Really? I mean, Really?

Posted by Justine | August 22, 2009 | 56 Comments

Overheard while wandering through Borders with my husband:

Young 20-something with a Twilight t-shirt on: “Umm, do you still carry any Twilight umbrellas? I saw them here last week.”

Employee of Borders: “Yeah, I’ll walk you over. They’re here in this display.” (walks her to a large Twilight display)

Twilight girl: “Wow! (looks at display) This is awesome.”

Employee: “Yeah, it is, huh? I just got back from Forks last week. It was an incredible time.”

At this point, Don and I had to walk in the other direction because we were in hysterics for laughing.

Now, if you haven’t read Twilight, you need to know that Forks is the town where the books take place. Apparently (I didn’t know this), it’s a real place.

I’ll admit that we tried really hard to not be exude snobbish erudition and laugh and mock. But the conversation was almost too much for me to take in. I couldn’t wrap my head around any sort of reality where someone would spend money and time to go to the town that Twilight is based in. What would be there? What would they do? And how could going there be an “incredible time”? Is there a real house or structure there to visit? Could you sit on Bella’s front porch? And lastly, ummm, really? You really want to do that?

About 20 minutes later, as we were still talking about this, trying to understand the motivation, it occurred to me that I would probably spend money to go sit on Edith Wharton’s porch. I would spend money to visit the Bronte sisters home. I would spend money to find out if Virginia Woolf really had a room of her own.

Is it any different? Or am I just being an insufferable snob?(because it’s entirely possible)

I wouldn’t really care to visit Darbyshire, or visit the fabled house of Fyodor of Karamazov fame, but seeing Austen’s house or Dostoevsky’s stomping ground would be fascinating.

So am I just repulsed by the fact that it’s “pop culture” instead of “high culture”? And who decides what “high culture” is anyway? Am I every bit the same literary groupie?

Category: Slice of Life, weekend rants
Tags: attitude > literature > reading

Comments

56 Responses to “Really? I mean, Really?”

Camille
August 22nd, 2009 @ 12:37 am

Send me to Stratford on Avon and I’ll be a happy camper.
mmiles
August 22nd, 2009 @ 12:48 am

I really want to go to Yasnaya Polyana.
I’ve read a few articles about Forks. The town is milking it’s new found fame. Who wouldn’t? But I’m with you, give me a real place where real people lived, unless it’s Disneyland.
Julie P
August 22nd, 2009 @ 3:56 am

I think this Twilight hullaballo oh SO different from other desires to interact with…”real” literature. Don’t get me wrong! I read all four books (well, skimmed #4, I really didn’t like it). But I say “real literature” meaning that which will stand the test of time and be one day considered a classic, not a mere fad.

Can I share my own funny Twilight story from 2 weeks ago? I think you’ll get a kick out of it. We went to the Springville Art Museum and they were having their annual quilt show – some really gorgeous pieces. And then there was this huge Twilight quilt – quotes, pictures, piecing. TONS of time went into that thing, and I thought the same as you…”REALLY?” It gets better. We went from the Museum to the Corn Wagon Quilt Company not far down the street. My mom was paying for her spoils and one of the ladies at the register next to us had a Twilight Purse. The (about 65 year old) cashier commented about how she loved loved! that purse! And oh did that start a Twilight conversation. The lady with the purse was excited to let us all know that if we went to the Springville art museum, we could see a very large Twilight quilt that she made, with 8 of her dearest online friends (they met at twilightmoms . com), and then they all flew to Utah from all parts of the country to meet for the first time and see their quilt in the show. These women in the store were young up to near-Grandma. I was a bit speechless.
traci
August 22nd, 2009 @ 5:48 am

Are we snobbish – I don’t think so. But I have to constantly remind myself that this generation has a right to their pop culture – you know that’s what “high culture” was at the time it started. We have each had our own.
I try to include myself in theirs – bought Twilight to read it, did the entire Harry Potter thing (books and movies with my nephew), loved the Golden Compass and try to share mine with them. They are more willing I find, because I have paid attention to theirs (and sometimes it was hard!).
Gave my nephew a book trilogy – KJ Version of the Bible, Complete Works of Shakespeare, Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe and a Poetry Anthology on the side – told him this is what we read, he read them too, and I think it was because I read his first.
Great thoughtful post!
I love the literary posts!
jendoop
August 22nd, 2009 @ 7:05 am

It is great that anyone loves a book – it is good for the writing and publishing industry to have so many people, who may not read otherwise, buy 4 books. Or become well acquainted with their library (do you know that many libraries are losing major funding?) Same goes for Harry Potter.

