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Twilight

posted by Matt Knicl at 11:00 pm.

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Blinded By The Twilight

On the side I work in Champaign schools. I work with grades 6 to 11, and despite the differences in age, there are similar things about these kids - like gossiping during class, trying to sneakily use cell phones and getting distracted by all sorts of shiny objects. One of the current distractions (in a good way) is Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, the four part book franchise that some have called the new Harry Potter. The series focuses on teen Bella and her romance between vampire Edward. The past two weeks female students have brought up Twilight in some way in almost every class. Since South Park made fun of it, this book is a genuine phenomenon, and with last Friday’s release of the movie adaptation, it seems one that will be around for awhile.

Of course, the question is “does Twilight deserve this much adoration?” There are several factors present in Twilight that lend to its popularity. As a book primarily read by younger females, Twilight operates as a standard romance. Girl meets boy, girl and boy face adversity, boy wins girl. The way Bella is presented in the book shows that Edward is much more than the other boys she meets. Bella’s other suitors are adolescent males who make jokes and act like young males. But Edward is less self-focused. His attention is on Bella, and he validates her, something teen girls are constantly searching for. Edward makes Bella feel special and loved in a way her parents and the other boys are unable to do.

But there is more to Twilight than just a generic romance - it also has the generic supernatural. Edward and his family are vampires, and as such exist on the periphery of our reality. They are outside, exotic and much more important that everyday life. As far as escapism goes, fantasy elements help to add to the sense of validation in a way a standard romance can’t. Bella knows things that her friends and family don’t, nay, can’t know. She is above them mentally because she possesses knowledge of the truth of how things are, and that makes her better than others around her - it makes her important. Bella meets Edward and through no doing of her own, is whisked away into an adventure that gives her life meaning and validation. This is similar to the Peter Parker or Billy Batson/Shazam model, where you, the reader, could very well be a super hero and deserve to be given this secret life that gives you identity. You ever have to earn this power, you deserve it.

I think Twilight’s main pull is the framework given for young women to create their own fantasy where they can be made special and important just by going to school. I could complain about the lack of conflict in the book, a villain not introduced until the last 20% of the story, or the lack of detail in the book, ample supply of awkward, lazy pauses in the movie… but there’s no point. Unlike Harry Potter, where one has to go to a magical place to be special, Twilight allows the reader to be special in their own life, or more aptly put, special in their own dreams.

I absolutely hated the book and the movie, but I appreciate how it works and respect what it does. I mean, kids in my classes have been understanding assigned literature I think in part to seeking out Twilight and reading it in their free time. If a book can do that, no matter how much you might not like it, you should shut your mouth and enjoy seeing kids read for fun… even if they are imagining being a vampire’s lover.

Matt Knicl: My name is Matt Knicl. I'm a U of I alumn and one of those unemployed English majors Garrison Keillor likes to make fun of. I've been reading comics since high school and one day I would like to write them. My goal is to expose readers to what is out there in the world of comics and using my English powers, show what is worth reading or not. I can be reached at buzz.comics@gmail.com.