Everywhere I look right now here in Spain there are advertisements for the New Moon film from the Twilight series. I have not seen the film, a good friend took my girls to see it. I have nothing much against it except like anything too sickly sweet I couldn't face it, I have overdone it. I read all the books. I don't like my kids reading books without me at least knowing what it is about. I have read all the Spiderwick and the Harry Potter series.
My father was in a Coma for eleven days and so I borrowed my girls books and read them one after another. I am not a fast reader. I have to read every word - a bit obsessive compulsive. I never grasped the talent to skim-read. But I read these books fast. I read them through the night and got frustrated that I could not get hold of the last book and begged my niece to lend me hers, thanks Elizabeth. To me these books are like chocolate; sweet, addictive and not necessarily good for you, but in moderation not bad for you either.
I think there is a place in literature for chocolate. My daughter Devon loves the Twilight books but she also reads Pride and Prejudice, Emma, books I would put in the category of main course. Essential nutrients to help us grow. But I like chocolate now and again and don't see any huge harm in it. I would perhaps ask the question, why are the Twilight books addictive? What is the chocolate? Stephenie Meyer writes addiction very well for teenage women and women in general. I admire her for it, she has found something that sells and sold it and made a lot of money in the process, how nice it would be to be financially safe! I think she writes infatuation. She writes about fantasy. The fantasy women have about love. Here is a cold, beautiful, vampire, a statue-like man, Edward. . . and she adores him? I read it thinking, no way would I want to cuddle up to a block of ice. But he is strong and protects her - our handsome hero women long for. Perhaps because the boys and men in our life disappoint, so we need to have a fantasy character to lust after. It balances out the reality.
Perhaps you might think lust is too strong a word? I am not sure. Have you seen the way most teenage girls behave when you just name Jacob Black after seeing New Moon? Reminds me of the way some of my parents generation behaved around The Beatles. I was just going to say that I have never behaved that way, but a group of Capoeira martial artists did a display on television the other day, and. . . well John is still teasing me about it. So I am guilty of a little feminine ga-ga-ness. My last blog post addressed the subject of image, how we should not look on outward beauty to see a person's worth. I am sure the Capoeira men have sweet spirits.
Does anyone remember the Pride and Prejudice film where Colin Firth walks out of the pool after diving in for a swim? Hmmm? Mr Darcy!
OK not as impressive as I remember it, but when I first saw it, I melted! So is this the chocolate? Is this OK? Women have always swooned! In medieval times it was seen as a masculine trait, then there was a transition and it became a feminine weakness, the word hysteria (which comes from the word womb) described our silliness. Men's hysteria was healthily expressed through art, poetry, song. Women were just seen as silly. Is it silly? We feel it's safe to have fantasies in characters such as actors, actresses (such as Jude Law, N :-) ). So to swoon or not to swoon? That is the question. Is it healthy fun? Just shout the name Jacob Black in a high school and see how many girls scream and swoon!! Healthy?
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