That said, I really hope that those books are just a starting point for greater literary adventures. It bothers me to see anyone so engrossed in a specific book. Hello- IT IS PRETEND! It is not a substitute for reality. The psych in me wants to say that there are many people unhappy with their lives so they live through books- instead of living their own story to the fullest.

Drop the book every once in a while and live a life you can write about!
Blue
August 22nd, 2009 @ 7:41 am

i’m glad there are so many things that make people happy. i love books and have always loved reading, and i love travel and oregon is a beautiful state, so i can see how it would be fun to visit.

i love that there are things that bring people together and creates happy memories. i don’t care whether it’s sports, food, movies, politics, or literature. the world is big enough to accommodate all of our varied interests and talents. and how cool that grammas are staying “young” and connecting with others of different generations…no matter what brings them together.

as it turns out i never would have read the series if it hadn’t been for a friend in her 70′s who put the book in my hands and said “just give it 30 seconds dear. if you still don’t like it, fine.” when i finished it later that night i was glad that i’d finally caved and read the book. they are fun. and think of all the tithing money!

♥
Justine
August 22nd, 2009 @ 8:03 am

You’re all making such lovely, salient points that I haven’t even considered. It’s true that I’m glad people are reading at all!

And it’s not my “thing”, but it doesn’t mean it can’t be anyone’s “thing”.

I recognize that there is a generation gap forming around me, but I still am unwilling to admit that I’m not college aged anymore.

Here’s a question, though. Will reading Twilight (or any pop culture literature) really bring someone a step closer to the classics? I’m not convinced of it. And while I don’t think that classic literature has to be for everyone, I’m just not sure that cult-following kind of literature does much for the broader reading/writing population.

Where does one go from Twilight?
Blue
August 22nd, 2009 @ 8:22 am

is whether it does or doesn’t bring people closer to the classics relevant?

i have two sisters. once upon a time, one sister enjoyed some of the paintings by thomas kinkade (“painter of light”). the other was dating a guy in a family full of artists and they had the most scornful attitude about TK. they scoffed at his “art” and in turn, people who enjoyed it.

being in the middle of these two sisters was insightful and instructive for me in a number of ways. and i concluded that the world is big enough for both the kinkade-art lovers and the “true” art lovers. for one group to scorn the other is unfortunate.

i think the same goes for literature. and music. and sports. and every field of life. ♥
Ginger
August 22nd, 2009 @ 9:05 am

Re: 5 and 9… yes, it could bring people closer to reading true literature. Some people don’t like to read, or don’t like to read literature that makes you think. I used to be one of those. My mother definitely had seizures over what I read in high school. But I now have a much broader range of what I read, and I believe it is because I was allowed to progress at my own rate. I think the good thing about Twilight is how long the books are… some kids look at the classics and think the books look too long, But then once they read Twilight, they realize that a long book is completely doable.
And I am not ashamed to admit that I enjoyed the Twilight books. I even bought the movie orchestral soundtrack. No, I wouldn’t go visit Forks (the movie isn’t even filmed there!) but I have gone to England to visit several Jane Austen sites, and plan to return to visit some of the places that the Kira Knightly movie was filmed at.
No, they aren’t great literature… they are definitely not the most well written books. But I think they are an enjoyable story. Fantasy what if books don’t appeal to every. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes, and that is how God made us.
Katie
August 22nd, 2009 @ 9:38 am

In defense of Twilight, it changed my life. Seriously. I had just graduated with my BA and after an internship at a law firm decided not to go to law school. I felt a little lost not knowing what I wanted to do for graduate school. Now that I finally had time to read for fun I read Twilight and felt strongly that a MA in English Literature was what I should do. In one week from now I will be starting my MA program and teaching first year writing at BYU. Perhaps my feelings could have been sparked by any other book, but they weren’t. Thanks to reading Twilight, I will be a college instructor.

I have visited the Jane Austen museum in Bath, England, Chatsworth House (the location where Pride & Prejudice’s Pemberly was filmed), William Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage and other sites like that. Let the kids have their fun.
Kay
August 22nd, 2009 @ 9:42 am

I am a literature snob and really don’t care who knows it.

I have read some of the Twilight series though. The reason being that I have a 12 year old daughter and I like to proof read as many of her books as I can. If I don’t think it is suitable she doesn’t get to read it. I also try to introduce her to classics as much as possible. She has been brought up on Dickens, Austen and Gaskell in particular. All of my children can quote from those authors, know part of their life stories, recount whole narratives from watching the films etc. A balence is what counts. If my daughter only read books like Twilight then I would be worried.

