Twilight Revisited
In case anyone's still interested, I thought I'd post my opinion on the Twilight series. Although I enjoyed reading the books, I think that Bella Swan is whiny, passive, selfish, and boring.
Discuss.
posted by Violette @ 22:48
6 comments
6 Comments:
I am midway through The Sweet Far Thing. Once I finish that, I plan to dive into Twilight, so give me a couple of weeks...
*sigh*
I wish I could read faster, but kids and jobs limit my time!
Sorry. I haven't been on for a while. Actually been discussing the "Twilight" series elsewhere.
I, too, feel that Bella is as you describe; not so much in the first two books, but by the third, I'm ready to shake some sense into her. I'm still not entirely convinced that she's got a character arc: she doesn't demonstrate any evolution of character.
I'm in love with Edward, but a friend recently pointed out that, while she is enjoying the books, she really didn't like Edward. He was bossy, manipulative, and controlling. I'm now reassessing why I like Edward. Edward, on the hand opposite Bella, I believe, has a character arc.
Both characters have potential, but, in some aspects, I believe that the writing isn't doing them justice. There could be so much more subtext and symbolism.
I love the books in the beginning, I still do. After much contemplation and a bit of analysis, I'm now seeing their limitations.
Y
Yes, ypk. That's exactly how it was for me. I read the first book and really liked it, and then I ripped through the next two, and after I was done and I had a chance to actually think about it, I was like "You know, I really don't like Bella." And Edward too, now that you mention it. But, as you say, I'm hoping that there will be some sort of character evolution, and I'm saving my final judgement for after I read Breaking Dawn. But seriously, it makes you wonder, what on earth does Edward see in Bella? He, at least, is incredibly hot. But Bella keeps insisting she's not that pretty and she's got a personality like a wet blanket. Seriously, where's the attraction?
In the beginning (ha!- nothing like a good ol' allusion to the apple cover...), I thought Bella was full of fire. Edward was very confident. They liked to argue; this helped create their sexual tension. Bella's fire, however, got to be a bit too stubborn and brittle so that, by book 3, she was doing things just for the sake of doing them. She turned into a manipulative bitch who had very little thought for the feelings of others. In short, she became a whiny, egotistical adolescent. Hadn't she learned anything from Edward??
Edward, however, I found was evolving. He showed that he was willing to sacrifice his own feelings and desires to make Bella happy. Even this sacrifice evolves from wanting being around her in Bk I to acquiesing to Bella's attraction to Jacob in Bk III. Yes, he is manipulative; he's had a 100 yrs of watching people.
I still think they like to fight. If there was no conflict in their lives, they wouldn't be together. However, because of their natures (vampire vs. human), there will always be conflict. The question, then, will be, will they stay together after Bella turns??
I've only read book one. It did keep me turning pages, but neither character greatly appealed to me. It felt a little like a poor man's version of Buffy and Angel. And I agree with the assessment of Bella being whiny - though she did have her moments. I often wondered why Edward bothered. The 'I can't read your thoughts' thing would have its appeal to him, I can see, but she seemed more idiotic than mysterious a lot of the time. And based on pre-reading comments made by others who had read the book, I kind of expected more of Edward. So, he didn't seem blindingly fabulous to me.
In general, the tension between Bella and Edward kept me turning pages, but I kept waiting for something to happen. I am not a big reader of romance; I usually need something a little more plot driven. So, sometimes the interaction between them didn't seem like enough - I was looking for more complications and plot twists and they didn't come until the last few chapters.
Anyway, I am going to continue with the series and reserve judgment until the story arc is completed. It hooked me enough to keep going and see what happens later on, but I hope book 2 has a bit more plot now that the characters have been introduced and explored. Otherwise I might pack it in and say it's not my thing.
Also, I've read tons of fan sites that talk about the Twilight series as the new Harry Potter. Um, really? I actually think Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series fits that bill much better. It's amazing.
Oh, and as a final positive note, I do think it will make a good movie. The first half of the book can easily be condensed, and I think it will turn out pretty well. I'm looking forward to seeing it next November.
Yay Ash! I totally agree. It will make a fabulous movie. But, they are certainly NOT the next Harry Potter. And I gotta say, I thought Twilight was the best book so far. I do enjoy some good romantic tension, and Bella's whiny, weak, and selfish personality did not become apparent to me until after the second and third books. (I admit, I read them pretty fast though, so it took a while for my brain to catch up with me.) And I think there's a little more plot throughout the third book, but in the second book, the first half is pretty much one long non-stop Bella pity party. So, I'm not sure if you're going to like it any better. But try it. I too am reserving final judgement until Breaking Dawn comes out. But I totally know what you mean. I can see why Edward is initially attracted to her... he can't read her mind, she's a mystery to him. But why he stays with her I have no idea. They keep talking about how desperately in love they are, and I just can't buy it.
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