Again, as I said to Isabel, be careful of lumping all fans together and painting them with the broad brush — plenty of very smart folks I know like this series, and they are not inarticulate or illiterate by and large, though I’m sure a few people who like just about anything you can name can be described that way.

Maybe it’s because I’m old, but I actually liked the normal high school, normal classes, normal teachers, normal students bit of the book

I have to point out that if you haven’t read the book, you need to be careful in your assertions. Edward is not what I’d call physically abusive, but he is really controlling, and after reading her story from Edward’s point of view, Midnight Sun, it makes sense — he sees Bella as essentially very fragile, and he is really afraid something will happen to her. It doesn’t justify his behavior, but it explains it. Be careful about lumping the fans together, too. Not all of them are like that. After all, I like the books and even am able to criticize them and point out their flaws on my Web site! In way, I hope Bella’s reading habits rub off on some of her fans — she reads Jane Austen and Emily Bronte. Wouldn’t it be good if those authors had new fans as a result of Twilight? If you think about it, if you really like something a lot and someone criticizes it, it does bother most of us, so I can understand their feelings to an extent if they do kind of freak out when they see the series criticized.

My husband hated the first pages he read, too. I think it’s a series you either really like or really dislike. I’ve yet to see lukewarm reaction to it.

The second thing is…the fanbase. All the little girls obsess over Edward and his LOOKS, not his actions (I didn’t read the book but apparently he is really, really abusive). One time I wore a Dartmouth College sweater to school and a girl came up to me squealing about how “Edward is going to that college! OMG!” I was almost ashamed. I don’t think I would mind the series as much if the fanbase wasn’t so…annoying. Oh, and they’re quick to jump on any criticism of the book be it aggressive or calm, which is even more annoying. The fanbase definitely makes it difficult to ignore the series exists, but then again, how could they be reasonable when something as complicated as love has been so simply idealized?

I don’t necessarily MIND Twilight, however, the fans scare the Hell out of me (mostly, not ALL).

The more I heard about Twilight, the more I tried to hide from it. Mum eventually took me to see it, and a woman I rather fancy gave me the book. She sent me the sweetest note with it. It’s THE book, of course.

What I couldn’t get over was the inarticulate, illiterate fans. They swoon over Edward and fancy his behaviour acceptable. Of course, I’m probably only wiser because of my disability, anti-social behaviour, and abuse in the past.

No, it is likely that the abuse reports won’t skyrocket. Girls/women will probably not be less liberated. I don’t think that they even noticed how insane Edward was, they just noticed how “good-looking” he is. If you asked me, I’d be a little less charitable regarding his appearance.

The only characters I grew to actually like were Eric (as stated above), possibly Jacob (so far), Charlie, and ALICE! I like these ones, despite knowing that two of the four are “stock” characters, meaning stereotypical.

Eric-Nerd
Charlie-Good Ol’ Dad

I actually found the story to be too “real”. Normal high school. Normal classes. Normal teachers. Normal students. Most of the movie reminded me what a dull, narrow-minded world I live in

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Thank you so much for posting this article! This is the only review page I have read with a straight face

Girls really need to find better role models, like Elizabeth Bennet from ‘Pride and Prejudice’. She’s brilliant, I think. That’s a woman with self-respect!

That’s my two cents, or possibly a lot more Sorry, I ramble a lot, never vented like this about Twilight because I was afraid I’d get murdered by Edward’s Secret Police I’m just happy that now I have some articulate people to die with

However, with the mounting acclaim the series has reached, the millions of adoring fans, and a seemingly dwindling voice of opposition on the very dangerous themes presented in the series, I have to say that there is much to be desired on the anti-twilight front.

This is not to say that there should be censorship. However, when a book reaches so many and has become a phenomenon, there should also be an opposing voice that points out flaws. This gives the books a balanced and educated analysis, a reality check so to speak. Unfortunately, Twilight is relegated to YA status so many write it off as “teen fluff”.

The YA status and screaming fans have overshadowed the borderline abuse, the issues with succumbing to a controlling partner, the deeper sexist messages, and the pedophilia in the last book. These issues are almost universally acknowledged as dangerous. Thus, when a book has such a hold on an impressionable audience, caution in the form of logical, caring criticism is needed.

Rice, granted, has taken a more vehement approach to criticizing Twilight. But even her opinion is overwhelmingly countered, so much so that she wrote a rage-filled second piece that almost wrote off her credibility on the issues in Twilight.

The anti-fan voice, even those that seem moderate, is often silenced or discredited with the phrase “It’s just fiction.” Fiction itself has shown to be influential to men, urging them to act for beliefs ranging from civil rights to genocide, from calling for artistic poets to contemplating religion. Although Twilight may not belong on the list of the most influential books of our time, it should not be casually cast off because it is fictitious. It has very deep and disturbing themes in the series that should be taken seriously.

Again, I am not for censorship at all. I would just like people, educated people who care about what our youth reads, to pay attention to these dangerous themes, to make the youth aware that what they read in this series does not, and most importantly, should not, be desired in reality. Too few people are pointing these issues out either because they write off the YA status of the series or because they write it off as poorly written fiction.

People should draw attention to the themes present in the series and truly give the series a serious and thorough analysis. We should not censor books. We should not ignore them either, especially if they harbor potentially threatening ideas.

The sane fans who understand that what they are reading is fiction, has flaws, and is not an ideal to look up to, I have no problem with.

It is the impressionable teens that I am worried about. The target audience encompasses young girls who are trying to form their identity, blossoming into womanhood, and curious about love. Therefore, when a book like Twilight comes along and portrays “perfect love” as borderline abusive among other things, it is something to be worried about.

There have been multiple accounts of violence being displayed in defense of this fiction. Quite a few girls have broken up their relationships to pursue an “Edward” of their own. The intensity with which some of these girls love this series is frightening. I myself have been personally insulted just by pointing out logical flaws within the book.

A man who sneaks into a girl’s bedroom to watch her while she sleeps, follows her to another city, forcibly grabs her by the arm and drags her to his car against her wishes, threatens to kill her, and displays aggressive, destructive actions within her presence, is not to be desired. For the women and girls who have read quite a bit and understand this for what it is, I do not worry for you. By all means, enjoy this book.

As for the girls who have attacked other girls, and made verbal threats in defense of this read, I believe we need to take heed. Many of these more intense fans have not had a prior cultivated interest in reading. Thus, the undertones in the series may not be apparent to them. Since they are displaying physical actions against others, we can assume that they are picking these actions up from a book that almost condones these types of actions.