Last year, my high school female senior wrote a term paper on Twilight. I often asked why is it so appealing to adolescents and she decided to share her perspective. She mentioned two things: use of gothic elements and realism. She claimed that the author created realistic scenarios of teenagers interacting in certain locations such as high school classroom, parking lot, etc., and she could relate to Bella as a teenager that shared similar longing to feel belonged. She enjoyed getting to know her more. Since she already has an impression that Twilight is a tale of vampires, she enjoyed the dramatic irony that Bella initially wasn’t aware that she was attracted to a vampire.
Actually, she didn’t really like any gory vampire tale, darkened with sinister atmosphere. She said that she enjoyed mild gothic elements in the beginning so she could be more drawn to Bella’s tale of romantic longings. She mentioned, ‘less blood and gore’ and she appreciated how the author modified traditional vampire characteristics. Instead of a vampire sleeping in coffin during the daytime and hunting for human blood nightly, she created Edward a vampire that can subsist on animal blood and interact peacefully with humans.
Based on her comments, I think the author succeeds creating internal consistency - new rules for my student to adopt and follow along throughout the novel. She enjoyed reading Bella's star-crossed romance with a high school vampire as if the Romeo & Juliet tale is retold within the fantasy genre.
Hmmm, I'd never really thought of it as a Romeo and Juliet tale, but what a great perspective on it! It sounds like your student articulated well the appeals of the Twilight series.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like the gore either..I did like the gothic elements-I love gothic romances like Jane Eyre(of course, there is no way that could compare to Bronte:))
ReplyDeleteI have a place where my tired body sits and relaxes so I can listen intuitively within. television influence essay
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