There have been, to date, essentially no published books about the meaning of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga. You had to guess the flood gates would open before Christmas book orders were made this year and for the movie release in November — and right on cue we have our first titles at the end of September and the beginning of October.
Touched by a Vampire: Discovering the Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga was written by a theology professor from Wheaton College. She asks the question I’m not sure many readers are really concerned about, namely:
“With 48 million copies in print and a succession of upcoming blockbuster films, now is the time to ask the important question: Can vampires teach us about God’s plan for love?”
My guess is that there won’t be much discussion of the literary background in Touched.
— will be a little headier, no doubt. One of the philosophy articles mentioned in the product description even mentions Mormonism.
These two books remind me, though, of the first published critical responses to Harry Potter, namely, the interpretations of Evangelical Christian apologists who wanted to examine the series in the context of the culture war and academics “murdering to dissect” the Hogwarts Adventures as cultural artifact and vessel of unintended meanings.
The first books out of the Twilight gate do look much better than the critical cadre that opened the category of published Potter punditry; forgive me for doubting, nonetheless, that either does what Spotlight will do.
Which, like my books on Ms. Rowling’s work, will be simply (1) to read Ms. Meyer’s novels as novels and (2) to try to explain their popularity in terms of the artistry and meaning in them. That may involve some theology and philosophy because better books have more profound meanings. I won’t be interpreting them, however, as philosophical arguments or theological treatises. They’re novels and deserve to be read as such.
Your thoughts?
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