bookgazing (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bookgazing) wrote2010-02-28 09:11 am
bookgazing) wrote2010-02-28 09:11 am
Bookish Chat - 'Eclipse'
' "Photographic memory or not, I don't understand why you like it. The characters are ghastly people who ruin each other's lives. I don't know how Heathcliff and Cathy ended up being ranked with couples like Romeo and Juliet or Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy. It isn't a love story, it's a hate story."
"You have some serious issues with the classics," I snapped....
"What is it that appeals to you?"
His sincere curiosity disarmed me. "I'm not sure," I said, scrambling for coherency while his gaze unintentionally scattered my thoughts. "I think it's something about the inevitablity. How nothing can keep them apart-not her selfishness, or his evil, or even death, in the end..."
His face was thoughtful as he considered my words. After a moment he smiled his teasing smile. "I still think it would be a better story if either of them had one redeeming quality."
"I think that might be the point," I disagreed. "Their love is their only redeeming quality."
"I hope you have better sense than that-to fall in love with someone so...malignant." '
Did Ms Meyer just satarise her own character's relationship using 'Wuthering Heights'? I think a little bit of my brain exploded on reading this, because it so perfectly describes my feelings about Bella and Edward (although I think their love is begining to annoy me in this third book). If Meyer is deliberately undermining her own characters - well I have to give her much more credit that I ever have before...
Of course she soon throws her characters back on the out of control crazy train. Just when you think Meyer has gone to the limits of romantic ickyness she throws in a new twist. In 'Eclipse' it's the creepiness of a werewolf 'imprinting' (recognising his soulmate), only problem is she's a two year old. No worries, he will essentially lovingly groom here until she is old enough to reciprocate his feelings. And what if she doesn't return his feelings? Well she'll be able to refuse him of course, but why would she when he won't age past eighteen and he's always been around taking care of her. Please Emily, call a social worker!
This is the book where I realised that the commentators who view Edward as an abusive partner are not so far out there. His sister has kidnapped Bella and put her on lock down to keep her 'safe' and 200 pages in Bella and Edward have used the language of domestic violence frequently.
I'm not ripping through 'Eclipse' like the last two books. I'm finding it slow and as the romantic relationship becomes undermined (which is must do if Edward seems to be acting especially questionably and Bella is trying to 'escape' him to hang out with Jacob) the interest level gets lower and lower. Who reads the Twilight books for the action plot after all, it's the romance and vampire baseball that make it so addictive. Alright when I went for drinks last night we ended up watching 'Twilight' again and were way too excited about vampire baseball - but we also tried to introduce others to the joys of BBC 'Pride and Prejudice' (not sure it worked).
I almost want to go and buy my team Jacob flag, but I know it's pointless and I just can't get over the werewolf domestic violence theme from the last book. Everytime I start to think 'aww' I'm reminded of Emily's scars, which I think were prettified for the film version. I hate that the one time I actually do want the nice, best friend to become the romantic lead his chances are doomed from the start.
"You have some serious issues with the classics," I snapped....
"What is it that appeals to you?"
His sincere curiosity disarmed me. "I'm not sure," I said, scrambling for coherency while his gaze unintentionally scattered my thoughts. "I think it's something about the inevitablity. How nothing can keep them apart-not her selfishness, or his evil, or even death, in the end..."
His face was thoughtful as he considered my words. After a moment he smiled his teasing smile. "I still think it would be a better story if either of them had one redeeming quality."
"I think that might be the point," I disagreed. "Their love is their only redeeming quality."
"I hope you have better sense than that-to fall in love with someone so...malignant." '
Did Ms Meyer just satarise her own character's relationship using 'Wuthering Heights'? I think a little bit of my brain exploded on reading this, because it so perfectly describes my feelings about Bella and Edward (although I think their love is begining to annoy me in this third book). If Meyer is deliberately undermining her own characters - well I have to give her much more credit that I ever have before...
Of course she soon throws her characters back on the out of control crazy train. Just when you think Meyer has gone to the limits of romantic ickyness she throws in a new twist. In 'Eclipse' it's the creepiness of a werewolf 'imprinting' (recognising his soulmate), only problem is she's a two year old. No worries, he will essentially lovingly groom here until she is old enough to reciprocate his feelings. And what if she doesn't return his feelings? Well she'll be able to refuse him of course, but why would she when he won't age past eighteen and he's always been around taking care of her. Please Emily, call a social worker!
This is the book where I realised that the commentators who view Edward as an abusive partner are not so far out there. His sister has kidnapped Bella and put her on lock down to keep her 'safe' and 200 pages in Bella and Edward have used the language of domestic violence frequently.
I'm not ripping through 'Eclipse' like the last two books. I'm finding it slow and as the romantic relationship becomes undermined (which is must do if Edward seems to be acting especially questionably and Bella is trying to 'escape' him to hang out with Jacob) the interest level gets lower and lower. Who reads the Twilight books for the action plot after all, it's the romance and vampire baseball that make it so addictive. Alright when I went for drinks last night we ended up watching 'Twilight' again and were way too excited about vampire baseball - but we also tried to introduce others to the joys of BBC 'Pride and Prejudice' (not sure it worked).
I almost want to go and buy my team Jacob flag, but I know it's pointless and I just can't get over the werewolf domestic violence theme from the last book. Everytime I start to think 'aww' I'm reminded of Emily's scars, which I think were prettified for the film version. I hate that the one time I actually do want the nice, best friend to become the romantic lead his chances are doomed from the start.