The Twilight Series - A Love Story in New Clothes

I have read many articles / Hubs on the subject of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight Series, some positive and many negative. I read one today that prompted me to respond. It started out as a simple comment to the writer of the article, and then it morphed into this hub.

Let me say, up front, I have read the entire series and enjoyed them. If that casts a negative shadow on me, then so be it. I have also read the complete works of Shakespeare; I love Emily Bronte’s work, and many, many others. I am a veracious reader, and perhaps, that alone will exonerate me from the negative and snide remarks. Frankly my friends, I don’t give a hoot!

Take a quick look at literary history when it comes to romance and love stories. I start with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliette. This is, as is the Twilight Series, a love triangle that seems to have too many issues for the protagonists, Romeo and Juliette, to overcome. They are young, from feuding families, and Juliette is promised to someone her parents approve of, Paris. True no one is a vampire or a werewolf, but this classic love story ends with both young lovers committing suicide. I can only imagine how mortified the parents of that era were.

How about Wuthering Heights? This is also a love triangle, in which the protagonist marries for money and not for true love. What message does that send to the females of any generation?

Then we have The Great Gatsby. With much the same theme as the preceding two literary classics, young lovers, love triangles, societal issues, choices to be made, and finally reminiscing and regret.

It is a tried, tested, and quite successful recipe for a love story. Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight Series are not so different they just have a new twist, vampires and werewolves. I say to Stephanie, “Bravo, well done.”

I have read statements that Stephanie Meyer’s books are “poorly written.” I’m afraid I must disagree; they are “simply” written, but far from poorly written. If they were poorly written, they most certainly would not be on the best sellers list.

As far as the criticisms of becoming ridiculously rich off of her books, well I would think, that is every writer’s dream. I once read this statement in a prestigious literary magazine: “If you want to get rich, find another line of work.” Stephanie has hit the jackpot, and I applaud her.

Let us go back to the Twilight Series. What if we took the vampire and werewolf element out of the story?

Bella Swan comes to live with her estranged father in a small, dreary town. She enrolls in the local high school where she endures the stares and questions inflicted on “the new kid.” She sees the attractive son of a local rich doctor; she is smitten but knows he is way out of her league. She runs into an old “friend of the family” who is a Native American and lives on a reservation. He is likeable, pleasant, and fun, but he is younger than she is and considered an outsider in regular society circles.

Edward notices the plain and unpretentious Bella Swan and is interested, for some reason, so they date and he falls in love with her despite her low self esteem and clumsiness. Soon Edward’s father gets a job offer in another town, and the two become separated.

Bella has fallen deeply in love with Edward and is devastated when he and his family move to another town. She becomes sullen, depressed and withdraws from everyone and everything. Jacob, the Native American friend of the family, comes on the scene. He has a way of making her feel better about herself and becomes a distraction from her broken heart.

Jacob, however, has fallen helplessly in love with Bella. Though he does everything he can, to make up for the loss of Edward, she lets him know that she can only love him as a brother; or can she? When it seems that she will never see or hear from Edward again, she attempts to return her, once unrequited, love for Jacob.

At that moment, she gets word that Edward has suffered some catastrophe, and she alone must go to him. Though Jacob pleads for her to stay, she leaves to find and rescue Edward. Bella and Edward are reunited, and his family moves back to the small, simple town of Forks. A feud begins between Jacob and Edward. Both love her, and she loves them, one like a brother, the other she desires to spend the rest of her life with and never leave his side.

A Struggle ensues between them both to try and win her love, but Bella has already made her choice. . . . Add many other possible scenarios and endings.

It seems that this might be the story, but would it make it any better? I do not think so. Stephanie Meyer’s put a twist in this story that has grabbed an audience of tween-agers, their mothers and grandmothers.

True, Edward is the perfect and illusive man that every woman wants, desires and dreams of. He is beautiful, he is strong, and he is caring to the point of death for Bella. That is what every little girl wants, from as far back as time began. She wants a man who loves her unreservedly and unconditionally, who is as beautiful as a Greek god, who is strong and will protect her at all costs.

Bella is every girl. We all think we are plain and awkward, that no one as wonderful as Edward could possibly love us. We’ve all fallen in love with the unattainable “gorgeous hero” either in the movies or the halls of the local high school or shopping mall. Because we are of the female persuasion, we always will. Why? Because we are romantics at heart, it may not be an Edward, a Heathcliff, or even a Romeo, but there will be some other character with whom young girls will fall in love. They will dream of being his one and only true love.

Hey, girls will have to face the real and bitter world soon enough. Why not let them enjoy the fantasy man for as long as they can? As far as the Twi-moms and Twi-grannies are concerned, a little fantasy never hurt anyone. It’s nice to feel your heart beat wildly in your chest, and your breath catch again as it did when you were first in love.

 I believe we may experience a new baby boom and perhaps history will call these children the Twi-boomers.