Friday, November 22, 2013
Eileen Reads Twilight: Chapter Two: "In Which Dinner Is Served, Along With Rigid Gender Roles"
I apologize about the delay in getting this Chapter out. I just moved and things are pretty hectic. We're moved in the new apartment, but now there is all the unpacking to do.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Eileen Reads Twilight: Chapter One: "In Which Our Protagonist Is Woefully Unsympathetic"
My first encounter with Twilight occurred in high school. I was in home economics and a girl across the room was reading a book with a black cover and an apple on it. I remember thinking that I had seen that book before and maybe I should check it out to see if it was any good.
I love books. I have been writing stories almost as long as I had been reading them. I write widely and try to read widely as well, though it was not until I discovered fan fiction that I was able to enjoy romances. Growing up, my mother placed a great deal of pressure on me to be a pink princess girly-girl, I was given doll houses, figure-skating lessons and placed in dresses, so naturally I eschewed anything with the label of “girly." So when I had the plot of Twilight explained to me I was uninterested and remained quite content with Harry Potter.
Love it or hate it, Twilight is part of the public consciousness and through popular culture osmosis, memes, book reviews and criticism, I feel safe saying that I'm familiar with the plot and characters of Twilight, though I have never read the books themselves. Whenever I lamented Twilight’s flat characters or Fifty Shades of Gray’s misogynist themes my boyfriend always told me I needed to read the books in question making any criticisms. In most instances I would certainly agree, however I think there are broad, factual criticisms about content you can make without reading the book in question.
The illustrious Jenny Trout is tackling the Fifty Shades series, so that leaves Twilight to me. This will by no means be the first sporking of the Twilight series and I'm aware that I'm perhaps behind the times. But I believe I can offer a unique take on the books and several stars have aligned IRL and I’ve been feeling a bit inspired. Now onto the actual book!
I love books. I have been writing stories almost as long as I had been reading them. I write widely and try to read widely as well, though it was not until I discovered fan fiction that I was able to enjoy romances. Growing up, my mother placed a great deal of pressure on me to be a pink princess girly-girl, I was given doll houses, figure-skating lessons and placed in dresses, so naturally I eschewed anything with the label of “girly." So when I had the plot of Twilight explained to me I was uninterested and remained quite content with Harry Potter.
Love it or hate it, Twilight is part of the public consciousness and through popular culture osmosis, memes, book reviews and criticism, I feel safe saying that I'm familiar with the plot and characters of Twilight, though I have never read the books themselves. Whenever I lamented Twilight’s flat characters or Fifty Shades of Gray’s misogynist themes my boyfriend always told me I needed to read the books in question making any criticisms. In most instances I would certainly agree, however I think there are broad, factual criticisms about content you can make without reading the book in question.
The illustrious Jenny Trout is tackling the Fifty Shades series, so that leaves Twilight to me. This will by no means be the first sporking of the Twilight series and I'm aware that I'm perhaps behind the times. But I believe I can offer a unique take on the books and several stars have aligned IRL and I’ve been feeling a bit inspired. Now onto the actual book!
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