I haven’t felt this betrayed by a story line since Neo learned that not only was he not the first person to challenge the Matrix, but he was part of the plan all along. Even though I was sorely disappointed in what appeared to be a cop-out story line, I can understand the logic in that disappointing plot twist.
I can’t say the same for Stephenie Meyer’s conclusion to her wildly popular “Twilight” series. Look, I’ve read each of the first three books at least twice, and my grad school entrance paper was a character analysis of Edward Cullen. I loved these books. I read “New Moon” and “Eclipse” in a single day. I’ve been discussing the plot lines and characters with my students for the last two years.
It was a long wait for this final book. And a huge part of me wishes I was still waiting. It was that much of a letdown.
I’m still debating just how to tiptoe through my inevitable conversations with students about this part of the “Twilight” saga. My students were embarrassed enough by the racy parts of “Eclipse”, and they will blush for sure through “Breaking Dawn”. It’s filled with so many adult themes, vivid scenes, and innuendos that I am neither comfortable discussing with my teenage students in the classroom nor recommending to teens. I can deal with that though—good literature should make you think.
However, I cannot reconcile what seemed to be such major changes in the characters’ behaviors and illogical consequences to their actions. For the record, I find the narrator, Bella Swan, to be perhaps the most self-centered and annoying creature to ever grace the pages of a book. (I think I prefer Ignatius Reilly’s arrogance—at least Ignatius came across as sincere.) I’m rather insulted by the fairy-tale like quality of this book, even though it’s about vampires and werewolves living among humans. It’s now also about these creatures mating with humans, and that (in my mind) took it out of the realm of children’s fantasy and moved it into a more mature genre in which a more realistic world should appear.
I am so sorely disappointed in the ending of the Twilight series that I’m not sure I can go see the movie when it comes out. I may just have to wait until I can rent it from Redbox—only if I can use the code for a free rental. Rest assured, though, that I still admire Stephenie Meyer’s ability to create great character-driven books. My ultimate assessment of any literature is that I either love it or hate it. Any less emotion means the author didn’t do their job and captivate my mind. In that sense, this post is a great compliment to the writer.
I can’t say the same for Stephenie Meyer’s conclusion to her wildly popular “Twilight” series. Look, I’ve read each of the first three books at least twice, and my grad school entrance paper was a character analysis of Edward Cullen. I loved these books. I read “New Moon” and “Eclipse” in a single day. I’ve been discussing the plot lines and characters with my students for the last two years.
It was a long wait for this final book. And a huge part of me wishes I was still waiting. It was that much of a letdown.
I’m still debating just how to tiptoe through my inevitable conversations with students about this part of the “Twilight” saga. My students were embarrassed enough by the racy parts of “Eclipse”, and they will blush for sure through “Breaking Dawn”. It’s filled with so many adult themes, vivid scenes, and innuendos that I am neither comfortable discussing with my teenage students in the classroom nor recommending to teens. I can deal with that though—good literature should make you think.
However, I cannot reconcile what seemed to be such major changes in the characters’ behaviors and illogical consequences to their actions. For the record, I find the narrator, Bella Swan, to be perhaps the most self-centered and annoying creature to ever grace the pages of a book. (I think I prefer Ignatius Reilly’s arrogance—at least Ignatius came across as sincere.) I’m rather insulted by the fairy-tale like quality of this book, even though it’s about vampires and werewolves living among humans. It’s now also about these creatures mating with humans, and that (in my mind) took it out of the realm of children’s fantasy and moved it into a more mature genre in which a more realistic world should appear.
I am so sorely disappointed in the ending of the Twilight series that I’m not sure I can go see the movie when it comes out. I may just have to wait until I can rent it from Redbox—only if I can use the code for a free rental. Rest assured, though, that I still admire Stephenie Meyer’s ability to create great character-driven books. My ultimate assessment of any literature is that I either love it or hate it. Any less emotion means the author didn’t do their job and captivate my mind. In that sense, this post is a great compliment to the writer.
Comments
For the record, I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt massively cheated by the Matrix sequels :) Everyone I know left the theatre (especially with the last one) saying "Aww! That was Awesome!" But I just felt angry.