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So last night I finally finished the massive 700+ page new book from one of my favourite writers Paullina Simons called A Song in the Daylight. To be honest, I was slightly dissappointed with this effort from her. Certainly not up to the Tully standard that made me a follower of her work. This time around I found it all too heavy. The main character has a significant 'itch' which is never really explained unlike Tully who is highly complex for good reason (no spoiler alerts). Anyway that is not the issue at hand here.
The real issue is that I told no more than three of my friends (all female and including my sister in law) that once I had finished this book, I would take up what I call the Twilenge. In short, I've been a constant cynic towards the entire Twilight series including the movies. Before the series took off in the global western imagination of every girl/woman inspired by pasty white men who glitter in the light, I read around 20 pages of Twilight (the first one) and put it down with the thought, nice for young women...perhaps. But since then I do not need to tell you its become an international best seller. I took the 'anti-twilight' label on happily. But how did I do it? Apart from reading those initial pages, I also saw the movie on the flight home from London in May (Ok so I had exhausted all the movies on the play list and was still 6 hours away...I had a choice, Free Willy or Twilight.....it was a tough choice). Needless to say I wasn't impressed. In fact, I think I may have fallen asleep - but waited impatiently for the death of the 'bad' vampire at the end. But that was a non-event.
Ok so I've heard so many people protesting my disdain for Twilight for various reasons. Let me list them for you quickly:
(1) You're just jealous of Edward - Oh yeah...cursed brown skin! (jokes...nothing racist there ok?)
(2) You're just jealous of Stephanie Meyer - yes damn it, why can't I make millions from....
(3) Why do you have to be critical of it? Just get over it - ok...if you can get over telling me how brilliant it is I will.
(4) It's just a book - it's also a book that influences and has a wide....audience. Should it not be subject to critical thought? All other literature and movies are? (I also heard my friend tell me that the girls at his work said to him, you should read it, your wife would want you to be more like Edward....that sadly is not a joke.)
(5) You don't get it cause you're male and you don't get romance novels - sure, except I have read all of Jane Austin's work (except for Mansfield Park) and loved Pride and Prejudice as much as anyone. I suppose however the Austin is not really a good example of romance novels. After all, Pride and Prejudice is really a book about just that, Pride and Prejudice (and not Keira Knightly)
(6) You've not even read it so how can you judge - can't argue with this one....
In response to this last one, people began to Twilenge me. What is that you say? To read the first two books and see what I think. Well, my friend Sam finally decided to let her 'baby' go, and now I'm ready to dive into Meyerist fictional
So for the next month, I'm subjecting myself to the first two hopefully (oh yeah...free lunch baby!). While doing so, I thought I would post up my play by play commentary of it. Open minded of course. I'm not an English major, I've only done literary or theatrical critique perhaps a handful of times in my life (once I had to do a sociological critique of Terminator 3....pretty fun stuff) so don't expect too much. Just honest lay public perceptions on what is one of the most widely read books of our recent times. Should be
Uh, I don't know why anyone would say your wife wants you to be more like Edward. He's controlling, verging on the emotionally abusive. In the end of the last one he is physically abusive. And Bella is a terrible role model for young women, given the way she encourages his behaviour. I haven't read the books, and won't. I did watch the movie (on the plane back from Manchester) and found it terrible. And I've read some really great critiques of the series from feminist perspectives. Good luck with your twilenge.
ReplyDeleteYes I read some feminist critiques. In fact at QUT there was one woman who was incensed by Twlight for the same principles you just mentioned. I also know that my friend Sam R really didn't like the books because of the same reason.
ReplyDeleteHaving come to 60 pages in now, I'm just feeling like Homer 'Urge to Kill Rising....'
Subject for my next post!