I would never dream of visiting Forks though. Saying that have done just about every literary sight possible in England. Jane Austen’s home is known to some friends as my shrine. My children have done the whole Stratford Upon Avon thing too when one was doing some Shakespeare. Live and let live.
April
August 22nd, 2009 @ 9:59 am

Who is anyone to say what is good and bad? Would it be God like to think that anyone is better than someone else for what they read, the music they listen to or even whether they choose a PC or a Mac?
I’m tired of the comparrisons. We are all chilren of our Heavenly Father all doing our best to navigate this life. When our time on this Earth is over we will not be grouped by any of these things! I find it much more enjoyable to appreciate what brings people together.

Sorry to say I think you are being a bit of a snob.

Building on common ground is so much more productive. For example: When’s the last time you read something you couldn’t put down and it consumed your thoughts!
Michelle Glauser
August 22nd, 2009 @ 10:19 am

My mom and I have debated similar things. I don’t consider Mary Higgins Clark and such writers to have anything that could be considered anything but fluff fiction.

But I don’t deny that such books can be entertaining.
cheryl
August 22nd, 2009 @ 10:21 am

One of my favorite and lovely bloggers, Daring Young Mom, totally went to Forks for Twilight reasons (although her reasons were not linked to obsession). Granted, she does live in the State.

But I also listed “Jane Austen’s home” at the top of my list when I was in England. This is because she is my favorite author. Had it been Stephenie Meyers? I would absolutely, no doubt, without a question made a beeline for Forks.

[Btw, Forks is located in the most gorgeous place on earth. I swear, NW Washington is god-like. It truly is!]

P.S. Justine, I think you rock for owning your snob-ish-ness; it’s good to recognize when we’re being a tad unfair.
mmiles
August 22nd, 2009 @ 10:54 am

I think, as Justine pointed out, going to an author’s museum or home and going to place where made up characters existed, are two entirely different things.

I admit I think of Rose of Sharon every time I drive towards Monterey and Salinas. And when there is a street called Cannery Row, how can I not channel characters from Cannery Row? However, I don’t get giddy like when I took my kids to the Steinbeck Museum or went and took pictures of the houses John grew up in.

Now if I could go to Hogawarts or Mount Doom, that would be different:p
Natalie
August 22nd, 2009 @ 10:59 am

Oh, I can’t figure out if I should be happy or sad that I’m not in Utah to take part in the Twilight craze. I couldn’t stand the books, but I’ve taken my Beehives to see the movie though…they are obsessed.

As a young girl I dreamed of visiting Prince Edwards island — where Anne of Green Gables was at. And I will go to Stratford upon Avon in my first Europe trip, when it comes. And I do think I wanted to go to Stoneybrook – where the babysitters club books are placed.

So apparently I’m no literary snob. I guess its the same? Only I never went.
Natalie
August 22nd, 2009 @ 11:00 am

Oh, I think I later discovered that Stoneybrook was made up…

Just wanted to clarify!
Brenda
August 22nd, 2009 @ 11:00 am

I have a friend at work who recently visited Forks. She actually was spending time in Seattle and decided to make the drive out to Forks, because she’s a HUGE Twilight fan. I wondered the same as many of you, why visit it? But when I saw the pictures of her “tour” I was surprised at how much the locations looked EXACTLY like the author described them in the books (yes, I read them). She really did a great job describing Forks, the reservation, the beach…all of it is really right on.
Val
August 22nd, 2009 @ 11:03 am

I’ve been to Forks, WA – it really is beautiful. The Olympic Peninsula is so incredibly gorgeous. I went there before Twilight was big, and it was a charming little town. It has suffered economically since logging has declined in the area, so the Twilight publicity has been a good thing, for the most part.

I do think, however, that ‘literature snobbery’ is silly. After all, the works of Jane Austen, Dickens and Poe were just ‘pop culture’ in their time as well. The only difference between the literary classics and some of the well written books of late is the amount of time that has passed.
Annette
August 22nd, 2009 @ 11:40 am

Here’s my take–being the English major and potential snob that I may be.

I totally get the pop culture thing. But I think that’s pretty irrelevant to the argument.

I think it boils down to the fact that there’s a big difference between fiction and reality.

Would I pay to see where Pemberly was supposedly located? Heck, no. Would I pay to see where Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice? You bet your booties.

Would I pay to see where Heathcliff brooded across the moors? No way. But I’d definitely pay to walk where the Bronte sisters walked.

So I think that yes, it’s silly to pay to go to places fictional characters never lived, regardless of whether those characters are in high literature or pop culture.

But I wouldn’t laugh a bit if someone wanted to pay to see where Meyer wrote the books or where she lived, even today when she’s a part of pop culture rather than “high” literature.

