Is Twilight‘s Appeal A Generational Dog Whistle?

Great post. I'm 45, male, father of several kids, and the host of TwilightNewsSite.com. We discussed this issue in depth on our most recent podcast. Here's the “Readers Digest” version (I can actually use that phrase with you and you'll know what it means; I'm stoked!): The story of Bella Swan, the ugly duckling, extends beyond a girl-meets-boy story. The archetypal framework is of the seeker, a human seeking for God. It is largely an allegory for searching for the meaningful and transcendent in life. Bella and Edward are both living pretty sucky lives, and find in one another a savior, discovering that through love, commitment and sacrifice that they can transcend their world weariness. Despite (because of?) her humanity, Bella — a profoundly unreliable narrator with an unpolished narrative style — saves Edward (her guardian angel) and everyone else in the series, while never even seeing herself very clearly… until the very, very end after she discovers the divine within herself. To that end, the author puts forward various values and morals as helping people reach their potential, including chastity. And there we reach the crux of the matter: if you believe in God and are somewhat desperately seeking Him -or- if you believe that life can be a meaningful and rich experience if you choose wisely -or- if you believe that true love can be the path to transcendence, then you are more likely to enjoy Twilight. If you're an atheist, absurdist philosopher, or are bitter about love, then you probably would not only dislike Twilight, but hate it. And, possibly lash out to those who are happily enriching the meaning of their lives through their appreciation of the meaningfulness of the work. The gnashing of teeth you hear are those very people angry at mere thought that someone's life could be enriched by this book. But they are, which is why they love it. Is there a generational tilt to whether a person falls into the hopeful and believing side vs. the cynical and doubtful side. Yes, as you observe, there may be.

Girls by nature hate all other girls.

Um, I don't see what I've read and heard about Twilight to be much different than the popular adult Laurell K Hamilton Anita Blake novels, minus the “devil's threeways” that become so prominent later in that series (I had to read the first and something like the fifth novel for a university course). Both are atrociously written, yet somehow fulfill some ridiculous need in their audience for a female protagonist who is the centre of sexual attention for supernatural beasts.

I'll have to agree about Laural K. Hamilton; I actually felt dirty the last time I read one of her's.

No way. I can't agree with anyone who thinks that anyone who can't appreciate Twilight is a bitter cynic. I'm a Christian, believe in love and though I can be a cynic at times I've been described as a romantic many times. Twilight isn't about a search for truth, or a discovering of the divine. Unless you're thinking that somehow vampirism (which is described as more often than not to be a curse) is divine. Bella was never the ugly duckling, at best she was just plain. She doesn't love Edward because of his lifestyle, or vice versa since the “love” pretty much manifested without either of them knowing much about each other. Doesn't Bella eventually become one of these vampires? How does Bella reach us with her humanity if she eventually becomes one of these creatures? Twilight doesn't teach us about God and embracing humanity, it teaches us that humanity sucks.

I've no problems with the franchise, but you can't just paint all Twilight haters with the same brush.

I'm 40. I really liked the first movie but hated the second. I get that Twilight and Vampire Diaries are very similiar to Buffy and Angel, but I can still enjoy them. I read the first 40 pages of the first Potter book. I couldn't stand it. But I liked those movies.

I know very little about the Twilight Saga–only that it does not look like my kind of thing (the movies at least). I did read Harry Potter, though, and while it was enjoyable I also know that there were better books out there that no one was reading. I find that a lot of people engage this stuff not because of genuine quality but because of hype and perceived popularity. Kind of the same reason why the Greatest Comic Ever gets canceled while everyone else keeps buying X-Men.

