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?

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--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.

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!

Breaking Dawn Events

Denton is hosting lots of events to celebrate the release of Stephenie Meyer's newest book, Breaking Dawn. Be sure to mark these dates on your calendar:

Twilight Saga Book Talk: Friday, July 18, 7 p.m.

Barnes & Noble in Golden Triangle Mall

We'll dish about your favorite characters and make predictions for the conclusion of this exciting series.

Breaking Dawn Release Party: Friday, August 1, 10 p.m.

Barnes & Noble in Golden Triangle Mall

You're invited to a vampire wedding reception for Bella and Edward.

• Come dressed to kill (literally) for our photo booth
• Do the Bad Bridesmaid Dress Walk of Shame
• Cheer on Team Edward or Team Jacob in a surprise contest
• Enjoy the fantasy art gallery
• Make your own gorgeous crafts
• Join our discussion on Timeless Romance
• Books go on sale at midnight!

Breaking Dawn Book Talk: Thursday, August 28, 7 p.m.

Emily Fowler Central Library

Once you finish the book, you'll be dying to talk about it. Meet your fellow Meyer fans!

You are cordially invited . . .

to a Vampire Wedding Reception!

Date: Friday, Aug. 1 (Eve of the New Moon)

Time: 10 p.m. to midnight

Occasion: The release of Stephenie Meyer's new book, Breaking Dawn

Where: Barnes & Noble Booksellers in the Golden Triangle Mall

Dress: Vampire Glam (werewolves also welcome)

Knowing Bella Swan, any number of things might happen to prevent her marriage to Edward Cullen, but as far as we know, the wedding is on! Come celebrate with us!

Speaking of Vampires . . .

Today is the last day to catch Denton Community Theatre's production of Dracula. When I called the box office yesterday, there were still tickets available for today's 2 p.m. matinee. For more information, call 940-382-1915 or go to the Campus Theater's website.

Director Julie Brinker is very proud of the "dream cast" she's assembled, and she's very excited about this stage adaptation because it's true to the Christian themes and the complex characters of the original novel. Hope to see you there!

Romancing the Vampire

Last Saturday (Oct. 27, 2007), I gave a talk called "Romancing the Vampire" on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. I repeat it here for those of you who weren't able to attend.


WHAT MAKES TWILIGHT DIFFERENT?

Twilight is the story of Bella Swan—self-proclaimed “plain Jane,” klutz, and danger magnet—and Edward Cullen, a breathtakingly beautiful teenage vampire. The series, begun in 2005, has received numerous awards and popular acclaim. The third book, Eclipse (released August 2007), was highlighted on Barnes & Noble’s e-newsletter to members and featured on the power aisle at the front of the store. The only other YA fantasy series that has received that kind of promotion is Harry Potter.

What has made this series such a phenomenon, crossing the boundary between YA and adult romance with ease? Meyer’s imaginative reworking of the vampire legend, the breathless emotion of first love, and grounding in some of the most popular love stories in literature:

• Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers)


• Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (their initial dislike masks a powerful attraction)


• Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre


• Heathcliff and Cathy in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights

TEMPTATION

Meyer’s website reveals that she’s never been comfortable with the title of the first book, Twilight, because she’s not sure it fits her message, but the image on the cover was inspired. The red apple, with its connotation of the story of Adam and Eve, conjures up important themes for the book: temptation, secrets, guilt, dangerous knowledge of good and evil.

The vampire combines all of these elements. By his very nature, the vampire is guilty and his existence must be kept a secret. All vampire stories include a confrontation between good and evil, and the vampire always seems to represent a romantic or seductive temptation:

• The three female vampires who encounter Jonathan Harker in Dracula.


• Also in Dracula: Jonathan’s frustrated desire for his wife, Mina, who has been “infected” with the vampire’s bite.


• The impossible love between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, the vampire with a soul


• The seemingly impossible love between Bella and Edward—both battling their desire for other


• Bella wants to become vampire, but Edward’s afraid she might sacrifice her soul, which becomes another source of guilt

THE BYRONIC HERO

The image of the vampire is strongly associated with Romantic poet George Gordon, Lord Byron, who was as notorious for his many love affairs as for his poetry. One of his conquests, Lady Caroline Lamb, famously said that Byron was “mad, bad, and dangerous to know.” In the same ghost-writing contest that produced Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Byron came up with an idea that his friend and physician, John Polidori, wrote and published as The Vampyre. The story was popularly attributed to Byron, and the vampire connection was established.

