Imprinting

Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the series is the way some werewolves find their mates: imprinting.

Imprinting takes the idea of "love at first sight" to a completely different level. Of course, the primary criticism of imprinting comes from the three major imprinting storylines:

1. Sam & Emily: Sam imprints on Emily, Emily rejects him, Sam grievously injures/disfigures her, she accepts him. The implication here being that the abuse theme begun with Bella/Edward is being carried to a conclusion: women should love their abusers so they stop abusing.

2. Quil & Claire: Quil is physically mature, Claire is two. If imprinting is primarily sexual, how can this not be an endorsement of pedophilia?

3. Jacob & Renesmee: Jacob is physically mature, Renesmee is a newborn. See the above criticism.

Again, I believe most of these criticisms stem from people not taking into account the alternate reality in which this story is told, but I'll admit that the imprinting aspect has really been the only thing about the series that has given me pause, upon reflection. (When I read them the first time, it didn't bother me at all.)

The Sam/Emily imprinting didn't bother me, and still doesn't. I frankly don't see what the fuss is there. The werewolves unpredictability is documented thoroughly throughout the story, it is entirely possible that Sam could genuinely lose control and injure Emily. It is also possible that bonding would take place between them during her healing process.

I don't believe the relationships between Jacob/Quil and Renesmee/Claire are abusive, but these make me more uncomfortable. I don't believe that imprinting is only sexual, though naturally it has some sexual component. What bothers me is the idea that all a woman really needs from a relationship is complete adoration from a man. I don't have my books to hand, but Jacob, explaining it all to Bella, says something like, "Why wouldn't she want him, in the end?" and "That kind of adoration is hard to resist." My personal experience has been that love has to be much more mutual, so the idea that a completely one-sided infatuation can blossom into a meaningful and lasting relationship is hard for me to swallow.

Of course, we never get any perspective from the female half of the equation. Renesmee seems devoted to Jacob from the beginning: is there a "magic" at work on the female half as well? And did Emily just resist it out of loyalty to her cousin, Leah? If the imprinting impulse worked both ways, it would explain a lot.

And put my mind at ease.

Nitty Gritty: Edward

Continuing in our discussion of the characters and controversy of the Twilight series, let us consider:

In my opinion, Edward is certainly the hero of the series. Some would disagree. If he isn't, then who is? Jacob? Hmm...

Edward is certainly where a lot of the controversy regarding the series lies. The most common claim, of course, is that Edward is abusive. Some of the actions cited:

1. He grabs her by her jacket collar to prevent her from driving herself home after she fainted in Biology (Twilight)

2. He sabatoges her car, follows her, has Alice take her, etc. to keep her from Jacob (Eclipse)

3. He withholds sex from her as a punishment (Eclipse)

4. When they finally do become physically intimate, he is so rough with her it leaves her severely bruised (Breaking Dawn)

I find most of these criticisms ridiculous, because I believe those who espouse them are holding Edward to a double standard. They expect him to behave like he's a wise, mature, experienced being (like a 110-year-old vampire) while also expecting him to have comparable behavior to a typical teenager. In other words, when he behaves like a vampire, the criticism is based on him not being exactly like human 17-year-old boys, but when he behaves like a human 17-year-old boy, he's criticized for behaving like a vampire.

One of the things I love about Edward's character is this very dichotomy. He has been frozen, emotionally, at a stage in which he had not experienced a serious relationship. Emotionally, he is just as inexperienced as Bella. He makes mistakes, the same mistakes a guy in high school would make in his first relationship.

Take the first example: he grabs her by the jacket collar to prevent her from leaving. I don't want to go into too much detail, but I had several male friends in high school that would have (and did, frankly) treat me just like that. It was playful. It was flirtation. Sometimes it was annoying, but we were all learning how to behave like men and women. Why can't Edward experience this?

The "stalking" in Eclipse is very realistic, to me. The intensity of a first love often prompts people to behave irrationally. The fact that Edward recognizes his mistake, admits it, and changes his behavior despite his continuing jealousy says volumes.

I have to say, I believe that Edward is being victimized by the extreme hypersensitivity of today's society. Think about characters in some of the "classics" of romantic literature: Mr. Darcy, Mr. Rochester, Heathcliff, Romeo...by today's standards, are any of them truly admirable men? I don't think so. Some of the very criticisms leveled at Edward apply to these classic characters, but because we are able to view them through the lens of their time, we excuse their flaws. I think Edward needs the same consideration: one cannot judge Edward's actions and motivations unless one accepts Edward's reality.

I love Edward. I think he's a good person. And a fine hero.

Nitty Gritty: Bella

I'd love to get some discussions going about some of the criticisms leveled at the Twilight series and the characters therein. I thought we could start with:

Bella Swan, our heroine.

I'm going to list some of the criticisms I've heard, and my opinion of them. Feel free to comment on them, or share your own criticisms.

1. Bella is shallow; she only likes good-looking people. Her relationship with Edward is based solely on her opinion of his looks.

My comment: The fact that Bella describes people in positive and negative terms doesn't make her shallow. Saying that someone has "bad skin" isn't a nasty, shrewish criticism, it's a fact. She's 17. Many teenagers, boys and girls, are very concerned with appearances. (Add to that, she's the narrator, so if she didn't ever describe anyone, we wouldn't know what anyone looks like.) Edward's looks do play a huge role in her initial attraction to him, but how is that abnormal or bad?

