Twilight series: Good literature?

[Ashika]

I would just like to say that is was probably the most awful book I've ever read in my life... even worse than Madame Bovary which was so brutal that I didn't get past the first 10 pages... but at least the plot was interesting.

Twilight was so much torture that I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. Which is sad because it's such an easy mindless read. I'm pretty sure my IQ lowered so much while reading that book.

[powa2]

I would just like to say that is was probably the most awful book I've ever read in my life... even worse than Madame Bovary which was so brutal that I didn't get past the first 10 pages... but at least the plot was interesting.

Twilight was so much torture that I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. Which is sad because it's such an easy mindless read. I'm pretty sure my IQ lowered so much while reading that book.

I'm sure it's not that bad The story is very engaging, especially for the females out there lol.

Anyways I think the Twilight series is quite like fast food, you know it's not good for ya but it's so tasty.

[Ashika]

I would just like to say that is was probably the most awful book I've ever read in my life... even worse than Madame Bovary which was so brutal that I didn't get past the first 10 pages... but at least the plot was interesting.

Twilight was so much torture that I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. Which is sad because it's such an easy mindless read. I'm pretty sure my IQ lowered so much while reading that book.

I'm sure it's not that bad The story is very engaging, especially for the females out there lol.

Anyways I think the Twilight series is quite like fast food, you know it's not good for ya but it's so tasty.

It actually was THAT bad. I can devour chick-lit in like an hour and enjoy how cheesy and mindless it is (I actually LOVE books like that... good escape from any heavy reading I do during the semester)... but this was just written bad.

[sarainthesky__]

Ew.

Twilight.

Please, no.

Everywhere I go it's Twilight this!

and Twilight that!

and Oh EDWARD CULLEN.

No.

The writing was senseless. This so called author can not WRITE! She drags the story too long, and puts in mindless chatter.

I came to realization when I read the fourth book, and thought back to the others. I don't know why I was so pulled in by it, lol.

[Ruan Chun Xian]

I would just like to say that is was probably the most awful book I've ever read in my life... even worse than Madame Bovary which was so brutal that I didn't get past the first 10 pages... but at least the plot was interesting.

Twilight was so much torture that I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. Which is sad because it's such an easy mindless read. I'm pretty sure my IQ lowered so much while reading that book.

I'm sure it's not that bad The story is very engaging, especially for the females out there lol.

Anyways I think the Twilight series is quite like fast food, you know it's not good for ya but it's so tasty.

It's bad. It's like...there's no analogy for it. It's tastes bad and you know it sucks but you get through it because you want to know what the fuss is about. For me at least.

I was at the bookshop yesterday and there was this sign: If you're looking for Stephenie Meyer books, please ask at the counter. We don't stock them on shelves anymore due to their popularity with theives.

Why the heck would you steal them? ;p Or maybe they're that bad that you just have to resort to stealing...not worth the money.

[Ruan Chun Xian]

Why Modern Vampires, Well, Suck

July 1st, 2009 2:19pm EDT

Twilight: New MoonLet's blame Anne Rice. She started it, this whole vampire craze. We used to be fans, but enough is enough. Sure, vampires have been popular fodder for ages, but once you slap a pair of fangs on Brad Pitt, you can kiss the scary bit goodbye.

There used to be standards, you know. There used to be rules. No sun, no garlic, a stake to the heart and kaput. Burnings were good, as were decapitations, and you were safe so long as God was your co-pilot. Vampires were evil, blood-sucking fiends from places like Romania. They owned castles and could turn into bats. They lived in shadows. They had style, but not necessarily sex appeal.

Nowadays all we've got are a bunch of castrated Hells Angels who mope around and whine about being monsters - and they're everywhere. They don't drink from humans or practice polygamy, they can take long walks in the park under the sun, chow down on pesto pasta, and attend Mass on Sundays. Why not just make up a new name for these sparkling vegetarians because they sure as hell aren't vampires. If you want to ignore the rules so that your undead hero can get into your heroine's pants, fine. Just please stop pretending that these guys are any more dangerous or alluring than a biker in a leather jacket.

