Now that I am awake I'm going to attempt to add conjecture to your
points (Sorry Tofu, but this debate is to intersting to quit!)
I'm biased against the story in that I really dislike romance novels. Twilight follows a format of romance writing I find degrading, which probably is why I originally began to dislike it.
That is respectable, and honestly I think I got that from your
earlier refutations. I am sure you had a good reason for buying Twilight
but personally it sounds to me like you knew in advance that you didn't
like this type of book... So the point here is moot. There are probably genre's
you enjoy that I find degrading and frivolous, though I can't say I have found
a type of book I haven't found at least slightly engaging... But I am a book
worm in the worst way. I'll read pretty much anything, but for you to at
least understand that this style of writing grades on you is great. I hope you
are able to use that knowledge to not have to succumb yourself to any books
like it in the future.
I honestly wouldn't be able to read long posts if I didn't break them all up into tiny parts and refute them. xD I tend to TL;DR.
Yeah... it's a disease... I have wallotextinitis... it's terminal.
Actually, this debate cheered me up and didn't waste my time at all, and debates aren't all about winning. Goodnight, though. ^^
Well thats good! I wasn't upset either, just a bit sleepy, and I
don't debate well sleepy! I agree that debate isn't always about
winning, sometimes it's about honing your skills and also flexing your
intellectual muscles. Not to mention good debates can make great
friendships! ^_^
Yes, but if you take away the fantastic parts of it, you can insert the plot into other genres and settings.
Yes you can, but not quite as well as it fits here. However I think
both of our main points on this one is that the story is abnormal in
many ways... but this doesn't have to be a bad thing...
The plot of the first book seems to be that Edward and Bella fall in love. James and his buddies don't show up until the end, which makes it seem like an afterthought.
Is there anything wrong with that? Why can't the game of romance and
the thrill of the chase of true love be a good story? James and his coven
are always in the background of the story, we just don't have a name for
them until the end of the book. It's not an afterthought... it's a way to
draw in an audience and make a series out of what could have been a
single book. Which is neither a crime nor a great joy to me. It just is.
However, that is no reason to get overly jealous about him.
I still don't see where this is coming from. You have to know,
from reading the books that Edward is always pained about leaving
Bella like he did. And he can read Jacob's thoughts, and jacob is a
red blooded American boy with hormones. How would you feel if you
knew how people thought and what people thought about the people
you loved and put on a pedastal? It would make you sick! But in Edwards
case it causes inner turmoil because he believes he is dangerous and
wrong for bella and that Jacob is right. And while he loves her and
wants to be with her, he feels selfish and guilty about it... which
causes him to become bitter about a friend like Jacob. And don't
forget that jealousy is nothing new, every guy friend of a girl has to
deal with the boyfriend jealousy, extenuating circumstances baring,
it normally always has some form of tension.
It's not so much the fantasy as it is how messed-up their relationship is.
*shrugs* Messed Up? Great? All how you view it. I kinda see
their relationship as a flawed and real showing of how two people
with problems can come together and, over a lot of struggles,
help eachother exists in a world that doesn't quite fit them.
The problem is how blatant it happens. I wouldn't care if it was a love-at-first-sight thing if it didn't seem like Bella's love for Edward is only because he's good-looking and rich.
I have to seriously pull the breaks on this one. Bella liking him
because he is RICH? When was THIS ever stated? I'd really need you
to quote me a portion where his money ever made her anything but
uncomfortable, stressed and feel smaller than she already felt. She
adored him for everything BUT his money. Infact, it was constantly
a thing of tension between them as she was used to, and happy with
her less frivolous lifestyle (She drives a 1950 P.O.S. for peats sake!)
and Edward constantly tries to dote on her in ways that stress her and
make her feel unworthy of his love, which later then reconcile as his
inability to know how to show her how much he adores her in another
way that by giving her everything he THINKS she wants (he can't read
her mind remember) So he's constantly trying to dote on her... and
failing about as much as any normal guy... ^_^
Again, my problem is because they seem to be devoted to each other all throughout the relationship, even when they first meet.
Actually, the book very clearly describes Edward as confused and intruiged,
not in love, when he firsts sees her. Read Midnight Sun to really get a feel for
just how striking Bella is, and how confused and lonely and awkward Edward is.
