Weather: the lamb that was supposed to come out of March must be pissed (which is understandable, because on Tuesday Janelle and I ate her brother).
So...Twilight. Yes, the very one that the country was mad about for so very long (still is?). The movie was all right. Much more to-the-point than the book, and since I only read about 50 pages into that verbal attrocity (my personal limit, though some books I will give 60 just out of habit), I can only assume that it followed a similar plotline to the book.
If I had been sixteen and still in love with vampires (though I still love the idea), I think that I could see the appeal. There is nothing more romantic in the world than the poison idea that you could possibly be everything to a man, that you could be what he has spent his whole very long life looking for, that he would give up everything for you. Not that men can't be dedicated husbands and boyfriends. This is not the argument that I make. My argument is about depth, frequency and also practicality. No, practicality has no place in romance, but that is precisely what can make romance so dangerous.
So, depth. From what I have seen, most men have missions in life, and most of the time those missions do not involve a woman unless she is unattainable. So, even the most dedicated lover could never have you on his thoughts 24/7, and while it is a very romantic notion, why would you want him to constantly think about you? It would be tiresome. Where would his ideas and passions lie? What could he contribute? After all, you already have yourself, so what would you need him for?
Frequency? Ok, beautiful man standing in my room watching me sleep. Again, romantic notion, in reality? STALKER! I think of that song by Sting, "Every move you make, every step you take, I'll be watching you." Holy crap! That's really not a very pleasant thought. And, as someone who has been stalked, it really does not matter how attractive the person is, it's scary. And if that person wants to eat you, literally, where is the draw, beyond the gothic, sexy notion of passionate vampire kisses? You'll be dead, and then what?
Another angle of frequency, though, is eternal love. Of course at sixteen you think you'll be in love forever with that broody, dreamy vampire (or guitar player), but that's a sixteen year old notion that most girls grow out of when they become women. Then there's the forever thing. Til Death do you Part. That's marriage. For most, that's 60 years. From what I've seen, that much time is a hell of a lot of work. Longer than that, you'd want to find another lover. Seriously. So why would you want to take on an eternal blood diet where you can't go into the sun without sparkling like one of Liz Taylor's diamonds?
That pretty much sums up practicality, too.
It's probably a good thing that I watch these movies alone. I do watch shows and movies to be entertained, and I can suspend reality for the sake of enjoyment (I actually thought of the cure vs. disease thing because of a Dr. Who episode), but I have to already like something a lot to dump reality into some seedy rest home, even for a few hours.
That's all I'm saying.
OK, leave it to me to be "disagree" girl. ;) However, I must speak on behalf of those who see much more in the Twilight books. I was not a fan of Twilight so much - I see the same mundane in the Edward/ Bella dynamic. However! One cannot judge the series until reading the next three books. Out of mere curiosity, I trudged onward, and will never regret it. I don't know if this is because important people with deep pockets contributed to her later books or if it is because the first introduction of Edward and Bella finding one another is supposed to be self-indulgent. As the werewolves and their Native American ancestry are woven in and the history of the Cullens and the world they live in on an individual basis is recounted, there is much more depth. Also, the very life-like realization that Edward will NOT always be available for her and the dark that follows that makes the story less supernatural and reminds us she is a somewhat normal human with normal issues. Read the books. Yes, there are too many words in them and the writer gives us way more information than we need, but the excessive rambling of Anne Rice (your fave) is no different. I agree, she is much more of a genious than Stephenie, but Stephenie pulls some interesting twists out of nowhere. And after the final battle of #4, call me.
ReplyDeleteI will except your challenge, but I can't really tell you when that will be. Indeed, the more I think about the movie the more intrigued I am with the dynamic of the Cullen family and the Native American lore, but I sincerely wish that the books had more of Rice's elegance or Rawling's simple and exciting wording. It's difficult for me to trudge through bad writing in order to get at a good story.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that most people want to be loved in a very enduring manner. I never had a fascination with Vampires although it does seem to me that there are plenty of people around who try to suck the life out of you, just in a different way.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I read in a dream analyzer that often when we dream about vampires it is for that very reason.
ReplyDeleteAnd, after better consideration, I think that I will wait for the movies.
Also also wik, I don't really read Anne Rice any more for that very reason. A couple of years ago I bought many of the Stephen King novels and don't read those, either. As always, I like our friend, Neil. He is brilliantly succinct and still turns out interesting tales.
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to read those whose writing I would like to emulate. One good thing about Twilight is that I am determined to write a better story than her! :-)
I am receiving Twilight on Monday from blockbuster. I haven't read any of the books. I'll give my take on the movie after I've seen it.
ReplyDeleteHowever, movies have always been a representation of unrealistic love. It would be nice to feel the passion that you feel when you first connect with someone but that only lasts for a time. Hopefully a more mature love sets in. Then you are free to sit back and be thoroughly entertained by an unrealistic romance movie.
Sigh Emily must everything be overthought? :)While I did enjoy the series I did get irritated at times with parts of the plot being drawn out indefinitly. It is one thing to build suspense but another thing to draw things out just to eek another book out of it. The series is certainly directed at a younger demographic, those of the hormones raging, boys are everything, and passionate love lasts forever age. I thought back to those times as I was reading the books and was glad to have moved on to a more emotionally stable part of my life!
ReplyDelete"After all, it is books above our level that educated us. Books on our level flatter us, make us think that we are wise when we are not, while books above our level act as a challenge to the intellect. One who comes back even from an unsuccessful wrestle with the Divine Comedy or the second part of Goethe's Faust will find whole acres of modern literature no longer tempting to him; he has grown past their need and service."
ReplyDelete--Edward Howard Griggs, The Use of the Margin