However, Byron’s most important contribution to the vampire legend is the Byronic hero, a particular kind of hero based not only on Byron’s works (Childe Harold, Don Juan, and Manfred), but also on the legends of the poet’s own life. The Byronic hero has the following characteristics:

• Handsome and/or irresistible to women


• Impressive to other men


• Well-traveled and knowledgeable about the world


• Mysterious


• Isolated from society by some secret in his past that’s never revealed


• Tortured by a guilty conscience

Edward Cullen is clearly modeled on two Byronic heroes of literature: Mr. Rochester and Heathcliff.

Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre (one of Meyer’s favorite books of all time, according to her website) is more mature than heroine in both age and experience; he is intellectual, charismatic, well-traveled, and cultured. However, he is also strange, moody, and isolated. Only the heroine, his soul mate, can truly understand or please him, but he has a terrible secret that will keep them apart. (Sound familiar?)

Wuthering Heights is clearly another important source for Meyers: Bella reads the book in Twilight and argues with Edward about its meaning in Eclipse. Heathcliff, the tortured hero, is predictably dark, ruggedly handsome, and mysterious (his sudden adoption by Cathy’s family masks his secret origin; he disappears for a time and returns enormously wealthy, but he never reveals the source of his fortune). However, Heathcliff has many villainous qualities as well: he is violent, vengeful, frequently cruel, and possibly insane.

Edward Cullen declares that he might be more sympathetic to Heathcliff and Cathy if either of them had any redeeming qualities, but Bella contends that their all-consuming love, which extends beyond the grave, IS the redeeming quality. The comparison to Wuthering Heights emphasizes Bella and Edward’s undying commitment to one another, but it also raises some red flags: Is Edward as dangerous as Heathcliff, despite his best intentions? If Bella and Edward cannot be together after all, will their love prove as destructive as Heathcliff and Cathy’s romance?

SECRETS

In Dracula, Jane Eyre, and Wuthering Heights, secrets are dangerous and sinful, threatening not only the heroine but the entire society. The fact that Dracula, Mr. Rochester, and Heathcliff are able to hide their secrets so well actually compounds their guilt. However, Meyer redeems her secretive hero by alluding to a different trope – the superhero with a secret identity.

The first time Edward saves her life but refuses to explain how he did it, Bella starts thinking about Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker, who never lay claim to the heroic deeds they perform while masked as Batman and Spiderman. It’s notable that she doesn’t include Clark Kent, the Man of Steel’s mild-mannered alter ego. After all, Superman is not a tortured hero: he has no reason to feel guilty about his secret (he’s not from this planet), and his conflicts are almost entirely external. Bella shows great insight in associating Edward with characters who turn superhero to compensate for past guilt, such as a failure to protect or avenge loved ones.

The Vampire as Superhero

We now recognized tortured characters with guilty consciences and secret identities not as villains but as heroes: Bruce Banner (aka The Incredible Hulk), Buffy Somers, Angel, Sydney Bristow (Alias), Batman, Spiderman. We accept heroes who are at war with internal demons rather than external enemies; thus, the vampire is not automatically evil. He has a choice to resist his own evil impulses, and his secret struggle to defeat them makes him a hero we can admire . . . and love.

Blogging Stephenie Meyer's Eclipse

Let me just begin by saying that I am vindicated! In my first posting about Stephenie Meyer, I called the Twilight series Bronte-esque. Sure enough, I have learned that one of Meyer's favorite books is Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, and she explicitly references Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights in her latest novel, Eclipse.

Eclipse is, quite simply, wonderful. Sometimes by the third novel, a series begins to run out of steam, but Meyer's imagination continues to astonish me. I should also admit that Edward, the vampire love interest, has finally won me over. I didn't like him much at all in the first book, Twilight: he was so cold, superior, and remote, even in his love scenes with Bella, the protagonist. In fact, Bella was the one who insisted on his superiority: "You're so beautiful and perfect and wonderful, let me throw away my worthless life for you." Grr. By the end of the second book, New Moon, I'd warmed up to Edward considerably, although I still preferred Jacob, the werewolf who also falls in love with Bella.

In Eclipse, Edward fully redeems himself (in my eyes, that is; I know there are plenty of readers who share Bella's belief that he's perfect just the way he is). Not only does Edward drop the superior act, but even he expresses annoyance with Bella's idolization of him. "The way you regard me is ludicrous," he growls. (You'd better believe I stood up and cheered when I read that!) I still have a soft spot for Jacob, but as the love triangle emerged, I found myself more torn, just as Bella is.

