Sunday, August 10, 2008

Discussion Questions for Breaking Dawn

Ice-Breakers

1. What predictions had you made for this book? Which ones turned out to be accurate?

2. Did the title give you any clues as to what would happen in the fourth book?

3. How does the cover art (featuring a white queen and a red pawn on a chessboard) relate to the plot?

4. Which character is your favorite? Did this person significantly change or surprise you in Breaking Dawn?

5. Are there any characters you didn’t like before reading Breaking Dawn? Did the book change your mind about them at all?


Breaking Dawn and the Twilight Saga

6. How does Stephenie Meyer change the familiar legends of vampires (and werewolves) in the Twilight Saga? Do you like these changes or do you feel she is “sanitizing” the vampire to make this creature more acceptable?

7. Bella describes herself as ordinary-looking, clumsy, and accident-prone, but the name Bella (which means “beautiful”) and Swan (recalling the story of the ugly duckling) suggest that she will transform (or perhaps that she’s selling herself short from the beginning). Do you think her metamorphosis takes place entirely in Breaking Dawn or does she begin to transform earlier in the series? What changes do you see in Bella over the course of the series? How does Bella Cullen compare to the Bella Swan we meet in Twilight?

8. Bella is unique in that she has the choice of remaining human or becoming something other. This isn’t the case for the vampires, many of whom were attacked and violated, or for the werewolves, who are bound to the change by tribal tradition. Even those Carlisle “saved” were in no shape to make a decision about whether they’d rather live as vampires or die as humans. How does Bella’s freedom of choice affect the kind of vampire she becomes? Do you support the other decisions Bella makes in the series?

9. A lot of romances depend on the frustrated desire of the hero and heroine to build suspense. Once the characters marry and/or make love, the anticipation is over and it’s difficult to keep the reader interested. Does Meyer keep your interest after Bella and Edward overcome the barriers keeping them apart? How does she do this?

10. Did you like the switch to Jacob’s point of view in Breaking Dawn? What is Jake able to tell us that Bella (or Edward) couldn’t? Did hearing his side of the story change your view of him?

11. Meyer suggests that Jacob imprinted on Nessie even before she was born (possibly before she was even conceived), which might explain why the bond between Jacob and Bella has always been so strong. Do you find this explanation satisfying? Does this mean that the choice Bella made between Edward and Jacob was unnecessary on some level because Jacob’s love for her wasn’t “real”?

12. What do you like/dislike about the final showdown between the united vampire clans and the Volturis? Were the Volturis defeated or did they just make a tactical retreat, which means they might still be a threat?

13. A Mormon acquaintance explained that the Cullen family is trying to “overcome the natural vampire,” which is related to the Mormon belief that people must "overcome the natural man," rising above the normal tendencies toward sin. How are the issues of self-control, discipline, and sin important to this series?

14. Think about the Cullens, the Quileute tribe, Bella’s relationship with her parents, and the gathering of vampires in Breaking Dawn. How does Meyer change the traditional idea of “family” in the Twilight series? Would you call any of these families dysfunctional?


Intertextual Connections

15. Meyer says that one of her inspirations for Breaking Dawn was William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. At the beginning of Shakespeare’s play, a young man named Demetrius is trying to break up the lovers Lysander and Hermia; he doesn’t care that Helena is dying for love of him. Oberon, the fairy king, wants to punish his wife, so he instructs Puck to make her fall in love with something disgusting (a man with the head of a donkey). Oberon also tells Puck to make Demetrius love Helena, but Puck accidentally casts the spell on Lysander as well, so both men now love Helena while Hermia is left out in the cold.

Because this is a comedy, Puck is able to reverse the spells on everyone but Demetrius so that all the characters end up with the right partner. However, Breaking Dawn is not a comedy and the imprinting process is not reversible. What problems are caused by the imprinting? Do you see the imprinting as romantic or as a kind of curse, robbing people of their ability to choose a partner? How would you respond if you were the object of the imprinting?

16. Breaking Dawn also contains several references to another Shakespeare play, The Merchant of Venice. The wily Shylock tries to enforce a contract which entitles him to a pound of the merchant Antonio’s flesh; essentially, Shylock has found a way to commit a legal murder. However, a clever young woman named Portia, masquerading as a lawyer, argues that Shylock may claim the pound of flesh but he’s not entitled to any blood; if Shylock spills even a drop of Antonio’s blood, he will be arrested for murder. Of course, Shylock backs down.

How does this play relate to Breaking Dawn? Who plays the role of Portia in Meyer’s version?

