Abusing the Writer

Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight series
and The Host.

With the release of another moved based on one of Stephenie Meyer's novels coming out this Friday, it's time we have a little chat about quality of literature.

I openly admit that I read Twilight no less than six times.  The first time I read the novel was in 2005 when I was thirteen.  Though I enjoyed it, I forgot about it for a while until the sequel, New Moon, came out.  Eclipse came after that.

I got relatively wrapped up in the hype and decided to attend the Midnight Release Party for Breaking Dawn at a local Barnes and Noble.  Although I was excited for the event, I felt embarrassed that I was going.  Many people I spoke with at that point thought the Twilight series was trash.

I knew then, and know now, too, that this is true.

But is there really anything wrong with reading trash literature?

Pick up a romance novel, an adventure series, a number of books -- chances are they are not great masterpieces.

Here are some of the complaints I've heard regarding the Twilight series:

1. Bella is a weak character and a bad role model.
2. The plot is predictable.
3. Edward and Bella's relationship is abusive.
4. The writing style is immature.

Like I said, these are only a few of the grievances.  Every one of them is valid, too.  Bella is indeed a weak character.  She is designed in a way that allows readers to project themselves into her character.  They can live the romance which Meyer writes.

The predictability of the plot, too is an issue -- but the target audience for the novel is teenagers (and typically on the younger side).  Teens who read novels for pleasure probably are not looking for something that keeps them guessing.  They are probably not even going into this book with a critical frame of mind (critical in the sense of predicting events of the novel, analyzing characters, etc. -- not criticizing).  The predictability of the plot is therefore irrelevant.

Edward and Bella's relationship is indeed, in many ways, an abusive one.  However, there are two things that come to mind when people argue this as one of the reasons teens should not read Twilight.  First -- this is a novel.  Most teens who read this novel are aware that it is fiction.  If they are really taking this novel that seriously, then perhaps they have bigger issues that should be looked at.  Second -- I'm not convinced the abusiveness of the relationship goes unpunished.  Bella experiences hallucinations in New Moon because of her dependence on Edward (which is arguably caused by his overwhelming presence/abusive presence in her life).  Her life is almost constantly in danger.  She is injured several times as a result of choosing to be with Edward.  Her friends question her choices regarding Edward.  There are multiple examples throughout that suggest that readers of the novel should not attempt to replicate Bella's relationship with Edward.

While writing style is an important piece of a novel, I don't think it should determine the "greatness" of it alone.  Yes, Meyer's writing style tends to be simple and she uses phrases over and over again with little variation in vocabulary, and even relies on cliches.  But again -- this novel is for young adults.  They read literature with higher diction for school.  Why can't they read something a little less sophisticated in its The Da Vinci Code (probably the first novel I read for pleasure intended for "adults"), I was shocked by how simplistic the writing style was, especially given its popularity and lack of the kind of criticism Meyer encountered.

This is not the correct way to respond to a novel
you dislike or address the people who read the novel.

language for pleasure?  When I read

Twilight is, from what I understand, Meyer's first attempt at writing a book.  While there are certainly flaws in it, I don't think it's the worst book ever.  Even if it were -- if some people like it, who are we to criticize them or make them feel embarrassed for it? Plus, the book was not written to be a literary masterpiece (all right -- I don't know if Meyer actually said that, but I think it's pretty safe to assume she was not setting out to rewrite A Tale of Two Cities or Pride and Prejudice [despite her many references to Shakespearean, Bronte and Austen works]), it was written to be enjoyed.

That said, The Host, based on Meyer's novel of the same title, is coming out this Friday.  I read the Host when it came out and was actually rather impressed with it.  Some of the concepts are relatively philosophical and the story asks a lot of important questions.  Regardless of your feelings on Meyer, I hope that you give the Host a read, especially if you plan on seeing the film.  And when you're reading it, or the next time you go to criticize Meyer's fans or her writing, remember that writing does not necessarily have to be great to be enjoyable.

Watch the trailer for The Host here.

Stephenie Meyer image courtesy of Pop Watch.
Twilight Sucks image courtesy of Fan Pop.