Evaluation of The Aesthetics Quality of Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Introduction

The aesthetic quality of any literary work is one factor that cannot be overlooked when analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of a work. It helps set aside not just what is good or important, but what makes the literary piece inherently good or bad.

Evaluation of The Aesthetic Quality of Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Overview of "Twilight"

Twilight (2005) by Stephanie Meyer is a novel that divides the opinion of readers and critics. It seems to have fallen between a chasm of good and not good. Popularity and criticism are two words that perfectly describe the reception of the book. This essay takes an academic evaluation of the source material to see if it upholds its aesthetic values, or in other words, meets the demands of an average reader.

Plot and Structure

Twilight is a novel about a young high school girl named Bella Swan, who falls madly in love with a fellow student named Edward Cullen, who, unknown to the world, is a vampire. Although the general reception of the novel has been mixed, much of the criticism has been directed at it being a poor literary work. In her review of the novel in the New York Times, Elizabeth Spires said, "Although the entire premise of the book is fascinating and captivating, the entire book suffers from the inexperience of an amateur writer" (Spires, 2005). This critique aligns with my perspective, given the nature of the book. The biggest flaw in the book comes from something you would expect from an amateur writer rather than a seasoned one, and this flaw is essential to any written work: the plot.

We are taught that for every story, there must be a starting point, a middle, and a conclusion, but Twilight does not get these basics right, and it is safe to say the author is not clear about these fundamentals of writing. This lends further credence to Spires's assessment of the book. The book is divided into two distinct parts, with only a few connecting bases. The first plot of the book is entirely about Bella and Edward's romance, and the second plot is the conflict between good and evil vampires. This lack of connection between the two parts takes the reader on two different journeys. For instance, Bella and Edward's romance takes center stage for three-quarters of the book, and we do not encounter James and the rest of the villains until the last part of the book. It would have been much better to introduce the villains earlier on, thus adding more weight to the action subplot. Meyer does not resolve the issue of plot throughout the book, and this is a significant problem as readers are left wanting more from the plot and pacing of the book.

Style and Writing Technique

An apparent defect in the novel and a sign of Meyer's inexperience as a writer is the constant need to tell rather than show. Twilight is full of many instances where sentences are written to tell the emotions and feelings of characters rather than indirectly explaining the character's state of mind using dialogue and action. There are several instances in the book where Edward simply tells Bella that he is indeed dangerous. A more effective approach would have Bella confronting the fact that the person she loves is dangerous through actions and dialogue. Meyer's tendency to tell rather than show is apparent in her unnecessary use of complicated sentences that add nothing to the plot and are only there to fill up page numbers. For example, Meyer's description of Edward's appearance as "vampires sparkling in the sun" affects the intensity and complexity of the work without adding vitality to the story. This further impacts the plot and pacing issues in the story.

Thematic and Character Analysis

Twilight is not a strong piece of English literature when it comes to aesthetics. It suffers from a lack of identity, complexity, unity, and meaningful intensity. Stripped down to its core, it is a tale of a girl meeting an almost perfect boy and falling in love with him. In this case, the boy is a vampire whose flaws serve only one purpose: to drive the story. Edward Cullen is best described by the term Byronic, derived from Lord Byron's work. The term classifies a male figure, usually depicted as a hero with all the qualities one would want in a man. In her essay on Fifty Shades of Grey (a book which shares significant similarities with Twilight), Lori Perkins describes the Byronic character as "A brilliant but dashing bad boy, with style, and a heart of gold, but with enough flaws to give you that small hint that maybe you have a chance with him" (Perkins, 2012).

Here again lies another flaw with the book. The Byronic character is not a new idea or a groundbreaking feat. It is a character type that predates even the Cinderella story. Although the presence of this type of character does not determine the beauty of a story, it makes us question the originality of the story. Edward is repeatedly admired for his perfection throughout the book. An admiration that becomes overly Byronic to a certain extent, where it becomes intensity for the sake of it, thus adding to the meaningless intensity and the lack of unity to balance it.

"I cannot be sure, of course, but I would compare it to living on tofu and soy milk; we call ourselves vegetarians, our little inside joke." These words are said by Edward, illustrating how he is meant to be the perfect vampire, with the drinking of human blood considered an imperfection.

Author's Intentions and Audience Reception

For all the limitations of the novel and its lack of the aesthetics needed for a top literary piece, I do have sympathy for Stephanie Meyer. When the author first wrote the book, she did so without intending to publish it professionally. It was meant to be her fanfiction of what would happen if a human met and fell in love with a charming vampire. This indicates that she was determined to build a literary universe that readers could relate to and form their interpretations of the characters. In a way, Twilight can be seen as a novel that tells the love story between a teenage girl and her perfect boyfriend.

Meyer might have only wanted to satisfy her own imaginations and fantasies with the book and thus might not have taken too much interest in the plot, complexity, intensity, and synergy of the story. Fortunately, the story became a success and is loved by people who are more enamored with fantasy and perfection than the aesthetic quality of the material. However, irrespective of the author's intentions or background, the book is lacking in terms of writing and aesthetics. To elaborate further, the lack of both factors in the book could be attributed to the possibility that Stephanie Meyer wrote herself into her story because she was her own audience. The argument against the book is valid, and it has to be said that it does not in any way mean the book is not an enjoyable read; it just highlights whether one would consider the book to be a good literary work or not.

References

Perkins, L. (2012). Fifty Shades of Grey: An Analysis of the Byronic Hero. [Publisher].

Spires, E. (2005). Review of Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. The New York Times.