I don't know if I can say why there is THAT much of an uproar about the books. I read them. I disliked them heartily. But I read them because I fancy myself a future YA writer, and one who writes about female protagonists in a fantasy setting, and those books are immensely popular. The fact that I may find them (as I do) so poorly written as to be annoying (and more so book after book) does not change the fact that teenage girls really liked them. So I thought that I might be able to learn something of value by reading them.
But I don't think they are the biggest EVIL on the planet or the biggest danger EVER to teen girls. I tend to not get all up in arms about teen reading except to the extent that they are NOT reading. I was a teen reader. I read the most "inappropriate" stuff from the age of 10 on, and I seem to have turned out okay. I don't tend to think that groups like PTAs should be getting together to talk of banning books or thinking that they are the worst things that could ever happen to their children.
That said, I am *bothered* by the books and think they are ripe for and should be subject to strong criticism that creates discussion about the stories. The difference for me between the Potter books is that to a large extent the Potter books are about what Harry *does*, while these books are about what is *done* to our heroine. That greater emphasis on being acted upon, *especially* in a female protagonist, bothers me. In, you know, the academic, subject to criticism sort of sense.
Also, I do think there is an emphasis on "Love is Possession" in the Twilight books that ought not to be celebrated in books aimed at tween girls. The conflation of love/ownership/potential for violence/passion, presented without a critical eye but instead almost as something to celebrate, seriously squicks me out.
But this is not something new or unique, right? So many of the romancesI read when I was younger--including those aimed at teens--had this same focus. Or, you know, *Gossip Girl* type TV shows (which I do admit I sometimes watch), or music videos or slasher flicks. The "your boyfriend's crazed jealousy means he loves you" trope is neither new nor unique to Twilight. So while I dislike the books, and I think there is a lot in them to which we could and should apply social/feminist criticism, I'm not about to start a bonfire in my backyard, either.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2008-09-24 08:10 pm (UTC)But I don't think they are the biggest EVIL on the planet or the biggest danger EVER to teen girls. I tend to not get all up in arms about teen reading except to the extent that they are NOT reading. I was a teen reader. I read the most "inappropriate" stuff from the age of 10 on, and I seem to have turned out okay. I don't tend to think that groups like PTAs should be getting together to talk of banning books or thinking that they are the worst things that could ever happen to their children.
That said, I am *bothered* by the books and think they are ripe for and should be subject to strong criticism that creates discussion about the stories. The difference for me between the Potter books is that to a large extent the Potter books are about what Harry *does*, while these books are about what is *done* to our heroine. That greater emphasis on being acted upon, *especially* in a female protagonist, bothers me. In, you know, the academic, subject to criticism sort of sense.
Also, I do think there is an emphasis on "Love is Possession" in the Twilight books that ought not to be celebrated in books aimed at tween girls. The conflation of love/ownership/potential for violence/passion, presented without a critical eye but instead almost as something to celebrate, seriously squicks me out.
But this is not something new or unique, right? So many of the romancesI read when I was younger--including those aimed at teens--had this same focus. Or, you know, *Gossip Girl* type TV shows (which I do admit I sometimes watch), or music videos or slasher flicks. The "your boyfriend's crazed jealousy means he loves you" trope is neither new nor unique to Twilight. So while I dislike the books, and I think there is a lot in them to which we could and should apply social/feminist criticism, I'm not about to start a bonfire in my backyard, either.
Sorry this got so long.