Monday, August 30, 2010

'Lo

Hello, it's been a while. Sorry 'bout that.

I've been on my holidays and faffing about and not thinking of much to say.

I've been reading quite a bit. One thing I read was Twilight - argh, I hear you cry, for blue-pencil's sake why?!

Cos I've heard a lot about them and am of the opinion you have to read a thing to fully despise it. With apologies to those who love the saga in an ironic kitsch way, and even those who love the saga in a unquestioningly adoring Bella-esque way. It's a matter of taste, no?

I didn't actually hate the writing (it wasn't literature, but c'mon it's teen fiction. That's not to say teen fiction can't be beautifully written, of course, but there's no reason teens can't have the light and pappy too) and it kicked along ok. After that I have little good to say about it, and frankly nothing I say won't already have been said by others, as I am well behind trend. But I must unload...


SPOILERS follow, for any who haven't read it or seen the movie.

I really didn't like the nods to gender equality in the cipher that was Bella, where she was gifted in science and such. It felt a zillion times phony when pitched against such an unbalanced relationship. Could Edward ever speak to her without frustration? Eurgh.

The clumsiness, dear zog, the clumsiness. She wouldn't dream of going to a school dance cos of the clumsiness. Her parents could believe she'd fall two flights of stairs and through a window or something rather than she was attacked cos of the clumsiness. No-one is that clumsy without being on something or having health issues. It's pretty worrying that the cover-story of the fall was supposed to convince a policeman father, even if the mother was daft as a brush as depicted.

And the parts where Bella had to think of ways to make it easier for Edward so he wouldn't lose control and eat her - well, this reminded me of nothing so much as The Modesty Survey (as discussed by Pharyngula a few weeks back). Where pretty much anything a girl wears, some guy finds a "stumbling block" to his own purity or whatever. You're so pretty I can't help myself = you smell so yummy you'll make me bite you. Blue-pencils! Get a grip. That's into rape apologism/victim-blaming territory. Eurgh.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your blog post has caused me to think about a book in an impure manner and now you're a stumbling block to me, you temptress! LOL! Only messin witcha. Anyway. Yes, I think it's a very daft story pitting a boy/girl romance into the world of vampire/victim. Like a story about a cat and a mouse falling in love where the mouse has to keep telling itself "But I love her, I won't bite her!" It would be daft if it were a cat and mouse in love, but somehow cos it's vampires it's okay. I thought the story was also daft in that Edward's been a teen vampire for a hundred years and has never fallen for a mortal before! Why not??? Are we meant to think all fashions through all ages have turned him off until THIS generation? What's this decade got that all the others haven't? If he could go a hundred years as a chaste and contented vampire, what's changed now???? Daft. Abster

Mephitis said...

I will make sure my blog-posts are fully buttoned-up from now on ;).

"If he could go a hundred years as a chaste and contented vampire, what's changed now????" It was cos Bella is so special&flowery-fragranced&clutzy. No-one fell over their own feet in such an attractive way before. 8).