From television to books...

Some of you might remember that a couple years back I posted a short review of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight, having found it to be a more or less enjoyable if slightly uneven guilty-pleasure read. In the interim, as I'm sure that you've noticed unless you're deaf, dumb, and blind, it's become a bestselling series and something of a teen culture icon.

While I certainly understand the story's appeal to teenage girls - Ebert pretty much pinpoints it in his review of the movie - something has always bugged me slightly about its popularity among that demographic in particular. And now, browsing through reviews of the movie, I think I've managed to figure out what it is.

Stephanie Meyer's story bills itself as a vampire romance, and it is - but one that has far more in common with Lolita than with Casablanca. Which is to say, it's not a story about two equals who fall in love; it's a story about an obsessive relationship where one member holds all the power. There's a fairly significant difference there, both in the dynamic of the relationship and in its healthiness for both parties. And while I've not read past the first book in the series, I'm told that the controlling and abusive aspects of the main characters' relationship get stronger as it goes on.

Don't get me wrong; stories about obsessive romance can be very good ones, and at times extremely hot. And vampires are an excellent means by which to explore such themes, since the vampire by its very nature represents a codependent relationship. What bothers me a bit more is that Twilight, at least, doesn't seem to recognize that it's a story of obsession - it's presented as an almost idealized teen romance, and there seem to be far too many young girls out there who are perfectly willing to accept such a dynamic as a normal and healthy part of a relationship.

Just to be clear: I'm not calling for censorship. I've never understood people who want to censor popular stories because they contain "immoral themes" or whatnot. Obviously they don't realize that they're confusing cause and effect - in this particular case, young women have been and will continue to be attracted to the idea of obsessive relationships. Look at the popularity of The Phantom of the Opera, for instance. Ebert again hits the nail on the head: "Should a woman fall in love with a man because he desires her so much? Men seem to think so. It's not about the woman, it's about the man's desire." Sadly, this particular dynamic, dysfunctional and sexist as it is, is strongly encouraged in our culture. Twilight's popularity is merely a symptom of such.

From television to books...

Some of you might remember that a couple years back I posted a short review of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight, having found it to be a more or less enjoyable if slightly uneven guilty-pleasure read. In the interim, as I'm sure that you've noticed unless you're deaf, dumb, and blind, it's become a bestselling series and something of a teen culture icon.

While I certainly understand the story's appeal to teenage girls - Ebert pretty much pinpoints it in his review of the movie - something has always bugged me slightly about its popularity among that demographic in particular. And now, browsing through reviews of the movie, I think I've managed to figure out what it is.

Stephanie Meyer's story bills itself as a vampire romance, and it is - but one that has far more in common with Lolita than with Casablanca. Which is to say, it's not a story about two equals who fall in love; it's a story about an obsessive relationship where one member holds all the power. There's a fairly significant difference there, both in the dynamic of the relationship and in its healthiness for both parties. And while I've not read past the first book in the series, I'm told that the controlling and abusive aspects of the main characters' relationship get stronger as it goes on.

Don't get me wrong; stories about obsessive romance can be very good ones, and at times extremely hot. And vampires are an excellent means by which to explore such themes, since the vampire by its very nature represents a codependent relationship. What bothers me a bit more is that Twilight, at least, doesn't seem to recognize that it's a story of obsession - it's presented as an almost idealized teen romance, and there seem to be far too many young girls out there who are perfectly willing to accept such a dynamic as a normal and healthy part of a relationship.

Just to be clear: I'm not calling for censorship. I've never understood people who want to censor popular stories because they contain "immoral themes" or whatnot. Obviously they don't realize that they're confusing cause and effect - in this particular case, young women have been and will continue to be attracted to the idea of obsessive relationships. Look at the popularity of The Phantom of the Opera, for instance. Ebert again hits the nail on the head: "Should a woman fall in love with a man because he desires her so much? Men seem to think so. It's not about the woman, it's about the man's desire." Sadly, this particular dynamic, dysfunctional and sexist as it is, is strongly encouraged in our culture. Twilight's popularity is merely a symptom of such.