Nuala Sevenwaters
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- Posted: Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:59:43 +0000
I have read the first Twilight book and began the second (out of sheer boredom). I have read all the Harry Potter novels and have seen all the movies thus far (and to further extend my geekiness I am secretary of the Quidditch Club at my university). I obviously lean towards the Harry Potter side.
I have to say that thus far I have been very impressed with some of the arguments that have been presented here. Unfortunatly they have all been for HP. I have not seen an argument for Twilight that has made me stop and think "Well, maybe they have a point" and go into further consideration for the series. Most of the arguments for Twilight have been "at least she's orginal with the mythology". Yes, she has been "original" but not in a good way. Vampire myth originated over several countries and evolved over time. From people opening graves and seeing the swelling of blood or how nails and hair can still grow after death, etc. to the historical figures such as Vlad the Impaler (known as Dracula "son of the Dragon" because he father's nickname was Dracul "Dragon" wink and the countess who would bath and drink the blood of virgins untill she was imprisoned in her own castle till her death. However, Meyers "originality" is offset by how terrible her writing is. She is inconsistent with her details and I'm fairly certain she does not know how to use half the words in her books or what they really mean. Besides, can you imagine would the HP-verse would have been like if Rowling started creating her own mythology? The books would the three times as thick in order for her to describe the beings and how they are different from how we already understand them.
The characters in Twilight are, to put in bluntly, pathetic. "Edward isn't abusive or controlling. He's looking out for the best for Bella." He watches her in her SLEEP. He follows her around everywhere. You'd think that he would put up an effort to get along with her friends, but instead she has to always be with the vampire group unless it's a sunny day out. If any of the people in fictional Forks were actually intelligent they would have noticed something being up with the Cullens. Edward is unbearingly emo and self-loathing. It's a good thing Bella is so stupid leastwise she would have killed herself with how depressing Edward is (which would do us all a favor). Yes, the characters in HP can be emo and self-loathing to, but for good reason. Lupin, when Tonks was going to have a baby. As he said, none of his kind really mutliply in such a way. Harry got Lupin out of that rut fairly quickly. Even Harry himself went into a fit (which got very annoying) but that was because he blamed himself so thoroughly for Sirius' death. All the times the characters got emo and self-loathing it was for better development both for the story and characters themselves.
True, it's not really fair to compair HP and Twilight, but it will always be done because their both so popular. Twilight became popular after the last book of the HP series. For some it will be seen as a successor and comparisons will be made.
As for the romance in the series, Twilight can be overwhelming. And I agree, it leaves a bad impression on tweens. Hopefully, once they experience real relationships they will realize the folly of believing in Twilight and correct their mindset.
If you want a good fantasy romance, read Daughter of the Forrest by Juliet Marilier and the succeeding books. Those are a worth while read.
and Kudos to people who will actually read through this.
I have to say that thus far I have been very impressed with some of the arguments that have been presented here. Unfortunatly they have all been for HP. I have not seen an argument for Twilight that has made me stop and think "Well, maybe they have a point" and go into further consideration for the series. Most of the arguments for Twilight have been "at least she's orginal with the mythology". Yes, she has been "original" but not in a good way. Vampire myth originated over several countries and evolved over time. From people opening graves and seeing the swelling of blood or how nails and hair can still grow after death, etc. to the historical figures such as Vlad the Impaler (known as Dracula "son of the Dragon" because he father's nickname was Dracul "Dragon" wink and the countess who would bath and drink the blood of virgins untill she was imprisoned in her own castle till her death. However, Meyers "originality" is offset by how terrible her writing is. She is inconsistent with her details and I'm fairly certain she does not know how to use half the words in her books or what they really mean. Besides, can you imagine would the HP-verse would have been like if Rowling started creating her own mythology? The books would the three times as thick in order for her to describe the beings and how they are different from how we already understand them.
The characters in Twilight are, to put in bluntly, pathetic. "Edward isn't abusive or controlling. He's looking out for the best for Bella." He watches her in her SLEEP. He follows her around everywhere. You'd think that he would put up an effort to get along with her friends, but instead she has to always be with the vampire group unless it's a sunny day out. If any of the people in fictional Forks were actually intelligent they would have noticed something being up with the Cullens. Edward is unbearingly emo and self-loathing. It's a good thing Bella is so stupid leastwise she would have killed herself with how depressing Edward is (which would do us all a favor). Yes, the characters in HP can be emo and self-loathing to, but for good reason. Lupin, when Tonks was going to have a baby. As he said, none of his kind really mutliply in such a way. Harry got Lupin out of that rut fairly quickly. Even Harry himself went into a fit (which got very annoying) but that was because he blamed himself so thoroughly for Sirius' death. All the times the characters got emo and self-loathing it was for better development both for the story and characters themselves.
True, it's not really fair to compair HP and Twilight, but it will always be done because their both so popular. Twilight became popular after the last book of the HP series. For some it will be seen as a successor and comparisons will be made.
As for the romance in the series, Twilight can be overwhelming. And I agree, it leaves a bad impression on tweens. Hopefully, once they experience real relationships they will realize the folly of believing in Twilight and correct their mindset.
If you want a good fantasy romance, read Daughter of the Forrest by Juliet Marilier and the succeeding books. Those are a worth while read.
and Kudos to people who will actually read through this.
