TWILIGHT

There’s something mysteriously alluring about the Twilight saga. At first glance, you simply don’t understand why. There seems to be nothing groundbreaking about the story: a teenage girl and a vampire fall in love. Even before Stephanie Meyer started writing Bella and Edward’s love story, Bram Stoker and Anne Rice had already churned out tales of vampire lives and loves. You start reading through the Twilight books and discover that they’re overwhelmingly mushy. It is a love story, but with vampires around, you’d think they wouldn’t just sit around and talk about their feelings so much. There’s also a frustrating lack of fight scenes. The titles are incredibly literal. (Twilight, for example, is the “safest time of day” for Bella and Edward. Edward continues, “But also the saddest, in a way… the end of another day, the return of the night.” Oh God.) Bella, the narrator of the story, is whiny, mawkish and stubbornly insecure.

Yet it’s strangely engrossing. I, for example, finished all four books in a little over a week. There is always an imminent danger for the couple (or for Bella) that keeps you turning the pages. Bella and Edward run into several dangerous situations throughout the four books, from another vampire determined to hunt Bella down to a run-in with the ruling body of vampires in Italy, from thwarting another young werewolf in love with Bella (Go Team Jacob!) to forming an alliance with their bitter rivals, werewolves.

The constant dangers and threats in the books only provide a backdrop to the love story of Bella and Edward. I think more than anything, the fans are addicted to the intense passion that these two have for each other. Edward is described as someone breathtakingly, heartbreakingly beautiful (his beauty is mentioned in about every other paragraph), someone who nonchalantly dazzles people with his looks, charm and gallantry, someone who excels in practically everything. Bella, on the other hand, is a responsible and reserved girl-next-door described by her mother as someone who was born middle-aged. When she moves to Forks, she feels awkward and alone, feelings that teenagers know — and can relate to — very well. Unlike Edward, she’s a normal human being — which is probably why fans see themselves in her. While they don’t completely understand the other (and they spend several chapters talking about this…), they know that they can’t live without each other.

The biggest trouble between Bella and Edward is his predilection for blood. While he and his family are “vegetarians,” Edward constantly struggles to keep himself from succumbing to his instincts, especially with Bella. Other than that, they are quite passionately in love with each other. My friend theorizes that the biggest Twilight fans — made up of teenage girls and avid moms — never experienced Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Ah, Buffy, Josh Whedon’s wondergirl and our generation’s superwoman. Beautiful, headstrong, fearless and powerful, she juggled teenage drama and vampire slaying weekly as we avidly watched on TV. Her relationship with the vampire Angel was one of the most moving and affecting love stories we encountered in pop culture. Some of us already know what it’s like for a girl to be in love for a vampire, for a girl trying to mend her shattered heart over him, or a vampire desperately trying to be good.

That still doesn’t stop us from reading through the Twilight series though. My favorite part about the saga is definitely the action, interaction and the mythology of both vampires and werewolves. Beyond the love story, there is a supernatural world unfolding as well, infusing the book with a little suspense. Both creatures have been in literary culture for a long time already, and we have our preconceived notions of both. Werewolves transform under full moons and are killed by silver bullets. Vampires drink blood, turn into bats and are afraid of garlic and crucifixes. Meyer creates new histories and characteristics while keeping the fundamental elements. It definitely keeps the story and the characters interesting. For example, vampires can also have powers, from reading minds to controlling emotions, depending on one’s personality. I simply wish, though, that there was more action in the books. With a landscape of vampires and werewolves (especially with a love triangle), there is so much opportunity for glorious fight scenes and exciting sequences. Alas, it is mostly pent-up suspense and showcasing of abilities (except maybe for Eclipse, the third book, where there is an actual fight scene… yay!).

Stephanie Meyer’s perspective is also quite refreshing after young adult books like Gossip Girl, The Clique and The It Girl. No designer labels or improper behavior for Bella and Edward. As a Mormon, Stephanie doesn’t see R-rated movies and her books reflect her upbringing. They’re engaging without being scandalous or shallow. It definitely shows passion, but without any sex scenes. Perhaps that is what draws the fans in — the passion of Bella and Edward for each other. Most relationships that we read about or watch on TV, they have to deal with the difficulties of mundane, everyday things. With Bella and Edward’s unique situation, there seems to be nothing mundane about it. It’s pure, intense passion for each other, and fans can escape their own everyday things by jumping headfirst into the saga.

The movie is about to come out, and even if I’m not a big fan, I’m quite excited as well. The trailer looks promising (and there’s a fight scene! Yay for action!), the treatment looks pretty intense, and the soundtrack is excellent. I can’t help but be enveloped in the world of Twilight, and I have a feeling that vampires, werewolves and passionate teenage girls (and maybe moms) are going to be around for quite a long time.

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Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn are all available at National Bookstore.