“Twilight” gets everyone talking
I had some reading time this afternoon in Starbucks. I grabbed a hot chocolate, a tuna sandwich (the pairing works better than you think) and an empty chair, and pulled out “Twilight,” to continue figuring out what I don’t like about it.
I don’t remember exactly what one of the women sharing the table said. said, something like “Hey, do you like that book, are you excited about the movie?” And I had to admit- no… I’ve just started the book, and I don’t like it very much. The characters make me mad in all kinds of ways. We introduced ourselves. Jasmine and her friend Cynthia hadn’t read “Twilight” but they had seen the huge, Beatlemania-esque crowds lining up to play fangirl for the actor playing Edward.
Cynthia and Jasmine wanted to know about the book, and the hype behind it.
I had far too much fun looking for passages, reading them aloud in a mocking tone of voice, and making Jasmine and Cynthia laugh. Taken out of context, Bella’s fixation on Edward is a strange and immediate obsession, worthy of a Harlequin romance.
I realize I got something wrong in the conversation. I said Bella was fifteen and she should probably know better than to start something with Edward, who is all brooding glances and warning Bella away from him. She’s seventeen. And should definitely know better. The fact that I underestimated her age is telling to me, about how unconvincingly the character’s maturity is written. Or maybe how long it’s been since I could identify with an actual teenager. Smugly, I tell myself that every teenage girl I can think of would have known better, would have told Edward off and gone on to date someone much less brooding and more normal. But I’m not sure that’s true, even if I can’t fathom the alternative.
This post got long. It was mostly intended as a shout-out to Cynthia and Jasmine, because I promised. And it was an excellent conversation.
Edward comes off to the girls as some sort of Prince Charming (I guess with fangs). I keep telling my daughter that teenage boys should not be held to the same romantic standard as a 700 year old vampire written from the point of view of a woman, as if teenage boys don’t have enough issues!
Oh Elizabeth! How I adore your post as I reminisce about that fateful friday in SBUX. That day when you. Read. To. Us.
The next day I was out and about with my BF (oddly enough he broods, too)and he wanted to have an impromptu movie date.
[PAUSE: As I write Joel McHale mocks the ridiculousness that is Twilight-mania on Talk Soup/The Soup/ whatev]
So I ask what he wants to see and (GASP!) it’s Twilight. In short, I was rather amused by the audience’s reaction to the even-more-ridiculous film adaptation of the book. The film was so unintentionally funny that I’d recommend you see it.
Thank you for being the first to bypass the bandwagon, it appears you’re not alone. Until next friday…
Word. I’ve read the entire series, but mostly because they were really quick reads and my BFF and I enjoy mocking the books together. I actually went to the movie this past weekend and was not terribly disappointed. Mainly because I knew going in that it was going to be horrible.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I am very excited about the new Star Trek movie – I have high hopes for Simon Pegg, although he didn’t show up in the trailer! And I love tuna sandwiches and hot chocolate. Not together, but that is a combination I’ll have to try now.