Blogging Stephenie Meyer's New Moon

I'm back from my second-life vacation (if only there'd been a vacation in my first life as well), and I'm reading New Moon, the second book in Stephenie Meyer's best-selling YA vampire series. Of course, the big news is about Eclipse, the third and newest book in the series, which just hit shelves two weeks ago. Eclipse is getting the star treatment, sharing display space with the final Harry Potter book in the power aisle at Barnes & Noble.

It seems that Meyer has been tapped to replace J. K. Rowling as the YA media darling, although they're writing for rather different audiences. If the Harry Potter books are Dickensian, Meyer's vampire series--which includes Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse--might be called Bronte-esque. Despite the trappings of fantasy, Meyer is writing classic Gothic romance in the style of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, with a dash of Romeo and Juliet for extra pathos.

Bella Swan, an accident-prone high school student, falls madly in love with Edward Cullen, the most breathtakingly handsome boy she's ever met. Edward is mysterious, intelligent, rich, and a vampire. He struggles to keep his distance, but Bella's frequent brushes with danger force him to rescue her again and again. It's easy to see why the series is so popular, especially among teenage girls. Meyer takes an innovative approach to the conventions of vampire lit, and she masterfully conveys all the breathless passion and profound significance of first love without a hint of condescension.

You're Too Good For Me

As I read New Moon, however, I'm troubled by the same thing that marred my enjoyment of Twilight: the heroine's utter lack of self-worth. Bella sees herself as average and plain, remarkable only for her klutziness, and she can't imagine what Edward (gorgeous, sophisticated, and immortal) could possibly see in her. Doubtless many readers can identify with this feeling of unworthiness ("he could have any girl he wanted, so why would he choose me?"), but Bella constantly grovels before Edward's perceived superiority. She begs for his kisses, which inflame her with passion while he remains cool (literally as well as figuratively). When another vampire attacks her, she apologizes. She's ready to die for Edward, willing (even anxious) to throw away her soul so they can be together.

Like Jane Eyre, Bella regards her lover as her master and is in danger of making him her idol. The difference is that Jane does assert her own worth, and she doesn't wait until the end of the novel to do it, either. She accuses Edward Rochester of toying with her emotions, insists that she is his equal, and even risks hurting her lover in order to do what is right. Bella, on the other hand, consistently submits to her Edward's manipulation, miserably telling herself that she's not good enough for him.

Enthralling as Meyer's story is, I believe Bella's masochism sends a dangerous message to young women about what it means to be in love. As I read through New Moon, I'm hoping to see Bella become less like Heathcliff, a man of violent passions who insists that his soul is buried with his dead love, and more like Jane, a woman who is able to love passionately without losing herself.