To me, that’s where the difference lies.
Dovie
August 22nd, 2009 @ 11:53 am

Prince Edward Island is, I hear, quite the tourist spot. Anne of Green Gables was the book series of obsession in my youth. I did read other things and enjoy them but nothing like reading that entire series on vacation in a week and a half and and then turning around and reading the whole thing again on the ride 2,500 mile ride home. I might have wanted to visit the books setting to further my experience. I was so sad when I was done reading them and there was no more of the world to flesh out in my mind. Seeing, touching and finding a way to further immerse myself in that world would have been very enjoyable.

I’ve not read the Twilight series but I don’t judge those that have and loved it. My oldest two daughters read the first one but then it lost its appeal in the subsequent books. My children have read all kind of things and the experience sometimes seems like a fever. I think that it can be good to have experiences like that. As long as we/they are growing and moving through them. I remember how mad my second daughter was when she read the E.B. White books. How Stewart Little ends with the Margalo threads loose. She was fulling expecting to find another book. When she found out that E.B. White was dead she was so mad. Vowing in youthful indignation “I’ll never read a series of books from an author that is dead again!” Not that they are a series but they do fit together nicely. The other books had satisfying closure in her mind but not Stewart Little. She just loved that E.B. White world.

My children have lost themselves in the world of Harry Potter, books by Diane Duane, the Orson Scott Card universes, Rick Riordan and others too many to number, even Pokemon and Japanese anime have served this purpose for them. There was a summer that my daughter the turbo reader would digest a full length young adult fantasy/sci-fi novel a day. There was not way to keep up with her. That year she essentially exhausted every single book she was remotely interested in reading at the local library. I’m glad that she can read and enjoy other genres now. I think getting lost in a book broadens our human experience. Even if that world involves vampires, time travel, spaceships, anamorphic animals or magic.
lee
August 22nd, 2009 @ 12:04 pm

I saw some places in England where Harry Potter was filmed. It was kind of fun.
Heather
August 22nd, 2009 @ 12:52 pm

One thing that I believe is being somewhat left out of the conversation, is the idea of visiting a place for the experience of the place, rather than its connections to the story/characters.

I would love to visit Forks and La Push and not at all because of any Edward/Bella/Jacob connection. Stephenie’s descriptions of the the lush, heady green of the olympic penninsula have made me just crave it. I’ve never been anywhere like that. In the same way, reading Jane Austen makes me long for the English countryside, reading a book by Madeleine L’Engle has made me want to visit Antarctica (something I never would have considered otherwise).

Regardless of story or of high vs pop culture, what a triumph it is for an author to have described a place so well that it makes a reader want to be there.

As for snobbishness, I do find much of the Twilight craze a bit silly and escapist. But who am I to judge?
Kellie
August 22nd, 2009 @ 12:55 pm

I have to disagree with the idea that Twilight is the Pride and Prejudice or Wuthering Heights of our day. The literary difference is outstanding and it is not just the passage of time that has made the former great. They were great to begin with. I have read books written recently that could be on the same level as those “classics”, but I would not classify Twilight as anywhere close to them.

Just to let you know I am a literary snob as well, although I do not begrudge anyone else the right to devour any book. I felt the same way about Jane Austen books when I discovered them as I am sure that Twilight fans do. I fell in love with Mr. Darcy and fall in love with him again everytime I read the books.
Annette
August 22nd, 2009 @ 12:58 pm

Kellie,

Just want to be clear on my stand–I wasn’t implying that Twilight was the P&P or Wuthering Heights of our day (far from it!).

I was just comparing REAL places to fictional ones, pop culture to past great literature.

And I personally am not a fan of the Twilight series, but to each her own.
Justine
August 22nd, 2009 @ 1:23 pm

Alright, I guess I’ve been sufficiently called out. I fully admit to my bad attitude, but am having a hard time getting over it nonetheless.

I don’t think Twilight is written with the literary acumen of some of the great classics ( I don’t think that’s what you were saying though). I think Rowling’s work will stand the test of time, but not Meyers.

To each his own; be happy; find joy in your own journey; I’ll find joy in mine. And I’ll try to stop sniggering at things I don’t understand.
Faith.Not.Fear
August 22nd, 2009 @ 1:28 pm

Biggest thrill for me was when our son’s first mission assignment was in Mankato, Minnesota — one of the cities where Laura Ingalls’ family went for supplies! Because of the books, and subsequent TV show, I was at peace because I knew where he was!

Embarrassingly, it wasn’t until he got there that I learned that Mankato was in Minnesota !

I’d love to see Green Gables, and to walk the halls of Hogwarts — funny how books can make places, factual or fictional, feel like home!
Michelle L.
August 22nd, 2009 @ 2:03 pm

I think we are all allowed our fictional and nonfictional giddiness.