They have feelings. They fall in love. And, like penguins, they frequently mate for life, though they don't seem to be keen on sharing their immortality with their true loves, resigning themselves to centuries of celibacy and emo rock after their human lovers wither and die. Modern vampires seem big into self-flagellation.

We get it. Vampires are the ultimate bad boys, the ones every girl in her heart of hearts wants to tame. Fine. Then they should really be bad. None of this, "I want your blood, but I respect you too much to drink it." They should be trying to sink their teeth into young virgins left and right, until you're forced to smack them across the nose with a newspaper like a misbehaving puppy. Modern vampires are always trying to control their "primal instincts," but why? They're not supposed to care what other people think of them, they're vampires.

They don't even make effective bodyguards because they're too busy worrying about their damsels in distress, who are inevitably being tortured by the "bad" modern vampires. Despite having centuries of life experiences and chances to adopt hobbies, these vampires are rather...boring. It's all about the sex, clearly. That's why vampires are everywhere now, because they're sexy. One fat, bald vampire would take the wind right out of Hollywood's sails, wouldn't it?

It's not hard to see where the vampire myth and sex became inextricably intertwined; the symbolism of puncturing a woman's jugular and sucking out her life force isn't lost on us, but that strong embrace and those color-changing eyes also come with possessiveness, mad jealousy, and a side of stalking, which are not particularly attractive qualities.

If we're going to keep going with this "vampires are dead sexy and secretly cuddly little puppies" motif, we could at least try a new spin: a female vampire in love with a human male. He wants to watch football, she wants to bathe in the blood of virgins - they're the ultimate odd couple!

Either let the vampire thing rest in peace, Hollywood, or give us one that hasn't been neutered.

-----------

Aye...couldn't have said it better....

[Tilia]

I would just like to say that is was probably the most awful book I've ever read in my life... even worse than Madame Bovary which was so brutal that I didn't get past the first 10 pages... but at least the plot was interesting.

Twilight was so much torture that I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. Which is sad because it's such an easy mindless read. I'm pretty sure my IQ lowered so much while reading that book.

I'm sure it's not that bad The story is very engaging, especially for the females out there lol.

Anyways I think the Twilight series is quite like fast food, you know it's not good for ya but it's so tasty.

That was pretty hilarious Even though you could probably spend several ToK classes discussing if literature can be bad for you

[rrswong]

I think the stories are addictive in a sense.. I wanted to read the next book when I was into it, but now looking back at it, I realise that the books themselves are really not that good.. lol.

[The Economist]

As a piece of literature, twilight series are really bad.

But as it has already been mentioned above, the story is really good and fascinating

[Taigan]

I've never really given it a go, actually. I only just started twilight and read about the first twenty pages, but it just didn't pull me in. I don't know, maybe it's just not my type of book?

Also, there are other books that I've read where the style of writing is pretty mediocre, but I stick to it because of the story. The Lightning Thief was one of those (Percy Jackson books) but even while I was reading it, I felt guilty because of it's simplicity...

[gublah]

I tend to agree with the bulk of you. Twilight is a fun read (candy for the brain), but it is too formulaic to be considered good. If you've read one of the books, you've read them all.

[1-2-3]

It wasn't an unbearable read although it was annoyingly superficial. Bella got on my nerve now and then "oh my god he is gorgeous... who cares about my education? i want to be a vampire. he is so beautiful" etc etc etc.

[aya91]

It wasn't an unbearable read although it was annoyingly superficial. Bella got on my nerve now and then "oh my god he is gorgeous... who cares about my education? i want to be a vampire. he is so beautiful" etc etc etc.

Tee-hee I agree with you on that. While I was reading them (they're strangely compelling, I couldn't stop even though I hated them ) I kept thinking "my god Bella is the worst protagonist I have EVER had the misfortune to encounter...." and such. When Jacob came in it was a bit better, but Bella kept being an annoying pain and then she went back to Edward anyway... Seriously.

