Introduction
Youth literature has always been the realm of the Brother’s Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen. It has always been dominated by formulaic once-upon-a-times and happily-ever-after affairs where the charming, likeable good guy wins in the end and the wretched, ugly, scary bad guy loses. Like all other forms of literature and media, Youth literature has advanced with the times. In the past and up to the previous century Youth literature, beyond fairy tales, has been brought to life by the likes of the Hardy Boys, Sweet Valley High and Nancy Drew. Today, thanks to the popularity of books like Harry Potter, children’s literature is edgier and more risqué.
For example, Gossip Girl’s tales of teen seduction and revolving door relationships would never have gained popularity in the 20th Century. Likewise, the Twilight Series which revolves around a forbidden love between a mortal and a “vegetarian” vampire would be completely unacceptable in the days before Harry Potter waved his wand at Voldermort. This paper will set to prove that Twilight series gained widespread popularity for three reasons, first it fills the gap in the post-Harry Potter and the deathly hollows worlds, second the rise of “new age” sensibilities have made “good” vampires acceptable the inherent morality and goodness of the stereotypically “evil” is edifying and encourages critical thinking. Finally it is a modern day Romeo and Juliet story told with a new edge.
Discussion
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Harry Potter has finally done it, Voldermort is dead and his accursed scar has stopped bothering him. But the conclusion of Harry’s adventures has left a void in the hearts of his fans. All they can do now is reread his past adventures because J.K. Rowling has confirmed that there will be no further Harry Potter adventures. In truth Harry’s fans are forced to contend with a life after Harry Potter. Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series picks up the cudgels for Harry fans thirsting for more fantasy creatures and more romance with a tad more magic than the mundane.
According to Pam Spencer Holley, former president of the Young Adult Library Services Association;
“If our population started reading Harry Potter at age seven or eight, they’ve gotten older, and now they’re reading new stuff, Teens are going to want their books to kick it up a notch — fantasy is here to stay, but teen readers want romance and a more supernatural element.” (Life after ‘Harry Potter’? 2007)
Meyer’s Twilight books follow the story of Bella Swan, an ordinary high-school student who falls in love with the “vegetarian vampire” Edward Cullen. (Twilight to fill Harry Potter gap 2007). Such a plot would, in all likelihood, have been thrown out as outrageous by young readers had they not been prepped by the adventures of the “boy who lived”. The vampire story merely whetted their taste for more magic and more fantasy as the Potter series ended. After growing up with stories of Wizards, Witches, and magical creatures existing hidden in plain view in the modern world, the idea of modern day vampires in plain view is no longer so outrageous. Even the nuance of vampires being good creatures, or at least trying to be good, owes its credibility in part to the Harry Potter series tendency of portraying traditionally evil creatures and evil looking creatures as good. For example, Hagrid is a giant but he is not a savage, barbaric brute.
Another factor contributing to bigger teen book sales is simple demographics. Today’s teens are right in the middle of the generation known as the Millennials, and demographers forecast its size to peak well beyond the Baby Boomers’ 78 million — and they’re predicted to have the greatest disposable income and marketplace influence in history.(Life after Harry Potter 2007) As mentioned earlier, these teens were the children who grew up reading Harry Potter. While the boy wizard will always have a place in their heart they are not in the mood to dive into more stories of a boy wizard coming of age. Instead they want edgier storylines that appeal to their greater maturity. Twilight delivers on this and its no surprise that with a pool of 78 million Millennials to snap up the Ed-Bella love affair there is a huge potential market for Twilight.
In an interview, Stephanie Meyer was quoted as saying that she never intended for this book to see publication and that in fact, she only wrote the books as a release method for her personal use. She herself cannot understand nor explain the reasons why her book series has seen a popularity that rivals Harry Potter on American shores (Fisher, 2008):
I don’t know. It’s hard for me to answer that because for me it’s an absolute mystery… So when one book takes off it’s why, why does it ever happen? I don’t know why people respond to these books the way that they do. I know why I do: because I wrote it for me. It’s exactly what I wanted to read, so of course, I’m really hooked on it. For other people, it’s kind of bizarre actually.
One indication of Twilight’s rising popularity is the recent coup it pulled in the 2009 Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards, edging out the Harry Potter series for a KCA as most popular books. While not as accurate as a New York Times bestseller list, the Kid’s Choice Awards is valuable because it represents youth votes. In other words, Twilight was read and enjoyed and voted for on the website by more kids and youths than those that did likewise for Harry Potter. In other words, it would seem that Harry and Ginny have been overthrown by Bella and Ed.
Fantasy can be pretty dark. And that’s one reason why Holley thinks it’s become so popular. “There’s a comfort in reading fantasy,” she said. “It makes your own world look a little less awful. (Life after Harry Potter 2007). Twilight is about some of the imaginations darkest creatures; Vampires who suck blood. But instead they are cast against type. The Cullens are noble in their efforts to abstain from human blood. The fact that the main character Edward is perpetually 18 and thus perpetually beautiful contributes in making his vampirism less awful. In fact, Twilight even glamorizes the idea of being a vampire if one subscribes to Bella’s point of view wherein becoming an immortal vampire means being able to love each other for an eternity. It doesn’t help that all the other vampires are paired, they seem pretty happy with the arraignment and Ed is lonely as a result.