17. In writing the Twilight Saga, Stephenie Meyer has made a number of references to other literary works. She claims that Twilight is based on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice; New Moon reworks Romeo and Juliet; Eclipse is her homage to Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights; and Breaking Dawn references A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Merchant of Venice. How do these literary allusions affect your understanding or enjoyment of the Twilight Saga? Has Meyer inspired you to read (or reread) any of the texts she mentions? Does Meyer’s series remind you of any other stories?

18. What other vampire books/series have you read? How do they compare to the Twilight Saga?


Wrap Up

20. Overall, did you find Breaking Dawn a satisfying conclusion to the Twilight Saga? Why or why not?

21. Does Breaking Dawn create any opportunities for a new series featuring some of the Twilight characters?

22. As you probably know, Meyer has promised to write Edward’s version of Twilight in a book called Midnight Sun. What predictions do you have for this book? What questions do you hope it will answer?

23. Until Meyer publishes again, what book(s) would you recommend to Twilight fans?

Monday, August 4, 2008

To Bella and Edward


At 11:30 on August 1, Twilighters gathered at Barnes & Noble and raised their glasses of blood-red Passion Tea to Stephenie Meyer and Breaking Dawn.

I was honored with the task of giving this toast. Here's what I said:


Thank you so much for joining us this evening for the latest (I won’t say
the final) chapter in the amazing story of the Twilight saga. In Twilight, Stephanie Meyer introduced us to a strange new world that challenged everything we thought we knew about vampires. A New Moon rose and broke our hearts, Eclipse achieved the impossible: a fragile
truce between sworn enemies, and now Breaking Dawn promises to take our breath away.

Many of you were swept up in the romance of a first love, others were intrigued by Meyer’s new telling of the old vampire legends, and still others were simply spell-bound by a captivating story. Stephenie Meyer has created living, breathing characters who touch us, who seem real to us, and we want all of them to have a happy ending, even when that seems impossible.

But tonight we’re here to celebrate a wedding. Even though some of us still harbor a soft spot for a certain werewolf [big cheer here from Team Jacob], and when an accident-prone disaster magnet tries to marry a vampire, absolutely anything can happen [cheers from everyone], I don’t think any of us want to bet against Alice.

Please join me in raising a glass to toast the imagination of Stephanie Meyer, the launch of Breaking Dawn, and the triumph of love over evil.
To Bella and Edward!




Breaking Dawn Predictions

I forgot to mention the contest Barnes & Noble held to predict 1) whether Bella and Edward will marry, 2) if Bella becomes a vampire, and 3) what will happen to Jacob.

A random drawing from the correct answers will be held on September 1. Prizes are Barnes & Noble gift cards.

Good luck!

Breaking Dawn--no spoilers, please!

Of course I got my copy of Breaking Dawn at midnight on Aug. 2, but I've got a lot of projects right now so I haven't had much time for reading.

PLEASE don't send me any hints or spoilers until I've posted about finishing the book. Stephenie Meyer is really good at building suspense and plot twists--I'm looking forward to being surprised.

Amazing Breaking Dawn Event

Thanks to everyone who attended Bella and Edward's vampire wedding reception at the Denton Barnes & Noble on Friday night. What a great time!

I was knocked out by the number of people who came in costume--either evening dress or Twilight-themed t-shirts. I was even more pleased to see that there are other Team Jacob members out there. Howl on, my sisters, howl on.

There were a number of great events: the postcard-making table, the chess demonstration, the sci-fi/fantasy art class, the presentation from the Rare Books Room (loved the 3-D book shaped like an apple!), a dramatic reading from Breaking Dawn, and Find-Your-Twilight-Character from the Teen Advisory Board. I gave a talk about "Transformation and Choice in the Twilight Saga" and brought Alice to answer fans' questions about the next book. (A friend of mine took some great pictures of me and Alice; I'll try to post them soon!)

But I think the moment everyone will remember is when Jacob showed up and challenged Edward to a fight! Wow! All the camera phones came out (if you had yours with you, PLEASE send me a picture) as the crowd backed out of the power aisle, giving the two room.

The confrontation escalated from verbal sparring to a duel with swords and finally a no-holds-barred fistfight. Edward smashed Jacob's face directly into the wedding cake and then laid him out on the ground. Poor Jake was down for the count! But when Edward reached down, wiped some icing from Jake's face, and ate it--well, I thought that was insult to injury. But the Team Edward crowd went wild!

Hope you had a great time, wherever you were.