Among the Twilight fan sites an interesting one to look at is Twilight Australia http://twilightaustralia.net/. Twilight Australia is home to some of the most obsessed Twilight Fans. This site provides fans with everything Twilight. Here you can learn how to look like Bella and Edward at prom, post in forums, and even buy your own Edward and Bella Barbie dolls.
One of the more interesting forums asked the question, “Would there be more Twiguys if Midnight Sun came first?” There were many mixed opinions on this topic but one post that stood out was:
“My Brother wants to read it but I won’t let him touch my precious copy His hands are dirty. The only boy I would let read mine would be EDWARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! J :0) :0)”
This was an interesting post due to the fact that the poster would only let Edward read her book. She says that her brother’s hands are dirty and therefore his dirty hands would ruin her “precious copy”. From this post I think we can infer that the author of this comment, Courtney, is comparing all boys to Edward’s perfection. She is demanding that they measure up to Edward’s standards to even borrow a book.
Another point of interest when it comes to Stephenie Meyer’s Midnight Sun was how deeply sad fans were when the news broke that Midnight Sun is on and indefinite hold. Post on this discussion forum consisted of fans giving each other tips of where to find the draft of Midnight Sun, to consoling each other about the possibility of the book not being published. One fan wrote:
“SM released part of a rough draft herself. You can dowload it on her site. I'm reading it right now... it's amazing! But I'm really pissed about whoever released it illegally because now it might never be finished and that makes me really sad, like I'll never see my best friend again.”
From this post we can again see how these fans are identifying with the Twilight Saga. These fans feel as though they are losing a best friend due to the halted continuation of Midnight Sun. Bella, Edward, Alice and all the other characters have in a way become friends to these young adult fans. This shows that these books are relatable to young adults and do provide a sense of escapism. However, is this healthy for young adults when they cannot come away from the story?
I really do wonder what happens when these girls come to the earth-shattering realization that EDWARD ISN'T REAL. And REAL MEN AREN'T LIKE EDWARD. Or, more prudently, if there is a man out there who is as good-looking as Robert Pattinson with all of Edwards' "charms" (minus the creepy stalker shit) the chances of them meeting them, let alone falling in love are NIL.
ReplyDeleteUsing a historical lens is kind of useful in this situation as this isn't the first time this has happened. Everyone remembers the cardiac arrest-causing obsession that teenage girls had about the Beetles; people literally dropped dead from seeing them. People would literally kill to be with them. Or Elvis? Sean Connery in his younger days? They all had thier fanatical followers. Oddly enough, no one ever really talks about what happened to those fans when they were struck by the lightning of reality. Some of them, I imagine, begrudgingly moved on with life. But the the others? Who knows?
This upcoming generation will write thier own story.