When Tennyson visited Lyme he begged his host, “Show me the exact spot where Louisa Musgrove fell from the wall!” (just in case we have someone here who doesn’t know all Jane Austen by heart–the fall was a pivotal scene in Persuasion).

I remember standing at the end of a driveway when our childhood home was torn down. My sister cried out loud, “Now where will our fans come for a pilgrimage when we are rich and famous?!” So far that hasn’t been a problem.
Morgan
August 22nd, 2009 @ 2:32 pm

I think a good question for everyone would be, “why do you care?” What difference does it make to any of you if people love the Twilight books or movie, and they want to spend their money to go to the town that the story is based in? You shouldn’t care either way, and you also shouldn’t judge people based on what they read or enjoy. You don’t know that those people aren’t just as smart and interesting as you seem to think that you all are. That doesn’t just go for Twilight fans, but for anything that people enjoy. The world is too judgmental and quick to categorize people, and sometimes it feels like this happens especially in our wards at church. Appreciate people for who they are, not what they read, or where they like to vacation, and stop judging.
Justine
August 22nd, 2009 @ 2:45 pm

I used to live near Prince Edward Island, and I must admit that it is one of the most beautiful and pastoral places I’ve ever been.
Joylenskey
August 22nd, 2009 @ 3:10 pm

Ignoring artistic merits for a moment:

Mass popularity results when universal themes resonate strongly with broad humanity. Sometimes those universal themes are gospel echos.

Examples:
Superman/The Incredibles/Superheros-in-general:
“If only I could unlease all of the talents and potential inside me, I wouldn’t be ordinary; I would be powerful, even immortal!….”

Harry Potter example:
“I know my ultimate destiny has something to do with defeating evil. If only I could figure out how and what…”

Twilight example:
“Real love must involve [something akin to chastity] that perserveres in spite of real temptation.”

I try to rejoice whenever it seems people are resonating deeply with the important themes. Maybe those sympathies will keep certain feelings alive until they find fullest expression in the gospel…

———
And related:

A trained vocal major friend of mine detests radio singers for their artistic skill level. But she overlooks that country twang (for example) often sings what people yearn deeply to express and feel…

Is that an art form in its own right?
Karen
August 22nd, 2009 @ 4:23 pm

My family went to Prince Edward Island for vacation and saw Green Gables. Well, at least the inspiration for it. I’m pretty sure it was for my sister who loved the books. And I still like going to Orchard House in Concord (Louisa May Alcott’s house) when I visit my family. I’m not personally a huge fan of Twilight, but maybe these authors were the Stephenie Meyer’s of their day? I think literary pilgrimages are pretty normal. In any case, it’s always nice to have an excuse for a road trip.
Lindsay
August 22nd, 2009 @ 5:49 pm

I, like Justine, feel a little awkward and judgmental and giggly when I witness people who take being a “fan” to an extreme by insisting on living in a seemingly separate, fictional world. That said, I think it’s silly for people to support visiting authors’ former residences, but scoff at visiting the supposed setting of a fictional novel. After all, we only fell in love with the authors because of the people and places they planted in our imaginations; why then is it so laughable to want see in person the place the author made so real to us in our minds? I do like Jane Austen’s work, and I have been to her museum in Bath, but I’d rather read her books and visit Meryton or Derbyshire for the sake of her settings and characters than learn about the specifics of her life and walk where she walked. As much as I’m grateful to the authors for the experience they’ve created for me, my true love and loyalty is for the books themselves.
Emily U
August 22nd, 2009 @ 7:54 pm

The difference is that you’d want to see where REAL people lived (Austen & the Brontes) and these Twilight people want to see where FICTIONAL people “lived.”

So you make sense and they don’t.
Morgan
August 22nd, 2009 @ 8:49 pm

Saying “you make sense and they don’t is really harsh and judgmental – what gives you the authority to decide who makes sense and who doesn’t?
sar
August 22nd, 2009 @ 9:14 pm

On the subject of popular literature, Nick Hornby wrote that “there are, in fact, probably as many reasons for reading as there are books, which is why those who choose to concentrate on a novel’s literary merits and demerits will always be mystified and occasionally enraged by the apparent perversity of the reading public.”

I’ve had to come to terms with this fact, that other people read for different reasons than I do. Some of those reasons may overlap, others may not.