No spoilers, but here's a brief synopsis for those who are still waiting their turn for the library copy:

In their senior year of high school, Edward pushes Bella to apply for college and plan a normal life, but Bella is eager to become a vampire so that they can truly be together. When she attracts a mysterious stalker as well as the attention of the Volturi (the supreme authorities in the vampire world), Edward reluctantly admits that Bella might be safer undead. Even so, he insists on one condition before the conversion, and this is a decision Bella is not prepared to make. Meanwhile, Jacob declares his love for Bella and challenges her to confront her true feelings for him. Just at the moment when it seems Bella must make her most difficult decision, a new threat forces ancient enemies into an uneasy alliance.

Blogging Stephenie Meyer's New Moon, Part 2

Contains some spoilers

I finished New Moon last night, and I must say that I'm impressed with Stephenie Meyer's imagination. She constantly surprises the reader with plot twists, new characters, and seemingly irresolvable conflicts. I'm trying to avoid the hackneyed phrase "emotional rollercoaster," but I think Meyer's strongest appeal lies in her ability to involve the readers in the characters' intense and richly textured emotional lives.

I was also trying to avoid the terms "suicidal" and "self-destructive" when I wrote yesterday's post, but I've discovered a very striking parallel between Bella Swan and Harry Potter. Several times in the Harry Potter series, the orphaned hero finds that when he is in danger, he hears the voices of his parents just before they died, which distracts him from fighting for his life. Harry finds that he is slow to master the Expecto Patronum spell, for example, because he's eager for any contact with the parents he never knew. Similarly, Bella finds that when she's in danger, she hears Edward's warning voice in her head. Bella has been in a deep depression since he broke up with her (to keep her safe from himself and other vampires), but when she discovers this connection to her ex-boyfriend, Bella becomes a thrillseeker, deliberately putting herself in danger so that she can hear Edward again. Ironically, the angrier he sounds, the happier she is because this is proof that he still cares.

Eager to do something rebellious and risky, Bella buys a decrepit motorcycle and asks her friend Jacob to fix it up and teach her to ride. Despite her desire to endanger herself, Bella finds that her friendship with Jacob is a lifeline, and she hangs on desperately even after she realizes that Jacob is falling in love with her, while she sees him as a best friend. This romantic conflict is not the only plot complication; as anyone but Bella herself could have predicted long ago, Jacob is destined to become a werewolf, the ancient enemy of all vampires or "cold ones," as his Native American tribe calls them. (C'mon, this isn't really a spoiler, is it? I pegged Jacob as a werewolf from his first conversation with Bella in Twilight.)

I can tell from the readers' comments at Amazon.com and Stephenie Meyer's website that most readers see Jacob as a distraction or, at best, a placeholder in the plot until Bella's vampire lover comes back into the picture, so I know they're going to be aghast at what I say next. Sorry, guys, but I really prefer Jacob to Edward.

Take a minute to catch your breath. I'll wait.

Yes, I know that Edward is the great love of Bella's life, the Romeo to her Juliet, but he never seems quite real to me. This is not a disparagement but an acknowledgment of Meyer's characterization. Again and again, Bella describes embracing Edward as hugging a large piece of unyielding granite; whatever he looks like, his touch is cold and hard as stone. Edward can't stand in the sun because his skin catches the light and sparkles like a diamond, a sure tip-off that he's not human. Beautiful and desirable as he is, Edward is not alive; essentially, he's a statue. Certainly Bella responds to him as if he were a walking piece of precious art, which reminds me of the Pygmalion myth, in which a sculptor falls in love with a statue he has made. Could her love make Edward real, or is Bella really in love with her image of Edward, a product of her own romantic imagination?

Jacob, on the other hand, is definitely alive. Not only is he physically hot to the touch (werewolves have a higher temperature than regular humans), but his emotional warmth heals Bella from her frozen state of depression. He gives her a sense of fun, normalcy, and acceptance she hasn't had since she arrived in Forks. She feels safe and comfortable with Jacob; secure in his regard for her, Bella never feels inferior or wonders what he sees in her. She's tempted to see him as a child because he's two years younger (the distance between a high school senior and a sophomore is significant), but Bella has to change her ideas about Jacob's maturity even before his metamorphosis. They are equals in a way Bella and Edward have never been, and even in his wolf state, Jacob has more in common with Bella than Edward does. (Hey, a wolf and a human are both mammals, right?)

I know I'm probably alone on this, but I wish there had been a real love triangle instead of only the appearance of one. I hope Jacob becomes a real contender for Bella's heart in the next book, Eclipse, and gives Edward a run for his money. Jacob deserves better than to be cast as the forgettable Paris in Meyer's retelling of Romeo and Juliet.

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.