2.19 All That Glitters is Probably a Vampire with Kali and Maija
Welcome back to The Community Library. This week Kali, Maija and I are bringing you a very special bonus episode all about … [drumroll please] Twilight by Stephenie Meyer! With the impending release of Midnight Sun, we decided to take a trip down memory lane and do a deep analysis of our problematic fave. We discuss Bella and Edward’s toxic relationship, provide a feminist reading of the text, and we answer the most important question: team Edward or team Jacob? Hope you enjoy!
Listen to the episode here
Download full transcription of the episode here
Resources on the Quileute Tribe
‘Truth vs. Twilight’ – Burke Museum website in collaboration with the Quileute Tribe, 2010
‘The Twilight Saga and the Quileute Indian Tribe: Opportunity or Cultural Exploitation?’ by Barbara Leigh Smith – Evergreen State College, 2010
‘Sucking the Quileute Dry’ by Angela R. Riley, New York Times, 7th February 2010
‘Why Several Native Americans are Suing the Mormon Church’ by Lilly Fowler – The Atlantic, 23rd October 2016
On hating things that teenage girls love
‘What is a VSCO Girl and why do we hate teenage girls on the Internet?’ by Jonti Ridley – Fashion Journal, 17th December 2019
‘VSCO Girls Aren’t Bad, You Just Hate Women’ by Riley Farrell – Odyssey, 26th August 2019
‘Dear Stephenie Meyer’ by Lindsay Ellis – Lindsay Ellis YouTube Channel, 22nd January 2018
On relationship violence
‘Relationship Violence in “Twilight”’ by Wind Goodfriend Ph.D. – Psychology Today, 9th November 2011
‘Hannah Gadsby Full Speech: “The Good Men” & Misogyny’ by Hannah Gadsby – The Hollywood Reporter YouTube Channel, 5th December 2018
From Stephenie herself
’10 Questions for Stephenie Meyer’ – TIME Youtube Channel, 5th April, 2013
1min 50s on role models
2min 50s on religion
‘The Story Behind the Writing of New Moon’ by Stephenie Meyer – stepheniemeyer.com
Stephenie addresses misogynistic criticism of her books:
“(Side note: there are those who think Bella is a wuss. There are those who think my stories are misogynistic—the damsel in distress must be rescued by strong hero. To the first accusation, I can only say that we all handle grief in our own way. Bella’s way is no less valid than any other to my mind. Detractors of her reaction don’t always take into account that I’m talking about true love here, rather than high school infatuation. I emphatically reject the second accusation. I am all about girl power—look at Alice and Jane if you doubt that. I am not anti-female, I am anti-human. I wrote this story from the perspective of a female human because that came most naturally, as you might imagine. But if the narrator had been a male human, it would not have changed the events. When a human being is totally surrounded by creatures with supernatural strength, speed, senses, and various other uncanny powers, he or she is not going to be able to hold his or her own. Sorry. That’s just the way it is. We can’t all be slayers. Bella does pretty well I think, all things considered. She saves Edward, after all. Side note/rant over. Back to the story.)”
Stephenie talks about Jacob:
“Jacob’s development into a major character was a strange journey. Originally, Jacob was just a device. In Twilight, Bella needed a way to find out the truth about Edward, and the conveniently located Quileute Tribe, with all their fantastic legends, provided a cool option for that revelation. And so Jacob was born—born to tell Bella and Edward’s secret.”
Resources for Justice for George Floyd and to support the Black Lives Matter movement here