The romance of vampires
I know a lot of people have read Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. I know it became all the rage since Harry Potter ended. The thing is, I can't figure out why. What makes this series any different from any of the other young adult "occult" series that are currently out?
I think contemporary young adult fiction, as a genre, is the best fiction out there right now, followed closely by anything that's been translated from another culture not wrapped up in Hollywood, but that's another rant entirely.
Did Harry Potter start the re-realized love of all things supernatural amongst readers? I understand why magic and otherworldliness appeal to readers who have just emerged into the realm of beyond-chapter-books. But bitter, hardened, angsty near-adults? And cynical, tired grown-ups? Why have they shuffled off their disbelieving emotional coils to go crazy over supernatural fiction?
Actually, I don't care why. People are reading and that keeps me in a paycheck...sort of. Mostly, it just makes me happy that books are still in use because I have a fondness for 'em.
So, let's stop the introductory dribble and get right to the meat of my question:
Why Twilight?
Why not Blue Girl by Charles de Lint? Why not the Hallowmere series by Tiffany Trent? The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott? Melissa Marr's faerie world books? They're all along the same lines - modern displaced teenagers who are vulnerable but hiding amazing inner strengths, supernatural creatues, forbidden romances, good vs. evil, souls in peril, etc. They all came out around the same time. So why did Twilight become the craze, spawning a movie (that I hear no one over the age of 15 actually liked, but I didn't see it, so I shouldn't judge) and a following and tons of promotional material?
It's the vampire thing, isn't it?
What IS it with vampires? Personally, I've never been a fan. I know we've recreated them to be cultured, suave, well-dressed, super-rich, elitist, romantic, heartless-yet-vulnerable creatures of the night/underworld/whatever. My sister fell in love with the vampire culture when she was in high school. There was nothing she wanted so badly as to be bitten, turned and suddenly devastatingly attractive and dangerous, feared and adored by all. I kept a stake in my dresser, just in case. I figured I'd have no problem putting her down, not only because she and I fought a lot but also because I found the whole notion a bit ridiculous. I mean, come on. Elves and fairy queens were soooo much better than vampires. Plus, I never walked the mall pointing out people who were probably fae because I rather knew people weren't fae, whereas, according to my sister, nearly everyone at the mall was a vampire. Ok, that was actually probably true, now that I think back...
I know marketing made the biggest difference in the series' popularity. I remember cataloging the first book, what, four years back? I needed to know what the book was about so flipped through it, like usual, and by the end of my quick-skim I was rolling my eyes. It struck me as bland, cliche, not very well-written and not-engaging. I've read a lot of books based on that quick-skim because something about the overall FEEL of the story interested me. That's how I started on the Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney. (I just wanted to get that little plug in because I feel it's a much better-planned story with interesting characters and a strong plot). Twilight did not get that sort of piqued response from me and I expected it to be just another story that fell off the shelves in a year or two.
I was sooooo wroooooong. Two years later, it was being pushed like Ritalin in the '90's. That damn apple was everywhere. Suddenly, everyone had to have the books, we ordered more copies, the library had Twilight programs. Today I cataloged the Twilight Director's Notebook by Catherine Hardwicke. It's about the making of the movie, as you might have guessed. I had to get it out the door because so many patrons have a hold on it. Again, I've heard the movie wasn't that good...or, good at all, really. And yet, because this book is part of All Things Twilight, everyone wants it.
So, the marketing got people to read it. The vampires made it all darkly romantic and created a need to read the story. But what keeps people in it? Many adults I know have read the series. They all say, "It's really not that good...but I can't stop reading it." Why? Why why why? What is the draw? What am I missing? It's like Harry Potter all over again, so in that way, the marketing was spot-on. I feel like the little kid in The Emporer's New Clothes. I just don't get it.
If you're a Twilight fan....can you tell me what it is about this particular series that enchants you?
I think contemporary young adult fiction, as a genre, is the best fiction out there right now, followed closely by anything that's been translated from another culture not wrapped up in Hollywood, but that's another rant entirely.
Did Harry Potter start the re-realized love of all things supernatural amongst readers? I understand why magic and otherworldliness appeal to readers who have just emerged into the realm of beyond-chapter-books. But bitter, hardened, angsty near-adults? And cynical, tired grown-ups? Why have they shuffled off their disbelieving emotional coils to go crazy over supernatural fiction?
Actually, I don't care why. People are reading and that keeps me in a paycheck...sort of. Mostly, it just makes me happy that books are still in use because I have a fondness for 'em.
So, let's stop the introductory dribble and get right to the meat of my question:
Why Twilight?
Why not Blue Girl by Charles de Lint? Why not the Hallowmere series by Tiffany Trent? The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott? Melissa Marr's faerie world books? They're all along the same lines - modern displaced teenagers who are vulnerable but hiding amazing inner strengths, supernatural creatues, forbidden romances, good vs. evil, souls in peril, etc. They all came out around the same time. So why did Twilight become the craze, spawning a movie (that I hear no one over the age of 15 actually liked, but I didn't see it, so I shouldn't judge) and a following and tons of promotional material?
It's the vampire thing, isn't it?
What IS it with vampires? Personally, I've never been a fan. I know we've recreated them to be cultured, suave, well-dressed, super-rich, elitist, romantic, heartless-yet-vulnerable creatures of the night/underworld/whatever. My sister fell in love with the vampire culture when she was in high school. There was nothing she wanted so badly as to be bitten, turned and suddenly devastatingly attractive and dangerous, feared and adored by all. I kept a stake in my dresser, just in case. I figured I'd have no problem putting her down, not only because she and I fought a lot but also because I found the whole notion a bit ridiculous. I mean, come on. Elves and fairy queens were soooo much better than vampires. Plus, I never walked the mall pointing out people who were probably fae because I rather knew people weren't fae, whereas, according to my sister, nearly everyone at the mall was a vampire. Ok, that was actually probably true, now that I think back...
I know marketing made the biggest difference in the series' popularity. I remember cataloging the first book, what, four years back? I needed to know what the book was about so flipped through it, like usual, and by the end of my quick-skim I was rolling my eyes. It struck me as bland, cliche, not very well-written and not-engaging. I've read a lot of books based on that quick-skim because something about the overall FEEL of the story interested me. That's how I started on the Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney. (I just wanted to get that little plug in because I feel it's a much better-planned story with interesting characters and a strong plot). Twilight did not get that sort of piqued response from me and I expected it to be just another story that fell off the shelves in a year or two.
I was sooooo wroooooong. Two years later, it was being pushed like Ritalin in the '90's. That damn apple was everywhere. Suddenly, everyone had to have the books, we ordered more copies, the library had Twilight programs. Today I cataloged the Twilight Director's Notebook by Catherine Hardwicke. It's about the making of the movie, as you might have guessed. I had to get it out the door because so many patrons have a hold on it. Again, I've heard the movie wasn't that good...or, good at all, really. And yet, because this book is part of All Things Twilight, everyone wants it.
So, the marketing got people to read it. The vampires made it all darkly romantic and created a need to read the story. But what keeps people in it? Many adults I know have read the series. They all say, "It's really not that good...but I can't stop reading it." Why? Why why why? What is the draw? What am I missing? It's like Harry Potter all over again, so in that way, the marketing was spot-on. I feel like the little kid in The Emporer's New Clothes. I just don't get it.
If you're a Twilight fan....can you tell me what it is about this particular series that enchants you?