2. Bella is rude and spoiled, especially where her parents are concerned.

My comment: I've never gotten this one. She calls the father she barely knows by his first name sometimes: how terrible. She calls the irresponsible, scatterbrained mother she's practically raised by her first name: rudeness beyond compare. She complains about moving to Forks: again, not seeing it. This is one I really think is reaching. I've never known a teenager to be 100% respectful and polite 100% of the time, especially in their private thoughts (which is what we're getting with Bella's narration). Nope, I think Bella handles the adults in her life pretty well, considering how they've handled her.

3. Bella is a bad friend who only likes people when it is convenient.

I imagine this criticism extends to three people: Mike, Angela, and Jessica. Certainly Bella's post-breakup breakdown in New Moon isn't really conducive to good friendship, but other than that, I'm not sure. Bella seems to be an introvert who doesn't make close friends easily, and her friendship is taken up with Alice and Edward himself. I think Bella and Angela are fairly good friends throughout. Mike and Jessica were never really her friends to begin with, so I discount them.

4. Bella's acceptance of Edward's treatment of her is tantamount to condoning abuse.

Ah, here it is. The primary reason some people are screaming for this series to be banned, burned, or whatever you do with books you think no one should be allowed to read. I've read this series several times, and I have to say it: I don't believe Bella and Edward have an abusive relationship. Each of them make mistakes, but that happens. No one enters their first serious relationship and performs perfectly. Edward does cross the line into controlling during Eclipse, but recognizes his mistake. Unfortunately, I think too many read things into this relationship that simply aren't there.

If you have time, leave a comment below!

-Deb

Some Food for Casting Thought

Here are some of the rumored "front runners" I've found for the parts of Seth and Leah. We can assume that they would be in both Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.

For Leah:

This is Q'orianka Kilcher. She played Pocahontas in that Colin Farrell movie a few years back. Her resume on IDMB is very impressive.

This is Sage Galesi. I saw her on the TNT miniseries Into the West, where she briefly played Margaret Light Shines. (If you haven't seen Into the West, I really enjoyed it.) It looks to me like she's got Leah's face: it's beautiful, but you can see the potential for meanness there.

For the role of Seth:

This is Tyler Posey, a young but experienced actor. I think he has a very sweet face, and has that sort of gangly, rumpled look I associate with Seth.

This is Raviv Ullman. There is a big push for him at the Twilight Moms website, who say that Tyler Posey is the producer's choice for the role of Seth. There is an online petition. I think he's a good looking kid. The only thing I've seen him in was an episode of Law & Order: SVU (he was the kid who raped the Britney-Spears-alike because the shock jock said it would be neat, but his mother was campaigning to take the shock jock off the air and shot him. Not that I watch that show obsessively.)

With the exception of Ullman, all of the above actors have at least partial Native American heritage. (Ullman is Israeli.)

It will be interesting to see what happens! If one of the above ends up getting the part, someone owes me a Coke.

:)

-Deb

Your suggestions?

They are now casting the roles of Seth and Leah Clearwater for the movie version of "Eclipse." I had heard that Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical) was being considered for Leah, but that hasn't been confirmed.

I think Leah will be very challenging to cast. She's supposed to be pretty and nice, until she discovers her hidden traits, and then she's pretty and nasty.

Thoughts?

Recommendations?

I don't know about the rest of you, but I've been going through Vampire Withdraw. I thought it might be neat to recommend some of our other favorite vampire books and movies. Here are some of mine:

1. The Sookie Stackhouse books (by Charlaine Harris). Book 9 in this series was just released, so it will keep you occupied for a while. Sookie is a twentysomething waitress in a small northern Louisiana town. Sookie is a telepath, so life has been hard for her, since she always hears the thoughts of everyone around her. When the world's vampires go public and ask for recognition under the law, Sookie is thrilled to discover that she can't read vampire minds. Romantic entanglements and Southern stereotypes ensue.

2. True Blood (HBO, based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels). Season 1 of this series has just been released on DVD, with Season 2 premiering next week on HBO. It's just like Twilight, except 13 hours long and with way more nudity, swearing, sex, graphic violence, and naked people. I'm absolutely disgusted and will stop watching it soon. Stars Anna Paquin (The Piano) as Sookie.

3. Let The Right One In (DVD): This is a film from Sweden. The DVD offers you the option of viewing it dubbed in English or in Swedish with English subtitles. This is quite a film. A young boy named Oskar is the butt of schoolyard bullying. He has no friends, until one night he meets a mysterious girl who has moved in next door. Lots of snow. (Rated R)

4. Interview With the Vampire (DVD): This is an amazing cheesefest from the star-happy blockbuster '90's. I watch this film and think this is what Twilight might have been. I'm so thankful it was not! Stars Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas, Kirsten Dunst, and many, many others. If you've watched it, think of the following quote from Steve Martin's "Bowfinger" when you watch it again:

"Did you know that Tom Cruise didn't even know he was in that vampire movie until a year later?"

5. Dark Shadows Revival (DVD): This series, a casualty of the 24-hour news media's coverage of Operation Desert Storm, was amazing vampire romance set in the gloom of coastal Maine. Starring Ben Cross as Barnabas Collins, Jean Simmons as the family matriarch, and other late '80's/early '90's talent. I have heard rumors that there is a Dark Shadows movie in the works, with Johnny Depp developing the role of Barnabas.

Yum, yum.

Twilight Exclusive Cruise to Alaska

Anyone want to go on a cruise?


http://www.examiner.com/x-5218-Seattle-North-American-Travel-Examiner~y2009m6d2-Twilight-cruise-to-Alaska-schelduled-for-2010