He doesn't want to be around her because it is painful, but it is that pain and
the spark of intruige that he can't read her mind that draws them together,
and ultimately allows them to converse and find out that they are kindred spirits
in their outcasted life-style, never feeling like they fit in.
Her constant gushing about Edward's copper brass whatever coloured hair and his beautiful eyes in addition to no common interests between them made it seem as if she only cared about his good looks.
It's a book. Without getting frustrated how else is the author supposed
to describe and help us visualize one of her main characters. The story
is in bella's view, so we see her marvel over Edward in her own way... and
while she does constantly find amazement in his beauty, his talents as a pianist,
a problem solver, and as a understanding pillar in her constantly hectic life
are also admired. She admires him for wanting her... even though she doesn't
feel she deserves such a generous and caring guy, and throughout it all he is
amazed at how easily she takes all the unnatural things in her life... another
draw for him.
Or they just really want each other, and it wouldn't be the same if it were another person. How many men do you know who are made of ice?
This statement almost makes it sound like you don't believe attraction
to be an important part of a relationship. I know you do, and if you
don't I'm sorry... because love should be a complete package; mental
physical, spiritual, emotional and philisophical. To disconect from one
leaves you in jeapordy of disconecting yourself from your partner. While
I agree with you that I know they'd find it not the same with another
person (it clearly stipulates that in both books) I think your reasoning
behind their connection is different than mine. Honestly, why would anyone
want to be with a man made of ice? That makes no sense... but for
some reason she does want to hold me and love him... she disregards
the trials and the hurtles... and continues to love him even after he hurts
her. He in turn continues to love her even though just being around her
makes him want to do the one thing he promised he'd never do... (kill
another human)
It is, but that doesn't mean you can't identify with them.
However, the area you are saying people would Identify them doesn't
resonate with me, so I can't really speculate as to how it'd be viewed
by another in a positive light. I differentiate from the fantastical parts
of their relationship and the realstic bits, which admittedly are few and far
between, none-the-less they are present and have a great message to
give me... but thats me, and not you, and I respect that. I just don't
see what the big fuss is about proclaiming Twilight bad fiction when that
is a personal opinion, not a fact of matter.
But they don't have anything to talk about aside from how much they love each other. If two people are exactly alike, the relationship wouldn't work out.
I'm sure there are studies to support this, but I haven't seen them, and while fiction
should be based loosely on truth I can't find a reason why you can't write a story
where the people have similar interests and it does work out. It is fantasy after all.
You could say the same thing about the relationship between Cinderella and Prince
Charming. However, the point is not HOW or WHY they fall in love, because in the end
that is not going to keep you together. What will keep you together is how much you
are willing to sacrifice, how much you are willing to fight for your relationship and what
you feel for the person. At least, in this story... Give me a story like Wuthering Heights
and I'll show you a couple that was held together by the why, and transcended the
need to be attracted to eachother first... all the devotion really came later.
I'm still not convinced they love each other, but meh.
Thats okay, It feels like you may have a previous bias towards romance novels or
young adult moosh stories anyway. Which begs me to ask why you really wanted to read
Twilight. Without questioning your motive, its okay to not be convinced, as that gives
you an interesting position in that you view the books from Jacobs perspective, which
I personally think is kinda cool, however you never really get to the point where he
also conceeds that things are gonna be alright, and that neither he nor anyone else
has control over how they feel... they just do.
I'm simply restating what the text says.
I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, because while I have tried to rack my brain
for instances of which you speak, The only ones I ever seem to find make me feel
as though you skimmed the book, simply read the cliff notes or only read them knowing
you would hate them and therefore took situations out of context due to your pre-
concieved bias and notion that it was a bad book. Or you are falsifying points to make
your claim. Since I doubt ANY of these is the truth (Maybe the one about not liking it
so you see negatives without getting the underlying references? That might be kinda
true, but not a bad thing really...) I will surmise that I just don't have as strong a grasp
on the story as you do. However, in all of the 7 times I have read all 4 of the books, I
personally feel I've never found Edward or Bella or Jacob to do anything without cause
or that wasn't in the spirit of the overall theme which is "Sometimes, love doesn't make
sense, but if you fight for what you know is right, you can be more than just what you
are, you can be what you choose to be."
I couldn't agree more.
See! I knew there was something we can agree on! Over fandom = bad times!
~Allykat