Yes, twilight is my absolute favourite time of the day. I used to crush on that word when I was primary six. Now don't look at me as if I've grown another head, because that was when I was really young.
I need to do more of 1100 words. Even if I'm feeling freaking lazy.
Anyway, I've read Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. It was surprisingly tolerable, but I found the writing style to be detached, not dreamy, simply weird. The characters were quite 2-D, but that's ok, since it's gonna be a series anyway, so she has plenty of time to flesh them out. Right now, my impression of Edward is not too good.
He seems like a psychotic, sparkly vampiric stalker. (Wow, what a mouthful.) He effin'
sparkles in the sunlight! Unfair. And worst of all, he doesn't drink human blood.
Me is very sad about this.
I had quite disliked Bella from the start, but as a Literature nerd, anyone willing to discuss Shakespeare and his way of putting women in a subservient role and his link to misogyny is to be respected. So is anyone who has read Jane Austen (even if I find her books too heavy and romance-y) and Chauncer.
But I do like some of her lines, and laughing at the characters' expense. Stupid Shiny Volvo Owner, indeed (even if some of the lines sprouted from Edward and the endless purple prose about his eyes are a bit too cheesy). Every time the author launches into how charming Edward is, I just can't stop snickering at the lines. And Bella's antics are...quite stupid. It is as if all action walked from a shoujo manga.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST: TWILIGHT AND RANDOM SHOUJO MANGA
1) Handsome, too-charming male leads
MANGA: Bishounens
BOOK: Edward
2) Kultzy heroine
MANGA: Check.
BOOK: Bella.
3) Incidents where heroine constantly needs saving
MANGA: Multiple times.
BOOK: Let's see: there's the near collision, the biology lab fiasco, the one where a blood-crazed vamp wants to torture her and drink her blood, accosting by random strangers...
4) Women posed as helpless, delicate creatures
MANGA: DUH.
BOOK: A lot more subtle, but have you noticed that Bella is incapable of getting unscathed without Edward's help?
5) Hero pops out of nowhere to save heroine (thus displaying staker-like tendecies, which is seriously unattractive)
MANGA: I bet every shoujo manga has this situation. Unless it's about rape, of course.
BOOK: The accosting by random strangers thing and how he manages to save Bella from being Shredded ex-human, with little to none explanation.
6) Heroine constantly drifts off into lalaland, with longing for her Love.
MANGA: ...
BOOK: She dreams about him, and notices his every move. Enough said. I don't want to launch into the thearatics.
7) Hero has qualities that are too good to be true.
MANGA: He's usually charismatic/good at fighting/good at sports/smart/a combination of a multitude of talents
BOOK: Vampiric traits thta do not even corrspond to the myths, but he doesn't have much vulnerabilities, does he? Good looks, talent...bloody hell he's perfection. Scary perfection.
8) Hero is overprotective.
MANGA: Tick.
BOOK: Tick.
9) Can't think. Will get back with more when I get my copy of New Moon. I wonder how Stephanie Meyers will flesh her characters out. They say Breaking Dawn is like an awful piece of fanfiction. Yikes.
Prove me wrong, Stephanie Meyer, and I shall...er...tribute a fanfiction?
LOL.
