I know.
*groan*
More air-time given to possibly the world's most over-hyped teen paranormal romance saga.
But hear me out. I was giving the Twilight series some serious thought last night as I put away the dishes. I will begin by saying I have read all four books, so I can speak with some authority. I have also spent my fair share of time in this life unapologetically bashing them. I mean really ripping them to shreds. I'm not going to go into all the reasons why I think it is poor literature. They don't matter. They have been hashed and re-hashed, and there is no more hashing to be had.
But what bewildered me last night, as I sat pondering (unaccountably) on Twilight, was how much it spoke to certain people. The fact is, there are people who genuinely love Twilight! The question I should have thought at that point was, "Why?" But I didn't. My first thought was, "It's because they have no taste in literature--or life in general." I had noticed that the same kind of girl, no matter the age, goes gaga over Bella and Edward, and--up until last night--had written them all off as people I could never relate to on a truly meaningful level. These seemed to be girls who had almost never voluntarily picked up a book in their lives, seemed to have limited worldviews on just about every issue, and--given the chance--would probably ask me why on earth anyone would ever want to become a librarian?
Then my hypocrisy-dar (that's like radar...anyway...you get the picture) went off as it usually does when I'm being totally disingenuous.
-Fact: I kind of enjoyed at least two out of four books in the Twilight series. Unfortunately, the last one sucked so bad it sucked anything that could have been considered decent out of the other three. (Except New Moon. New Moon is a province of suckage all it's own.)
-Fact: I know, and love, several people who genuinely enjoyed Twilight. And yeah, I can relate to them on a meaningful level.
-Fact: Not all of my tastes have always been so "exalted." I loved Goosebumps; I read Animorphs; I love The Game of Thrones... I enjoy popular fiction! I do! It's usually popular for a reason! And if you're going to be any kind of a good librarian, you have to know what people like to read. You can't just read essays all day long and expect to be in touch.
-Fact: You can't make generalizations about entire groups of people (especially a group as large as ardent followers of Twilight) and come off as anything other than a huge a**-hole.
Furthermore, if you think about it, it's actually kind sexist to deride a work of popular fiction simply because it has mass appeal to women. Oh. So, because it speaks to issues that resonate with women, it's automatically inferior? It's like people who bag on Sarah Palin for being an attractive woman.* I can't buy into any of that with a clear conscience.
So anyway...once again, I've devoted way too much time to something that deserves pretty much NONE of my time. But I guess the point I'm trying to wend my way toward is that if you're gonna hate Twilight, hate it for the right reasons. I care about the story about as much as I care for chopped liver. But I have seen the light in terms of judging those who truly enjoy it. And now, instead of arrogantly saying, "I know why they like it," I'll just humbly and genuinely wonder, "why?" And I'm sure each lover of Twilight has their own unique reason.
*I dislike Sarah Palin as much as the next educated person. But I try not to criticize her for being woman.
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5 comments:
Interesting analysis, Pear. I, too have often judged people for reading (and liking) Twilight. However, I should realize that I equally enjoy things that are just as stupid. It's an interesting thought to wonder why the heck they would enjoy those awful books, though.
I'll dito your "I like the story just about as much as I like chopped liver". And thank you for the post. I have not read any of the twilight books and like you I know many people who love them. I do like some popular fiction but there are those I would rather not read. I too read Goosebumps, and liked Nancy Drew though that's not my age group. What worries me is the women who leave their husbands to go looking for that kind of freakish romance I guess you might say, and a guy who's like Edward.
i just say, i read the books as well (with much reservation) and enjoyed them. yes, the ending was poor, but they were entertaining so i feel as though they accomplished that much. will i see the final films, nah. but i totally agree that a broad generalization that twilight followers are mindless girls is harsh.
That's so funny. I have also spent much time and energy privately, if not publicly berating these books, and I also read all four. But if my dim memory serves, I liked the 4th one better than the others--way less plausible, of course, but somehow mildly satisfying--maybe like cough syrup or pepto bismal. I did read a blog the other day of a girl who on one of her Thanksgiving posts declared she was grateful for Twilight because it turned her into a reader, which brings up the whole debate of whether any book that creates a reader can inherently be bad, and suggests that reader response and context are more telling than objectively judging a book. I myself am grateful for many things--neither of which are Twilight, or Sarah Palin for that matter.
I stand on the outside as an observer - generally avoiding the craze until it has simmered long enough for me to be curious of my own cause (did the same thing with Harry Potter, not having read the series until the whole thing done). Twilight is no less fad-y than BoyzIIMen or Titanic. I found the music enjoyable in both cases. Do I still have a copy in my entertainment library? No.
I think there has to be enough of a good idea involved in Twilight that it is enjoyable. Just as I think Sarah Palin is a better politician than people give her credit for and she did exactly what the Republican party needed- got a fad following (whether positive or negative is up to you).
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