Also, I’ve been on the “Third Man” sewer tour in Vienna and the “Napoleon Dynamite” tour in Preston. I also read Willa Cather to prepare to move to the midwest. But I’m often drawn to works that have compelling settings and I like having that connection with “real life.”
Katie
August 22nd, 2009 @ 9:52 pm

In my final class in my English major we worked on a project where we were asked to define what makes good literature. This was quite the large project and required me to really examine on a deep level how I define “good” literature. As part of this project I was able to talk with another woman who was not shy about saying that literature is meant to be enjoyed, and if it makes her sad or stressed she just isn’t interested. I’m probably not doing her view justice, but she helped me see that literature is only valuable if it brings something of value to you, personally, as you read it. Recently I was shocked when another woman in our Relief Society cited the book I hate the very most of all the books I had to read as an English major as her favorite book. I HATED that book with a deep passion, yet clearly it had clearly brought something of value to her. While it is easy to say such-and-such book is better than another, the truth is that literature is only truly valuable if it brings something valuable to reader, and that’s going to mean different things to different people.
Kristin
August 22nd, 2009 @ 9:55 pm

“Alright, I guess I’ve been sufficiently called out. I fully admit to my bad attitude, but am having a hard time getting over it nonetheless.

To each his own; be happy; find joy in your own journey; I’ll find joy in mine. And I’ll try to stop sniggering at things I don’t understand.”

Justine…I understand you! I just can’t even bring myself to read them. Vampire love stories? Are you kidding me?

I so appreciate your candor in this post. My guess is that some of those people who have called you out as judgemental here probably have their own areas where they judge others harshly. They just may be more tolerant when it comes to literature. I could certainly be more tolerant in this area.

Sar, thanks so much for your comment. Allowing for others to have different motivations for reading helps me to better value their choices in literature.
Dovie
August 22nd, 2009 @ 10:13 pm

Katie: Ya’ gotta tell us what the book is now.
Kaye
August 23rd, 2009 @ 12:19 am

If I visited Washington–I would go see Forks
If I visited New Orleans–I would go see the cemetery where Ann Rice discovered a very different kind of vampire.
If I visited Boston–I would visit the grave of Edgar Allen Poe
If I visited Wyoming–I would walk the trail described in “Fire and the Covenant” by Gerald Lund
If I visited England–I would visit Haworth, the home of the Bronte Sisters, and walk along the Moors

But, I probably never will. It doesn’t matter where the author hails from, or where the story is set. All that really matters is where the story takes us. There is such a diversity of story-telling available to us now, I don’t see why one would put a limit on what they read by feeling that a work is beneath their consideration. I’ve read all of the Twilight Books, I’ve read much of Edgar Allen Poe’s Poetry, I’ve sampled Ann Rice, suffered through Gerald Lund and fallen in love with the Bronte sisters. I enjoyed all of them. I try not to limit myself with pre-conceived prejudice. If I did, I would be the one missing out.
Selwyn
August 23rd, 2009 @ 12:45 am

If a book resonates with you, that’s excellent! I find stories are just one of those areas where bells peal louder for different people, for different reasons.

I would love to meet “They”. You know, “”They” say that this book is just fluff/boring/heavy handed/substantially differentiated by the latent patriarchial dichotomy evident in cake baking industries”. Who gave Them that much credit and power?

Twilight and Harry Potter have willingly dragged millions of people into reading, and reading missives that previously would have caused them to flee screaming. Everyone has their own book/books/stories that they consider literature, regardless of what They or Others may say.

Great discussion!
Paradox
August 23rd, 2009 @ 7:20 am

I wouldn’t feel bad about making fun of Twilight. Shoot, I like the books and I still make fun of them. I think they have a lot of symbolic merit to an LDS audience that Stephenie Meyer could NEVER admit to even if she did it on purpose because she’d lose too much of her fan base. But seeing as it’s her first novel, she could afford to trade merit for popularity the first time around, and something about that just irks me to the point of teasing her.

Truth be told, making fun of books is half the fun of being a lit geek. Really, what else do we have to do? We’re never going to cure cancer. We’re never going to get to the moon by ourselves. A little bit of humor is what we have to offer the world.

So if you find yours in laughing at Twilight and its fans, I’d say have at it. If you’re anything like me, you paid your king’s ransom to develop a particular enough literary palate to scoff at things like Twilight.
Kim
August 23rd, 2009 @ 9:36 am

I’ll admit to being someone who has enjoyed seeing where fictional characters live. I’ve never gone terribly out of my way, but if I’m going to be in an area and I know they filmed a show or wrote a book set in the area that I loved, I’ll try to go see it. Its fun to see in person the fictional world that I lived through while reading or watching the story. Isn’t that what fiction is supposed to make us feel? Whether its good or bad (and I have to admit that I don’t have a hankering to see Forks based on the literary quality, although it does sound like a gorgeous area), if it takes the reader/viewer in, then it seems there might be some curiousity about the location. I had fun when I recognized the balcony that Buffy threw Angel over, or the record store Payton shopped at in One Tree Hill, or got to hike part of the Lord of the Rings set. And I’ve always wanted to go see PEI–that’s a trip that I will actually make for that sole purpose.

