Twilight and Mormonism

Thanks to all of you who attended the Twilight book talk at Barnes and Noble on Thursday night. We had a great discussion, and I heard some fascinating ideas, especially relating to Mormonism.

Much has been made of author Stephenie Meyer’s religion, usually along the lines of “What’s a nice Mormon girl like you doing writing about vampires?” Two people who came to the book talk identified themselves as Mormon or Latter-Day Saints (LDS) and I thought their responses to the series were very interesting.

Nancy, a grad student in technical editing, hasn’t read any of the books, but she’s heard a lot about it from her husband, an 8th-grade teacher whose female students and colleagues have been raving about the series. Nancy didn’t find the subject of vampires very appealing, but she did become interested when she learned that the author, Stephenie Meyer, is LDS. Not only did Nancy want to support a fellow Mormon, but she felt reassured that this “vampire romance” wouldn’t be frightening or sexually offensive.

John, a genetics major, is the first male Twilight reader I’ve met, although I’ve heard about others. Several young women have told me they gave the book to their guy friends and boyfriends, who became fans. True to form, John read the series because some girls (his sisters) recommended it to him. He said he wasn’t terribly interested in the romance (he couldn’t relate to Bella’s gushing admiration of Edward’s good looks), but he liked the vampire angle and he found that the books reflected familiar Mormon theology.

For example, Mormons believe that we must “overcome the natural man,” that is, conquer our baser instincts and our tendency toward sin. Similarly, Edward and his adoptive family struggle to “overcome the natural vampire”: they deny their thirst for human blood and hunt only animals. John was also fascinated by the idea of immortality, although we didn’t talk about how that might relate to Mormonism.

John and Nancy, I really enjoyed meeting you and I hope to see you again at the book release party on Aug. 1. I'd love to hear more of your ideas!