Beneath the Surface: Continued Conversation on Bree Tanner

June 17, 2010 by 19 Comments

Well, our so-called surface level thread on the new Bree Tanner novella quickly went far beneath the surface, not a surprising development for our readers here! To make sure some of the great conversation, which went quickly into deep waters of the novella as an allegory or defense of Meyer’s faith, didn’t get lost in the pile of comments, we’re pulling them up here to continue the excellent discussion . Feel free to chime in with your thoughts on the deeper aspects of the text, with other posts along those lines to come soon!

   James on June 15, 2010 at 3:40 am

There are many insights into the vampire world, to be sure, as Stephenie promised. I realized that the Nomad vampires are actually homeless. Don’t know why I didn’t realize that before. Other than the Volturi and Cullens, all appear to be wanderers. Bummer.

I hope to talk on this with John and Steve Walker in another upcoming podcast, but I also noticed the great deal of hellish imagery associated with Riley’s coven/congregation. This led me to see that Riley is a misleading priest figure, lying to his congregants to keep them under his control, spreading superstition and lies so that they won’t realize they have the potential to live as beings of light (with love again as a potential path to glory/divinization).

So the questions arise, “Does the Creator know the truth? Is the Creator… wrong? Does the Creator assent to her priest/spokesman’s controlling lies and abuse?” And, of course, in any case, “what can/should be done about it?” How can you exercise your “free agency”/autonomy when you realize how ignorant and misled your religion truly is? I think with “Bree Tanner,” Meyer posits a remarkable allegory about what (not) to do when you realize your faith — or other beliefs — are untrue, in contrast with Bella’s finding a true path following the prophetic and godlike Carlisle. Remarkable.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Elizabeth Baird Hardy, Twilight

Some “Muse”ings about Inspiration: the Voices in Meyer’s and Collins’s Heads

June 8, 2010 by 2 Comments

Inspiration often comes from unusual places. According to tradition, Charles Dickens was asked whether he wanted a lemon twist or an olive in his drink—“olive or twist”—and thus lighted upon the name of one of his most beloved characters.  Rowling got her inspiration on a train, Meyer’s came in a dream, and Collins’s idea for the Hunger Games sprang to life while she was flipping channels on television.  But, after that initial surge of inspiration, an author has to sit down and write, often even when he or she does not want to, and that’s where a different brand of inspiration comes in: auditory inspiration.

Many authors report that listening to certain kinds of music helps them write. Sharyn McCrumb, New York Times bestselling Appalachian author, usually has different soundtracks for the different characters in her Ballad novels, and has even produced a CD of traditional songs linked to the books. Suzanne Collins has noted that she prefers listening to classical music as she writes, since she finds lyrics distracting (and with Katniss’s voice in your head, there really isn’t room for more voices, perhaps). And of course, Stephenie Meyer has Muse, the band she has thanked publically as her inspiration and included on many of the “playlists” she posts for her novels on her website.  Muse is an interesting group. Like Queen, with whom they share some stylistic elements and whom they cite as an inspiration, Muse is a band named after a female figure, through the band members are all men. In addition to being a noun describing the nine lovely ladies of mythology, however, the word “muse” is, of course, also a verb for thoughtful pondering, and Muse’s lyrics certainly give much to think about. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Elizabeth Baird Hardy, Hunger Games, Twilight

Bree Tanner: What Have We Learned?

June 7, 2010 by 21 Comments

On today’s thread about Bree Tanner, I’d like to read what you think we readers of this ‘Eclipse novella’ have learned about the story-line in Eclipse specifically or the Saga as a whole that we didn’t know before. Nothing fancy or profound, nothing “beneath the surface.” Just the narrative line facts, the plot points. Here are three things I picked up: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Twilight

Bree Tanner: First Critical Responses

June 7, 2010 by 8 Comments

It’s been two days since The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella (hereafter Bree Tanner or Bree) was published and the first critical reviews are in.

Filed Under: Twilight

BYU Professor Steve Walker Talks About Twilight

June 5, 2010 by 6 Comments

Listen to these podCast interviews and conversations originally posted at Twilight News Site for the insights of the BYU English professor about whom Stephenie Meyer said:

The professor who had the most influence on me was Steven Walker, mostly because he was just insanely brilliant. The way his mind worked was fascinating, and it helped me look at the literature we studied in so many new ways.

If you’re a Twi-hard, these two interviews and conversations are a must!

Filed Under: Twilight