Its just like Star Wars to me. Its just that Twilight isn't marketed for sci-nerds instead it is seen as a teen girl crazy thing. In any movie event i have seen i have noticed that quality isn't measured by any true talent being displayed by writer or director no its all based on who liked it. So Twilight is fine it has nothing to do with generation and more to do with perception like everything else. After all there are like 50 year old women who love Twilight, why are they there? i bet it is because they LIKE it they like the romance they like the story, and who are we to tell them what they like sucks? After all didn't people like Avatar? and other than the fancy CGI wasn't that a complete peace of drivel.

considering that you are just a sandwich, we can't really expect a relevant comment from you

I , for one, dread TWILIGHT. I think the films are pure Hollywood crap and they are cranked out to be cash cows for the generation. Why the Twilight movies have appeal? because the majority of the people going to see these movies take them at face value. They dont analyze every scene, critic on dialogue and scene structure, analyze the cgi. The fans just enjoy it. They enjoy the story and action.

There's something there in your post I felt compelled to comment on…

“if you believe in God and are somewhat desperately seeking Him -or- if you believe that life can be a meaningful and rich experience if you choose wisely -or- if you believe that true love can be the path to transcendence, then you are more likely to enjoy Twilight. If you're an atheist, absurdist philosopher, or are bitter about love, then you probably would not only dislike Twilight, but hate it. And, possibly lash out to those who are happily enriching the meaning of their lives through their appreciation of the meaningfulness of the work.”

Here's my personal point of contention:
I'm the former in the type of person I am. I have faith in the ideal of God and Heaven. To me it's more spirituality than religion, though. To me religion is one viewpoint and spirituality is a more open perception of the idea and theology of God. I have faith…I seek God's guidance and pray for His/Her/Whatever God Is strength. And I say that at the risk of sounding like a militant religious zealot…believe me, none of that from me. I also believe that love matters and can lead you to good things. It's worked for me so far in my life.

In saying all that, I don't really have any or even a little interest in Twilight.

I find that writing I've quoted up above to be too much of a broad generalization that cannot in any way, shape, or form be applicable to everyone who either loves Twilight or is not interested in it. And also I want to stress that I don't hate on it either. In fact I have a certain level of respect for it and for True Blood on getting more females into comics, sci-fi, and genre entertainment (not that I'd compare True Blood to Twilight, which I've been told is far better than Twilight, but I haven't watched it yet…still I plan to and have more interest in it).

I don't see the point in doing so. It's just another fad that a bunch of people are into, that's it. BUT I also do feel that the things I've read and have been told by a few more Twilight fan/friends of the characterizations as well as where the stories go isn't all that healthy for the target demographic to take in…young teen girls.
If I had a daughter in that demographic I'd hate for her to come away from a book and/or movie that portrays the leading young lady as indecisive and lost, willing to take the crap of some boy and feel that the sun rises and sets in his glimmering in the sunlight eyes.
I'd want her to read and watch something that didn't portray the leading young lady as so co-dependent that she has no real sense of herself until it's just about too late. I'd want any daughter I had to read/watch a female character who is more strong and determined. Faithful and truthful of her self assuredness. Someone who wouldn't just turn away from her family because she has a boy interested in her in that intense way. And then there's the stuff on the age of the vampire Edward. Technically he's ages old and way beyond adult in years, lusting over a teenage girl. Statutory rape symbolism, it sounds like to me. And one friend told me of Jacob the wolfkid feeling a love for the girl's baby in the last stories…so what does this tell us…when she becomes of teenage he'll go after her to, having left his mark on her? When my friend who loves Twilight told me that, I responded that part should end with Chris Hanson from NBC's To Catch A Predator taking both Jacob and Edward aside saying, “Could you two just have seat right over there!”

Like I said, it doesn't interest me. I have no inclination to watch it or read the books. Just not my cup of Lipton. I guess I'm just indifferent to it.

I find the Twilight “phenomenon” as predictable as it's unwelcome.

Unconvincing characters, terrible writing and overwhelming displays of single minded selfishness permeate the series and to me, Bella is the most unlikeable character ever commited to paper or celluloid.

I definitely dont see perceptions of Twilight as being affected by generation at all as age should never really have any real bearing when considering creativity.