But I’d be laughing (inside), too, if I heard a 20-something looking for a Twighlight umbrella. You gotta draw the line somewhere
Jennie
August 23rd, 2009 @ 10:45 am

My best friend (a mom of four) is a Twilight fanatic. She forced me to read the first book (OK, not “forced”; “begged” is more like it.) I enjoyed it and spent one entire week neglecting the housework while I read all four books. Afterwards I felt like I do when I eat an entire big bag of M&Ms in one day. Slightly disgusted and embarassed that I enjoyed it.

When Stephenie Myers came to a city three hours away form us, my best friend dragged me along to wait in line and go to her book signing. It was totally fun. Mostly just to see all the people get so jazzed about a book. Stephenie Myers spoke for about an hour before she started signing books and I was most impressed by her. She seemed like a great, funny person that I could actually hang out with.

So now I am not so bothered by her or her cheesy books. I mean, when I was my daughter’s age I was reading that hideous “Flowers in the Attic” series. So things could be a lot worse for the young women of today, literarily-speaking.

(But I hate, hate, hate Thomas Kincade.)
Zina
August 23rd, 2009 @ 1:18 pm

Julie P, there’s a Twilight group-made quilt at the Springville show again this year, too. When I realized what it was, I wasn’t quite able to stop my eyes from rolling. It’s a nicely-made quilt, but there are much prettier things there. (It’s a great show this year. I highly recommend it.)

Justine, I first read Twilight before New Moon came out and before Twilight really became a big nationwide sensation, but after reading it I thought “I bet Edward is the kind of character who would inspire fan art and fan fiction,” so I did a Google Image search for Edward Cullen and, sure enough, lots of fan art popped up. I was amused. I did think the first book was fun, but since then I’ve become too irritated by several things to be a true fan. I do think the books make better movies than books, though. I would love to see a really good editor hack the books down to about 1/4th the length, and take out the stupid stuff, such as how she has to realize she really loves Jacob before she can truly choose Edward, among other major quibbles. (See also http://myimaginaryblog.wordpress.com/2009/07/05/remorselessly-i-wield-my-red-pen/ )

All that said, although I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit Forks in particular, I do love that whole area of the country so I guess it’s good if the books are inspiring more people to see it.
Zina
August 23rd, 2009 @ 2:34 pm

I wrote the previous comment before reading the other comments. Now I’ve read them. Val said:

“The only difference between the literary classics and some of the well written books of late is the amount of time that has passed.”

I (and almost certainly most literary theorists) would beg to differ. It’s certainly true that determining what constitutes great literature is very subjective, but things are only considered “classics” after some sort of consensus emerges about their quality and importance. And there are certainly objective measures that can be called on when determining a work’s merits: Does the work address important questions in a persuasive and compelling way? How skilled is the craftsmanship of the writing? There are a host of such questions and a work has to measure up well to quite a few of them before there will be any kind of consensus of its being a great work. Time alone won’t make bad writing good (although time might change people’s beliefs about what is good.) I don’t doubt that Twilight’s popularity will endure, but time alone won’t (IMO) make it great literature. (I do think it’s excellent storytelling, with effective romance and suspense. I just think it has other rather jarring weaknesses.)

I don’t think Justine was being mean and judgmental–to me she just seemed perplexed and amused.
m2theh
August 23rd, 2009 @ 2:34 pm

We drove through Port Angeles, and I admit I got my picture taken under the Forks sign, but we didn’t have time for a road trip to Forks. I did talk some people into taking one though…
Tiffany
August 23rd, 2009 @ 6:11 pm

I’ll never visit Forks just because I’ve read the Twilight books. But I can understand wishing that certain characters in books were real. If Amelia Peabody Emerson and her clan were real, (thank you Elizabeth Peters for creating them!) I would visit their house in a heartbeat. But Ms. Peters does write extensively about Egypt in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. So you can bet, when I do visit Egypt, I will visit places talked about in the novels. Do I feel ashamed? Not one bit.
Kylie M.
August 23rd, 2009 @ 9:30 pm

Well, while I am simultaneously a literary snob and a rabid devourer of any young adult fantasy I can get my hands on, the Twilight craze is one thing I scorn wholeheartedly and, I’ll admit, rather snobbishly. I don’t have a problem with the fact that the books were written, that people can enjoy them as pulp fiction (after all, I did read the first three, I enjoyed them, they were entertaining), but I do get annoyed when people bump them up from pulp fiction to “classic literature” status. This probably makes me a hypocrite, since I adore, say, the Harry Potter series with all of my soul. And I’m probably also a hypocrite in that I spent six weeks on a BYU study abroad this spring on what we termed a “literary pilgrimage” where we traveled around England and visited every single place any British author ever did anything ever, and it was awesome. The one time we crossed over into fictional ground was with my Thomas Hardy-obsessed professor, who insisted that we needed to walk where Tess of the D’Urbervilles would have walked if she’d been a real person. However, since I love my professor with all of my whole soul, this was endearing rather than obnoxious. Also, the walk was pretty. Good for Tess.

