National Public Radio’s ‘Monkey See’ weblog yielded to popular requests for a reading of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga and the result is predictable. It is “a necessary but painful exercise we are obliged to do,” yields to “the woman really cannot write,” which brings us where you probably knew we were headed eventually “Bella Swan is not a proper feminist or likable person.” The three literary pigs of aestheticism (wordsmithing is all), deconstruction (political correctness), and literary taxonomy (genre revulsion) are all on display — and the inability of anyone using these tools to explain the popularity of the books or even to contemplate seriously the possibility that the woman actually is delivering the goods readers wants is demonstrated. Read More “NPR Bashes Twilight: Anyone Surprised?”

I have really been neglecting my Twilight readers here because of the work I’ve been doing to unlock the artistry and meaning of The Hunger Games, but I hope after my trip to Phoenix and Tuscon next week to start some conversations about the status quo of ‘Meyer Studies,’ if you will, with special attention to essays at Twilight News Site and articles like this one in Christianity Today.

Until then, though, here is a Guest Post by North Carolina’s Ms. Misty Dotts about Shakespeare’s influence on the Twilight Saga. Enjoy! Read More “Twilight Guest Post: ‘On Romeo and Juliet’”