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A hundred-odd pages into Eclipse now and ah, she is bringing in the won't somebody PLEASE think of the children??!? "think about this, child" arguments... posited by characters that the narrative has already discredited, such as Bella's ineffectual parents and the one member of Edward's family who hasn't been on Bella's side so far. {ticks "straw-man arguments against narrative's perspective" off checklist} So far this is shaping up to be the volume where things start going seriously off the meta-rails with the physical and emotional interferences with Bella's life in the service of separating her from other influences. I'd be willing to bet the writer would be very surprised and offended to have it pointed out to her that she's basically describing the operational mechanisms of a cult... as a desirable thing.
Coincidentally, I just stumbled across a recent posting by NK Jemisin on the issue of womanhood in fantasy, which she concludes by pointing out, "Basically, we need more women like Sunako, whose strength comes from something inside her". And I think this is at the heart of the problem with Twilight: Bella's focus is completely external to herself. This is certainly something that's encouraged by many cultures, yes; women in particular should ideally not have any existence beyond that conferred onto them by others, whether that's "somebody's wife" or "somebody's mother" or "somebody's dress-up doll". I suppose there's an argument to be made in there that men are subject to this as well vis-a-vis the strictures of cultures or gods, but that way lies The Fountainhead and I'm already regretting starting this damn book. And men, at any rate, aren't in quite the same position; they at least get to report directly to that higher authority, while expecting women to apply through them...
Um. Anyway. Reining the argument back in towards the subject at hand, because if we get started about Paul we'll be here all night, I can see where some of the appeal of these books is that of a flight towards certainty in a confusing world, whether that be the figurative storms of adolescence or the turbulence of current events. It would be so nice to hand over responsibility to someone else who Knows Better, to say my decision's been made for me by this love beyond my control and I have to just go along with it. And whether that's love of daddy, or country, or husband, or god...
Is it completely weird of me that I'm finding the creepiest part of this book about vampires is the part that has nothing to do with the actual vampirism at all?
Coincidentally, I just stumbled across a recent posting by NK Jemisin on the issue of womanhood in fantasy, which she concludes by pointing out, "Basically, we need more women like Sunako, whose strength comes from something inside her". And I think this is at the heart of the problem with Twilight: Bella's focus is completely external to herself. This is certainly something that's encouraged by many cultures, yes; women in particular should ideally not have any existence beyond that conferred onto them by others, whether that's "somebody's wife" or "somebody's mother" or "somebody's dress-up doll". I suppose there's an argument to be made in there that men are subject to this as well vis-a-vis the strictures of cultures or gods, but that way lies The Fountainhead and I'm already regretting starting this damn book. And men, at any rate, aren't in quite the same position; they at least get to report directly to that higher authority, while expecting women to apply through them...
Um. Anyway. Reining the argument back in towards the subject at hand, because if we get started about Paul we'll be here all night, I can see where some of the appeal of these books is that of a flight towards certainty in a confusing world, whether that be the figurative storms of adolescence or the turbulence of current events. It would be so nice to hand over responsibility to someone else who Knows Better, to say my decision's been made for me by this love beyond my control and I have to just go along with it. And whether that's love of daddy, or country, or husband, or god...
Is it completely weird of me that I'm finding the creepiest part of this book about vampires is the part that has nothing to do with the actual vampirism at all?
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