Book Talk: Hating on Twilight

In the last few years, it has become very popular to make fun of Twilight. These criticisms usually come with the rationalization that the Twilight books and movies deserve the hate because they have problematic issues (romanticizing an emotionally abusive relationship, depicting the nonwhite characters as animalistic alongside depictions of white people acting civilized, etc.). However, I've heard of many cases where people use these reasons to rationalize making personal attacks against the author and fans.

Whether or not you liked Twilight, you have to admit that it is a household name in young adult literature. Though I never finished the series, I did read and love Twilight, and I have watched the movie twice in theaters and several times on DVD*. Though I never considered myself being a diehard Twilight fan, I am a diehard fan of young adult literature. My paperback copies of the Hunger Games and City of Bones, two YA books series that became giants of their own, have recommendations from Stephanie Meyer printed on the covers. Stephanie Meyer is hugely responsible for the current popularity and breadth of YA literature, and yet the treatment towards her basically forced her out of her career as a book author. I can't help but find that incredibly unjust and sad.

I won't deny that the Twilight series has its problems, but there is a huge difference between finding fault with something you personally didn't enjoy, and bashing everyone who has ever dared to like that thing.  Furthermore, this is a book series that resonates with a lot of people, and I think it would be far more useful to examine the society which perpetuates the idea that controlling boyfriends are not only normal, but desirable, rather than to tell the fans they are stupid for liking the things society has trained them to want**.

Part of becoming an adult, for me at least, has been discovering that there are problematic issues with a lot of things I love, and I've found that it is much healthier for me to acknowledge the problems that exist while also pointing out the things that were done right, rather than disowning everything I've ever liked. If you are interested in checking out a way I think this is done successfully, I recommend checking out Ana Mardoll's Deconstruction of Twilight posts on her blog.

Well, that's enough preaching from me for one night. Thanks for listening to me rant!

Happy reading,

Katie 

*That movie is comedy gold and no one will convince me otherwise.
**For those of you that don't believe me that this is an issue larger than Twilight, watch Brenna Twohy's slam poem entitled "Fantastic Breasts and Where to Find Them. If you scared off by the title, all you need to know is the quote hidden under the cut.


"The first time a man I loved held me by the wrists and called me a whore I did not think 'run'. I thought 'this is just like the movies'". ~ Brenna Twohy, Fantastic Breasts and Where to Find Them.