Virtual Fulfillment

After I had finished the Twilight Saga, I spent some time reading reviews and interviews to find out the heart of the Twilight phenomenon. I decided after a little investigation that Stephenie Meyer is hard to dislike. She is a transparent person, and very frank about her writing and with her fans, which is refreshing. In several of her interviews I have read her story of how she wrote Twilight and the inspiration behind the novel, and I have found that it illuminates, at least to me, why Twilight is such a sensation. Mrs. Meyer wrote Twilight to satisfy herself. Twilight, and the books that follow are appealing to so many people because they are the ultimate in vicarious relationship satisfaction. What seemed so remarkable was that so many people happen to become so addicted to her particular brand of heroin, so to speak. When I finished reading the books and let the ideas percolate through my mind I think I understood better the mass appeal—it combines winning elements of fantasy and wish-fulfillment with a stimulating (and I don’t mean mentally) sub-plot of sexual tension.

There has been much said about the abstinence sub-context of the Bella-Edward relationship, which is one of the more intriguing aspects of the book that I was interested in investigating when I began reading them a few months ago. The inversion of the traditional roles of sexually aggressive guy and reticent virginal girl was unexpected, and Bella’s aversion to marriage I found completely surprising (and annoying). However, I would go a long way before I would classify these books as pro-abstinence, or as promoting a generally positive sexual message. It is actually not the story that I object to. I am not interested in the feminist tirades against the inequality of the relationship, or their vociferous objection to Bella’s selfless love for her unborn child (one of the best and most believable things about her character for me, because I have experienced that truly eclipsing love of a mother for her child, whether it has been born or not), or the invectives against Edward as a stalker-type who manipulates Bella in an abusive relationship (they are both shameless manipulators in my opinion). I am not a feminist and I was never bothered by the things that seem to cause them to hyperventilate. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl are intensely attracted to one another. Boy and girl overcome internal and external obstacles that threaten their relationship. Boy and girl get married. Boy and girl have sex. Boy and girl have baby. That is not a problem for me. I don’t find it terrifying that young women have devoured books with this story line. What concerns me, though, is the reason why.

Although Bella and Edward keep their hands to themselves in a reasonably admirable fashion, I have no doubt that the main effort of the writing is aimed at cultivating and dwelling in the sensation of that first blush of love—the racing heart, the thrill, the shiver down the spine that accompany the desire of new love. In fact, it is difficult to ascertain exactly what Bella means when she refers to her intense love for Edward, for as far as I can see, she is mostly referring to the physical response he provokes in her.  While it is no doubt very strong, being attracted to someone is not the same thing as love. There is nothing wrong with love and the sensations that love creates, but purposefully either attempting to fabricate those sensations or indulge them through fantasy is a dangerous place to live.