Let's talk about Twilight and Edward Cullen

There's nothing quite like a literary man with a strong sense of protection and and an undying love. Mr. Darcy for instance, wow, what I wouldn't give for a man like that. Recently, I have been ambushed, from every angle, with the mention of "Twilight" and "Edward Cullen". The books were never a point of interest to me, until the comparisons of literature caught my attention. The Twilight Saga is being compared to Harry Potter, and Edward Cullen to Mr. Darcy. These are heady comparisons, and being well-versed in literature myself, I decided to read the books.

I will start with the books themselves. They get progressively better as you go, which is a good thing. The characters are well-written and engaging, while the plot leaves a little something to be desired. In my opinion they are not worthy to be classed with literature such J.K. Rowlings HP series. the caliber of writing, the attention to detail, the pure ability to saturate the mind, well, it's just not there. The writing is simplistic, making the books a good option for all readers of many ages, but truthfully, they will only truly ever appeal to women ( and possibly gay men) on a long term basis, since they are written from the perspective of a teenage girl in love. While Stepenie Meyer does an excellent job of communicating the emotions and the thought processes, the atmosphere and the action, and the detail, they leave a very small something to be desired. The only thing that Twilight has in common with Harry Potter is it's almost instant success, which is not enough on it's own to qualify it with the prestige it has been eluded to deserve.

Now, as for Edward Cullen himself. The eternally petulant, over-protective, perpetual 17 year old vampire of stunning good-looks and historical reference. Well, controlling is usually not considered healthy in a relationship, and while circumstances may dictate an amount of it here, I am not impressed. To compare Edward to Darcy is absurd. Mr. Darcy, who is a literary character of note, was proud, but never controlling, and he knew when to keep to himself. He was not suicidal, and did not run away from his love, but instead endeavored to obtain her. He did not push her to the ground, and leave her to wallow in pain. Nor did he constantly endanger her life. The fact that Edward is possessing of the skills to save Bella, does not give him the right to be considered romantic for saving her from things, she should never have been exposed to. Edward Cullen is in my opinion, irresponsible, controlling, and petulant. Not at all in Darcy's class.


These negative opinions are in no way a slight on Ms. Meyer's books. Quite the contrary, I found the saga enjoyable, and am in fact in the process of reading it again. I do feel that, it is teen literature, however, and that it has no place in the comparison class it has been found in.