What I don't see is how they have become so popular - Bella is annoying and pretty pathetic (I assumed that she would be awesome once she became a vampire but by then she was just vain), Edward is a possessive piece of self-hating vamp, and all the other characters are... Well they're just props. Two dimensional props... Actually now I think about it so are Edward and Bella - they only have one driving force: their love for (or rather, obsession with) one another. And they don't care about anyone else - like the part in Italy, when around 20-30 people get murdered and Edward's like "oh, it's okay, as long as we're together..."

Sorry, I really dislike the author, and the plot as a whole. Actually no, I don't dislike the author and the plot, it's more that I dislike the fact that it's been called "the new Harry Potter" or "a beautifully written ... beautifully crafted... a literary masterpiece... one for the ages..." or something along that line.

[Ruan Chun Xian]

I think the problem with Twilight is not the "Oh my god true love that can break all boundaries" story but the blatant "fact" that Edward is supposedly "perfect" but then he's paired with such an obviously imperfect (if not to say, boring) girl that has nothing to interest the reader whatsoever. So all you have is Edward in his perfection that frankly gets annoying after a while, and Bella who is annoying all the time.

[Austin Glau]

Taigan:

there are other books that I've read where the style of writing is pretty mediocre, but I stick to it because of the story. The Lightning Thief was one of those (Percy Jackson books) but even while I was reading it, I felt guilty because of it's simplicity.

I totally agree with you. The books that are so interesting to me are usually the easy read and simple books with a great story. I never actual read Twilight or any of the series. I don't think any book could be as bad as it is described here, but I don't really have a say here.

[CelestialCeres]

Ruan Chun Xian - Love your analytical commentaries on the series. I agree with you whole-heartedly.

I really don't think there is anymore to say about Twilight negatively since most of you guys mentioned it.

I just didn't like Twilight from the start. After reading the first book, I thought: How could this possibly be so popular when there are way better novels out there?

I'm a book fanatic. I can say that I have a library of books that I've bought just for my entertainment with some books for IB and school.

I agree with the over-used description of Edward and his beauty, Bella's inability to be independent, and Stephanie Meyer's overall amateur writing skills. I just wonder what makes this book so popular. It was popular way before the movie was even announced...the huge wave of fans of the series is what got the movie started. Maybe it's the Edward thing, but seriously, there are characters like Edward in so many other books, some that I own and they are actually well-developed.

Mind you, I haven't read the last book yet, Breaking Dawn and I don't know if I should....

[AtouchofSoul]

I read all of the books, voluntarily, and they're not the best or worst books I've read. The vocabulary's fine and all, it's just that I feel she's writing down every thought that goes through Bella's mind. I mean, as far as narration goes, it gets to be pretty ridiculous. The reader isn't challenged at all, and we're left with no doubts about anything, because every single blink, smile, and crease is documented. The books are long but actual plot content is minimal. I don't regret reading them though.

[Austin Glau]

I find it interesting how Meyer came up with the idea of a story from one of her dreams or something. I think Twilight is really overrated, but it is what it is, and I think some portions of the book deserve to be credited. Its also pretty cool how in the movie the Edward and Bella characters actually love each other in real life, it is supposed to add to the realistic sense (but really, how are vampires realistic?)

[Yiruna]

Oh god, Twilight, it was decent until Edward came back at the end of New mOOn. ANd even then, it was unbearable. Did you guys even notice how many tmes Meyer had to go into a frenzy and emphasise Edwards 'perfectness'? ie "His full lips", that line irked me the whole time i read the book cause she just kept repeating the damn line that made me want to throw the book at the wall. And then Breaking Dawn was a pathetic piece of trash, isn't it a fact that you don't get everything you want in life? Isn't that the whole point of IB? And then Bella has a child who is completely irrelevant and is gifted as well, with her emo husband and her freaky family. Oh and the fact that Jacob also 'happens' to imprint on her daughter and now they're all one big happy family.

I do also completely agree with the 'modern vampires' thing. Read House of Night, you'll get what I mean.

[Aether]

Yey! I'm so glad people keep commenting this topic.. I posted it so long ago, I'm not even in IB anymore! However, I will just like to add one final comment about it... the more popular Twilight becomes, the more I seem to dislike it. First it was nice because few people knew about it compared to now.. but now, it seems like the media took this vampire topic to a whole new level of annoyment. Ok, back to physiology...