Friday, December 4, 2009

A Feminist Response to Edward Cullen

Okay, I know I posted on the whole "Twilight is anti-feminist" thing already, but I'm a college student with way too many resources available to me to go without sharing some more info I came across.

The following in an exererpt from Twilight and Philosophy, and this particular article is titled "EDWARD CULLEN AND BELLA SWAN: BYRONIC AND FEMINIST HEROES . . . OR NOT" by Abigail E. Myers.

"A feminist response to Edward Cullen might have been, “ Look, you
seem like a really nice vampire, but if being with you means
giving up my family, my friends, and my hopes for higher
education, I think I ’ m going to seek out a relationship that
allows me to have romantic and sexual love as well as all
that other stuff. ” And a nonabusive vampire would have really
meant it when he said that the beautiful mortal girl was better
off without him, and would have allowed that being mortal,
human, and young includes making your own mistakes
and not being insulated from every possible threat, real or
imagined.

But that doesn’t cross Bella and Edward ’s minds. The ending
they find is truly a fairy tale, not because it seems happily
ever after but because it lacks cause and effect, moral responsibility,
and real relationships.
And if that ’ s Stephenie Meyer ’ s
idea of a fairy - tale ending, maybe we ’ d all better make sure
that we take the Twilight saga for what it is: a fairy tale, no
more worthy of emulation than Sleeping Beauty. The test?
Ask yourself if Sleeping Beauty is a role model. I’m guessing
the answer is no. Well, then, is Bella a feminist hero? Maybe
we can answer that with another question: Will vampires ever
get over their taste for blood?"

Make me want to show all those teenage girls something with substance. Jane Eyre maybe?

Sarah
La SuaVoce Designs

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