Ann Rices Lestat books definitely struck the right balance as regards Vampire/human interaction and the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood books and TV series are a helluva lot more respectable in terms of overall creativity than the insipid meanderings of Twilight.

I'm 17 years old, and absolutely hate Twilight. The writing is appalling, the acting is wooden and the directing is so poor David Slade should be a dead cert receive a golden raspberry award for worst director. The reason the films are so successful, in my experience, is because people can't get enough of Robert Pattinson.

The Harry Potter novels are exceptionally well written. So much so that classes at Harvard are being offered to study the archetypes and myths JK Rowling wove into her stories. Twilight on the other hand is prepubescent drivel. The plot in every book is juvenile and a complete ripoff of the Sookie Stackhouse novels; just 20 degrees lower in quality. Bella is about as weak a female lead character as you could write, always needing the strength of man to get her by. The franchise has cute faces and that's it. It's not generational. Ten years from now, VH1 will do a Remember the 2000s episode and comedians and celebrities will joke at how bad it is.

As a 16 year old, I think I understand what the writer is trying to say. A lot of my 30-something friends ADORE movies like “The Goonies” and such, and I'VE never understood their appeal. On the other hand, Someone explained the, quite frankly, unhealthy cultural obsession with Twilight: It's abstinance porn for Girls. I mean, let's be honest here. If you've had to read the books, as I have, then you know the whole purpose of the characters Jake and Edward is to be Bella's Eye Candy, and to fight over here. What I personally believe Ms. Meyer did was take what would be just a simple fanfic over here in the internet, sexualize the characters to the point where people kind of lust over them, without making it too much, published it, and then had an amazing marketer bring out all the romantic fanfic writers and fans into the open.

Because as a Guy, I can honestly speak when I've had more than 1 friend get dumped because they aren't their gal's Ideal. When asked, they ALL replied “edward” or “jake”. Most of my friends hate twilight mainly for the fact that now it's about 10000x harder to even CONNECT with a girl, because they're drooling all over the characters.

The Toronto Star did a similar article when new moon was released: http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/vampires/a…

I am a professor at Lemoyne College(go dolphins!) and I actually teach a class about co-teach a class about Harry Potter and another on Twilight. I personally don't like either series but we offer the classes as part of the education masters to help better understand what kids are currently reading. I have been pushing the rest of the faculty to expand the Harry Potter class to be more about general fantasy fiction and the twilight class to about general horror fiction(even though twilight itself is not horror it takes elements from horror and makes them kid-friendly).

The point of this that just because schools like Harvard are teaching classes about a specific book does not mean it is a good book, it means that the book is relevant to culture at the moment. Also you have to factor in peoples personal taste. If a professor likes a certain book and they have tenure, they are going to work that content into their classes.

Well, as a 21 yr old. I caught all of the Harry Potter franchise, and as an avid reader i've gotten my hands on everything from Geoff's Blackest Night (hence me having this site saved to my favorites) to Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, and everything in-between such as Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and Kane Chronicle's (both of which are great) so i can consider myself well-read, or at least say i get around. And i hated Twilight. I read every single 1, bc i love my gf and she asked me to read them with her…but i don't get it. Bella's annoying (which most twilight fans will admit, if u admit to having read the books and force them to consider ur words) Edward is possesive, Jacob needs a hobby (or ta get laid..) I just don't see what it has going for it. So no, don't think it's generational, not with the number of teenage girls, young women, and married mother's swooning over it. I just think w/o the perfect XX pairing, you can't get past how much it sucks to buy the love story that boarders on interdependancy that lies w/in.

