Vampires are having their moment in, well, if not the sun, then certainly the Twilight. Author Stephenie Meyer’s series of books about the romantic yearnings of an undead teen are the, uh, lifeblood of the book business these days. According to USA Today, one in every seven books sold in the United States in the first quarter of an otherwise dismal 2009 was one of the four Twilight stories. On Amazon.com, half of the top 10 is made up of Twilight. (Each of the four books holds a spot, and the collected series takes up another one.)
Readers can’t get enough of the forbidden love affair between a human girl named Bella and her bloodsucking but good-hearted beau, Edward. He’s emo! He’s chivalrous! And glittery! (Meyer takes some liberty with horror-movie convention; instead of burning and shriveling up when sunlight hits them, vampires literally sparkle.) What more could an adolescent girl want in a fictional boyfriend?
The real-life plot twist here, though, is that it’s not ‘tween and teen girls who make up Twilight’s ardent—and profitable—fan base. It’s their mothers.
I wish the article had explored this discovery more deeply (i.e. the middle-aged-mothers’-secret-yearning-for-16-year-old-high-school-boyfriends angle), in the way Camille Paglia might have, for example. And of course, for those of us who remember The Graduate, this is not entirely unfamiliar territory. (Or, on the flip side, Lolita.)
The key line in the piece from my perspective is:
“Amazon’s customer discussion forums tackle the question of whether it’s appropriate for grown women to crush on an undead, underage hunk. The answer: a resounding yes.”
The most crucial thing happening, in other words, is not the need itself but the desperate desire for the need to be “ok.” These women are locked in a fantasy which threatens them, especially given their soon-to-be teenage sons and their friends. They feel the terrifying and absolutely righteous “long arm of the Law” smiting and accusing them — “You WICKED woman. How dare you?”
And so, bereft of the Gospel (unconditional forgiveness extended from the Cross to bound sinners), they turn to casuistry. It’s OK because: it’s fiction not reality, it’s just thoughts not actions, the hunk-in-question only LOOKS 16 but he’s really 93, and so on.
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7 responses to “The Twilight Phenomenon”
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Who knew Amazon.com online discussion groups could provide real therapy? And I’m in disbelief that one in four books sold was a Twilight story- that is incredible.
Great Post!
I have a sense that the “Twilight” phenomenon is not about lust for hunky young guys, for either young or older women. Indeed, the vampire gag is a way of creating the fantasy of a relationship which is not founded on sex at all — in which higher values take precedence. The young guy and girl both want to “do it” — the vampire thing — but the guy won’t, out of compassion and genuine love. The books are anti lust — i. e. anti bloodsucking, anti immediate gratification.
The attitude is positively Victorian (in the best way) and I think it appeals to all women in an age when so many relationships are about nothing but sex, and sex is about nothing at all.
I would argue that “Titanic” tapped into this same appeal, by suggesting that true romantic love is founded on a commitment unto death — “You jump, I jump” — again, tres Victorian.
Both “Titanic” and “Twilight” — like “Casablanca” before them — brilliantly concoct scenarios in which submission to higher moral values is made to seem cool and transgressive.
What this suggests to me is that, having abandoned the old standards of morality, on principle, we are nevertheless desperately looking for a way back into them that doesn’t feel old-fashioned . . . doesn’t feel “handed down” from discredited authorities.
I am amazed by the number of women I know that are reading this series. Does it perhaps indicate something missing, societally speaking, in real life? Real love? Real intimacy? Real acceptance?
Of course I don’t get it, I’m over here on Mars. Could we get some perspective from Venus?
I’m writing from Mars, but the appeal of “Twilight” seems obvious to me. I mean, it’s a romance about a guy who puts his concern for a woman’s welfare above his own carnal appetites and immediate desires — what woman, young or old, wouldn’t find that inspiring . . . and, these days, all too rare?
Speaking as one who had to sit through the movie in question, while I’m fascinated by the “mother sucker” phenomenon, I have to agree with Lloyd. The whole vampire dimension of Twilight struck me as a clever device for exploring (adolescent) female fantasies about romance. Or at least, a device for exploring a caricature of those fantasies.
As a dude, I kept hoping for some deeper mythological aspect to the vampires in Twilight (i.e. more epic good vs evil – maybe the book or sequels spell it out more), and was disappointed with the 1.5 hours of unadulterated knight-in-shining-armor stuff, albeit with just enough (implied) danger to up the romantic ante and appeal to a higher set of values re: love.
Anyway, looking back, I realize that this is/was exactly the point, that the vampire thing works brilliantly as a true-love-waits scenario. Which makes sense, since the author is an outspoken Mormon.
Still, as much as I might applaud some of the underlying themes, I don’t think I’ll tune in for the sequel.
Oh and like Jeff, I would love to hear from a woman on this. I mean, really, what do I know?!