But apart from the fact that the British authors were real people and not (Thomas Hardy potentially excepted–I’m undecided) vampires and/or werewolves, I agree that Twilight really isn’t anything more than just plain pulp fiction. I think it’s important for its ridiculously intriguing and unexpected impact on pop culture, but as a literary work, it doesn’t deserve any attention, study, homage, whatever. Also, the thing that disturbs me most about Twilight is the fact that so many young girls read it. And they get the WEIRDEST ideas about what relationships are supposed to be like. Last year, for instance, various stores sold “sparkle lotion” for girls to rub on their boyfriends to make them more like Edward Cullen. Healthy behavior? Mm, no.

Anyway, it wouldn’t be very Christian of me to start a flaming war on this blog, so I’ll refrain. Sorry if I come across as uncivil…I tried my best : ) I am a rather practiced orator on the pros and cons and craziness of the Twilight craze, since its popularity on BYU campus reaches astoundingly new heights every semester.
christine
August 24th, 2009 @ 8:42 am

I am a voracious reader and love all kinds of books at many different levels. I LOVE settings! If you like a book, like the setting and have the chance to see if the reality lives up to your imagination-take it! Of course there are different “levels” of artistic merit, but give me a break, not everything has to be (insert high brow accent here) worthy of a Master’s Thesis. Twilight was fun, often silly (liquid topaz, liquid topaz) and a great escape, not to mention a great connection with my younger sisters and daughter. and Stephanie Meyers? HOORAY for a young, LDS mom making her mark on society. Hooray for her success, I am thrilled for her and my bank account wishes I could come up with something 1/100th as successful! Would we be having the same kind of conversation if the talent was playing football or running a large corporation? Would it be strange if a young man was spending his vacation and money traveling to see a “big game” (fun, but not “important” or if an MBA student wanted to sit at the feet of a successful CEO?) I probably wouldn’t do it, but I wouldn’t roll my eyes at someone who thought it sounded enjoyable.
Tay
August 24th, 2009 @ 2:48 pm

I’ve always viewed Twilight as something more of a non-sleazy Romance novel. It’s vastly popular, so I read two and a half until I had to study for finals. That was 18 months ago and I haven’t gone back to them. And honestly, my real aversion to the books is my obsessed SIL.

I will vouch for Stephenie Meyer – she’s got some really great book recommendations on her website and is very passionate about what she does. It’s really too bad that the books are so full of cheese and drama. The Host, however, is great.
Merry Michelle
August 24th, 2009 @ 3:51 pm

Kylie M.–Amen and Amen. Pulp fiction is NOT classic literature. Sorry vampire and werewolf lovers–we’ve already given you the concession of Halloween.

P.S. No fair! I would have LOVED to walk where Tess would have(had she been a real person)–did the walk include a home with blood dripping through the ceiling?
Morgan
August 24th, 2009 @ 5:13 pm

At the risk of sounding like someone who is way too in to Twilight (which I am actually not, although I did find enjoyment in reading the books) none of you here, or any of us for that matter, get to decide what is classic literature and what is not. Classic literature is made so by the test of time, and that isn’t something that we get a say in. I also think that we should all work on not sounding so condescending towards each other.
sar
August 24th, 2009 @ 7:28 pm

This also reminds me of the Miss Piggy quote: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye.”
~j.
August 24th, 2009 @ 9:21 pm

What I wouldn’t give to go to Hogwarts and Diagon Alley . . .

I did read the Twilight series (couldn’t stand it) so that I’d know what I was talking about during friends’ discussions. I happened to be in Northern Washington state whilst I read the 4th book. I wasn’t in Forks, but it was, I admit, kind of neat to be in the woods near where the story was supposed to have been taking place.
Liz C
August 27th, 2009 @ 3:19 pm

Just a slight off-topic comment: my biggest problem with the Twilight series is that they romanticize a very selfish, obsessive love, and I don’t find it healthy at all.

Other parts of the story, I enjoyed very much. A firm editorial hand to deal with some of the exposition would have been nice, but some of Jane Austen’s paragraphs run for pages, and Dickens can be absolutely atrocious.

I’m not a big fan of pop culture.