops up again later).
Personally, my fundamental problem is that Bella is nothing without Edward. Her entire life, existence, and everything is placed solely on his shoulders. In the second book she claims that without him, she would be a moon without a planet to orbit. I'm sure people have felt that way in the past; I'm sure people have structured their whole lives around one other person to the exclusion of anything that might possibly have to do with their own self-interest. But this is not healthy behavior. While it's happened and I'm sure done someone good somewhere, this is not a good way to live one's life. I'm especially depressed thinking about young girls reading this and thinking that this is an ideal thing to be--this woman whose life so hopelessly revolves around a man who she thinks is perfect and better than her in every way. This woman who must necessarily be crippled without this man (whom she often describes as a "god"), not herself unless he is with her and in love with her.
I'm reading New Moon right now. I . . . can't wait to draw another comic.
ETA:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
ontd_twatlight--Go there or be square. Like this!
In other news, those of you wondering what happened todaily_words--I fell off the wagon but will be back shortly. Many thanks to vaysh11 for handling Wednesdays!
So I wrote a book review to share it with you all. I didn't actually finish the book review, because I was doing it at work and then even book reviewing got outlawed (counting rubberbands is still allowed!). Or perhaps it is . . . my style of book reviewing. Most things I do do require waving arms and--er, something I personally like to call vivacity, no matter what the people whispering behind their hands and looking at me strangely from the very farthest corner of the bus call it. Was it the "Everyone needs to see my book review for lo, I am genius!" part that got me in trouble?
Twilight: The Comic
In other news, last weekend I was camping with
my_daroga and various Darcys, Mister (the dog) and Otherwise (I believe I shall call her Otherwise. Otherwise Darcy), for two nights in Ocean Shores on the Pacific before that, but those were just wasted days of my life I had to pretend to enjoy to make a Pilgrimage of Worship to the ribcage of my heart, Forks. As we all know, Twilight takes place in Forks. Yes, we stopped there. No, we did not eat at Restaurant, but one block from where we did stop happened to be the Forks High School. We saw the student parking lot, where Edward saved Bella from a raging blood-thirsty pickup truck. We saw the window of a staff lounge where the person who taught biology in which Bella and Edward first met must buy his Diet Lemon Pepsis. We saw ground on which he might have walked. And the very clouds which prevent him from sparkling.We also saw a handmade sign for about a lost dog taped to a STOP sign outside the school. The dog was described as russet colored, and aggressive when angered. It said to contact Officer Swan if found at the bottom. We drew little hearts around the face pastede on the dog. Mr. Darcy might have peed on the post in his own form of sacrament.
We searched long and hard, but did not a find a timeless, beautiful house, which must be at least one hundred years old.
Honestly though, Twilight does merit a few serious words, and they are this: it disturbs me that people enjoy this book in the way that they seem to. I did enjoy it, but that is because bad writing can be funny, and haven't you always wished to read the phrase, "his eyes tightened" over and over again (it could be a drinking game). But it doesn't disturb me that people enjoy bad writing (I am not disturbed my Dan Brown). (I am a little disturbed by Dan Brown). (I can't help being a little disturbed; it's disturbing). It's not even that the characters are empty and non-sensical and hopelessly flat, and that the main character whose POV we are forced to suffer is a mindless and insightless cipher.
What disturbs me is the psychology of this relationship she has with this boy, Edward Cullen The Vampire (it's not that he's sparkly either, though there is that).
my_daroga pointed out that it has many of the attributes of a physically abusive relationship. Edward knowing he is "bad" for Bella, but unable to stay away. Bella pathologically unable to say no or resist him, or even be aware that there might be anything wrong in her wanting someone who wants to hurt her (even if he also doesn't want to). There are other disturbing parallels too--Bella wants to become a vampire, and her longing for suicide is treated by herself (and thus the narrator) as nothing of large import. What makes that awful is that in this world Meyer has created, I can see nothing wrong with suicide either--vampires are perfect and beautiful and nothing hurts them. There are icky parallels there to fanaticism or drug addiction (and the drug addiction thing crops up again later).Personally, my fundamental problem is that Bella is nothing without Edward. Her entire life, existence, and everything is placed solely on his shoulders. In the second book she claims that without him, she would be a moon without a planet to orbit. I'm sure people have felt that way in the past; I'm sure people have structured their whole lives around one other person to the exclusion of anything that might possibly have to do with their own self-interest. But this is not healthy behavior. While it's happened and I'm sure done someone good somewhere, this is not a good way to live one's life. I'm especially depressed thinking about young girls reading this and thinking that this is an ideal thing to be--this woman whose life so hopelessly revolves around a man who she thinks is perfect and better than her in every way. This woman who must necessarily be crippled without this man (whom she often describes as a "god"), not herself unless he is with her and in love with her.
I'm reading New Moon right now. I . . . can't wait to draw another comic.
ETA:
ontd_twatlight--Go there or be square. Like this! In other news, those of you wondering what happened to
daily_words--I fell off the wagon but will be back shortly. Many thanks to vaysh11 for handling Wednesdays!
no subject
I'm almost done with NEw Moon now, but yeah, don't spoil me.
I haven't forgotten your fic, but I am SO swamped irl right now. It might still be a while. It's alright if you want someone else, though I'm still trying to get to it.
no subject
Don't worry about the fic. I'd forgotten about it too. Get to it when you get to it. I'm having fun playing in the TW/DW pond, what with the series finale being tommorrow and my whole flist having exploded with it. Then Twilight may become more of a focus as I'm taking my sister to the midnight release of Breaking Dawn in about a month. I am ill I tell you! Ill! Ah, H/D sooth me with your fandom awesomeness.