“If you're an atheist, absurdist philosopher, or are bitter about love, then you probably would not only dislike Twilight, but hate it. And, possibly lash out to those who are happily enriching the meaning of their lives through their appreciation of the meaningfulness of the work.”
“So all I am saying is that if you are not a hopeful person, then you are less likely to agree with the themes in Twilight.”
I could not disagree more. I could be misunderstanding you and I apologize if I am, but it seems that you are saying that Atheist are not hopeful, aggressive, and don't understand love. If that is the case then your statements are very egotistical and incredibly detached from reality.
Atheist tend to be very hopeful, have an incredible love and appreciation for life as we only get the one, and generally are fairly well read, intelligent people. Atheist also tend, if any other atheists disagree feel free to say so, to thoroughly enjoy fiction of all kinds because we don't start reading a story trying to fit it into some mythological “belief” system. I think it would be very fair to say that an Atheist would be more likely to see all, or at least more of the themes in any given story than someone who tries to impose some sort of religious context on most things they encounter. Atheist are more often than not raised in religious households so they tend to know a great deal about religion. Their desire for knowledge and understanding of religion is what leads them into atheism. An actual atheist is a skeptic who wants to know more about something, not a cynic who dismisses it
.
Again, I am not trying to be insulting and while I respect your right to have and express your views I think you should understand other people better before you try to categorize them as somehow inferior.

I agree, though I think the Anita Blake series pays more of a homage to the era of pulp detective stories, but with supernatural elements. Though I have to admit that I have only read the first two books.
Twilight is more like a Harlequin romance written for tweens with supernatural elements. Neither is known for their high quality, but both have a quality that fans of those kinds of stories love. We may not like them and they may indeed be poorly written, but like everything else in life everyone has different preferences.

“They dont analyze every scene, critic on dialogue and scene structure, analyze the cgi. The fans just enjoy it. They enjoy the story and action.”
Which is the whole purpose of entertainment.

I have a young daughter and the truly sad part is that a lot of these younger boys, younger than you, are trying to appear to be like Jake or Edward. As a dad with a daughter I naturally think all boys are idiots, but these little jerks have caught on. They put on this act of being like the Twilight boys and get the girls to swoon over them.

The thing that kills me about this franchise isn't the so much how Meyers completely mutilated the mythology of vampires (i.e. sparkles), but that the story is so completely and totally messed up. It promotes the absolutely worst morals to their readers (who are predominantly young girls). The story doesn't promote true love, but rather a really unhealthy relationship.

I mean, the girl goes around claiming true-love for a man who is physically beautiful, but has no other positive traits. He stalks her, but at the same time emotionally abuses her, and later begins to control aspects of her life, such as who she can and cannot be friends with. Meanwhile the girl forgo her personal identity for the sake of this supposedly 'perfect man', and when he leaves her, she tries to kill herself multiple times. And then there's stuff like the werewolf having a romantic fixation with a newborn baby. Or the main character essentially raping the girl when she passes out. What kind of message is this sending kids?

And as others have mentioned, the writing is terrible. Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and other books and movies like those, had good writing. You didn't feel like you were reading bad fan fiction or watching a bad fan-film.

I don't think it's a generational thing. I hear multiple comments from women in their twenties to thirties that they're a little weirded out by /their mothers/ crushing on a chiseled-abs 17-year-old.

I think a good chunk of it's success among the tween set hinges on two things. One is the beauty of the two main young men as well as the idea that at least Edward will never grow old and get fat or have hair in his ears. 100 years can pass and he can still flip a quarter with his ab muscles.

The other main appeal is a more universal one, which we see in all sorts of other popular media: both boys are outsiders to the normal culture and can rescue Bella from the oncoming grind of adult life, something that most 14-year-old have juuuust begun to realize is going to happen much, much sooner than they're ready for. Become a vampire, or go off into the forest with wolf-boy and you get to make your own rules for the rest of your life – it's like Summer Vacation that never ends.

Wayne Ligon,

I think your view point is very cool and not at female fearing. Thank God.

Honestly I never thought of it the way you have considered. Some women are hot for attractive yet unusual guys and women have a lot of anxiety about growing older, vulnerable, and responsible.

• Wayne why do you think these concerns transcend age.
• Why do you think guys are so afraid to accept these anxieties expressed by women?
• Do you think these concerns are appropriately expressed in popular culture?