The so-called “New Age” sensibilities of the 21st century have made “good” vampires acceptable the inherent morality and goodness of the stereotypically “evil” is edifying and encourages critical thinking. In the past Nosferatu and Dracula dominated our perception of the Vampire. European with seductive charm who entice women like a spider inviting the fly only to suck out their blood. The Blade and Underworld series have done vampire-kind no service. In both cases, Vampires were savage creatures who suck blood and bent on turning mankind into feeding cattle. Twilight on the other hand, shows us that vampires, if they had existed in reality, could actually have been sad and pitiful creatures of the night instead. Longing for acceptance in society and normalcy in life that can allow them the freedom to love and make friends without being feared by the humans nor shunned by their peers. The fact that Meyer wrote her vampires as “hot” notwithstanding, the Cullens have a lot to teach the world about tolerance and understanding. Anyone who has read Twilight will find their sensibilities about vampires severely jarred.
In the previous century the idea of a tragic, pitiable or likable vampire would have been laughed at as a parody or a joke. But in the age of political correctness and tolerance the old stereotypes can be questioned. Meyer contributes to this by not judging the vampires themselves. Bella is rabidly in love with Edward and this makes her blind to the obvious repulsion she should feel against her kind. Sitting next to Bella in biology class, Edward glares at her with fury. Bewitched, bothered and already hooked, she doesn’t know that the scent of her blood intoxicates Edward to the point of perdition (Schillinger 2007).
Like all vampire stories, “Twilight” is about repressed desire and untamed hunger and the possibility of blood (Manohla 2007). Edward is a vampire. Like all vampires he is a hungry for blood. From their very first meeting Edward is tortured by Bella’s presence. He desires her blood and must fight the urge not to take her. The fact that one of the cornerstones to the Cullen’s likeability, they only drink animal blood, so-called “Vegetarian” Vampires and Ed has likely not had human blood in years does not help him. He is definitely the “handsome tortured guy” that Hannah Montana refers to in a recent episode, handsome and tortured to two counts.
In the end it is up to the reader to judge the Cullens. They are still vampires, blood drinkers and the others of their kind still resort to draining humans. It helps that they are humanized in the story. For example, Alice does not hide her disdain for Bella since she is rightfully their prey. Rosalie is close friends with Bella but her vampiric nature sets in when she sees her blood. It takes all her control not to act on instinct and drain Bella. The Quileute tribe, aware of their true nature, are hostile to the Cullens. Even the evil act of draining a persons blood and poisoning their blood to turn them into vampires is humanized by showing that Carisle only resorts to turning people when the only alternative is death. Ed himself condemns his kind treating himself as a kind of pariah telling Bella to avoid him because he is dangerous to her. Of course we know that his ploy only makes him appear playing hard to get and just stokes Bella’s desire all the more. The jury remains open for the reader pass judgment.
In conclusion to the second thesis argument, the twilight series is popular because the main hook of vampires trying to be good breaks the vampire stereotype and encourages critical thinking. The reader is free to form his own judgments. None of the characters are outright good or outright evil.
Conclusion
Twilight is a modern day Romeo and Juliet story told with a new edge. Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen are star-crossed lovers. Meyer’s Twilight books follow the story of Bella Swan, an ordinary high-school student who falls in love with the “vegetarian vampire” Edward Cullen. (Twilight to fill Harry Potter gap 2007). Logically, they can never be together. Fate and other forces, vampires, werewolves and over-protective parents, to name a few, conspire to keep their forbidden love from blossoming. Not to mention the fact that Edward is very careful not to let his lust for Bella, both for her blood and her person, get out of control. Despite the insurmountable forces that try to keep them apart, Bella and Ed manage to stay in a relationship.
They are able to maintain a semblance of love despite all the restraints. The new edge referred to is dynamic of supernatural forces trying to come between them. Romeo and Juliet had to contend with bigotry and bias. Bella and Ed have to deal with the same plus supernatural creatures and the fact that to be together, Ed must do the unspeakable to Bella. The story is also edgy because it is Edward who plays the role of restrained adult as opposed to the traditional expectation that it should be Bella who should be trying to slow down the relationship. From the onset Bella is more than willing to be turned to a vampire so they can spend eternity together. On occasions when the two make out it is Ed who stops in order to prevent things from going further. The Romeo and Juliet dynamic appeals to audiences the world over because few teenagers can resist the temptation of forbidden love.
References
Life after ‘Harry Potter’? Web.
Dargis, Manohla. The Love That Dare Not Bare Its Fangs. (2009). Web.
Schillinger Liesl Young Adult Book Review (2009). Web.
Twilight to fill Harry Potter gap (2009). Web.
Fisher, Paul. “Interview: Stephanie Meyer For “Twilight”. Dark Horizons. 2008.
Kennedy, Elizabeth. “ Teen Reading Trends: 2008-2009 (An Interview With The YALSA President). “ 2008. Web.