Twilight

Well, I have been stating in previous posts that I would write about Twilight. . . . it's just been so difficult to make myself do, as it is so far beyond words, and so far into my obsessive place, that I've been trying not to think about it. . .tahaha, but Caitlyn did write a beautiful tribute to it, so i suppose that could be inspiring.

So Twilight. . . . .as we all know, I began reading the first book one fateful day in November. My friend Art had given me his copy of the first one, and I was interested in finding out what all the hype was about. I mean, I didn't even know what it was until I unintentionally arrived at the release party for Breaking Dawn at Barnes and Noble. But alas, after the first 50 pages, I was hooked. I could not physically put the book down. I remember waking up at 4:30am due to a cough, and not being able to fall back asleep with my brain so awake with wanting to be in the story again. So I just started reading and finished the book before class. That night I went to Target to acquire book two. It continued like this for a week until I finally finished. And it would have been much shorter, had it not been for midterms week and an unexpected visit from Colin. The thing was, my brain was so alive, like I mentioned, that I was able to read at home constantly, study for midterms, and be at school all day (without reading), be completely deprived of sleep, not have much of an appetite, and still survive! I was surviving on the purity of my love for these books. It was an amazing experience, that probably won't happen very often in life. Don't get me wrong, at the end of the week I crashed. I was exhausted and starving, but it was like coming off of a high of some sort. It was amazing.

Now, there is so much to say about the glory of these books. I shall try not to get too involved. First of all, Edward Cullen. Perfect, obviously. I am really looking forward to the book she's releasing that will be book one from his perspective. I'm sure we will get to know him a lot better through that, but through Bella's eyes, he's such a perfect match. I mean, he is so entirely in love with her. His whole life is her once they meet. I mean, it really makes you wish life was like this. If none of us had the worries of every day life; money, jobs, stress. . . .you have everything you need, and you can devote your entirety to loving this one person. It's so amazing. And it just makes it that much better that she doesn't really have anything special in her life before him, so she doesn't need to give anything up, or abandon anyone. She finally has some purpose for her life: to be with Edward. It's glorious. And I really relate to Bella. I have a lot in common with her. Obviously not the fear of attention, or lack of relating to people, but the way she thinks. . . .I really relate to. I wonder if that is because the author and I think similarly. I don't just accept things as they're told to me, I need to know every detail of a story or a situation. My mother often gets frustrated by my endless questions about a non-important topic or happening. While reading the series, I was never left questioning things as I often am in books or movies or shows, because Bella always needed to find out as well. She always got the details or asked why? instead of merely accepting the information given. I really loved that.

The romance of the book is my literal dream (well, except perhaps for the bruises and all that, but that's way later...). I love every second they are together. It's perfection. Every time he touches her or kisses her, or even looks at her. It's perfect. And the way it's written really is so personal. . .it's like you're experiencing these intimate things, and while reading them, it's amazing, but if you bring it outside that intimacy, it becomes like you're discussing something truly personal that no one else should know. The actor that plays Edward describes this well in an interview. The writing literally gets you into Bella's mind. I felt every single emotion she felt. I felt like I was her. And when she was torn between Edward and Jacob, I felt it too. Many of my friends who read it were not fans of Jacob at all, but I just can't feel that way, because I felt every emotion that Bella felt. It's very odd. And amazing. I cried ridiculous amounts when she was hurting. I felt the pain. And her mood affected my days. If she was unhappy, I had a long, hard day. If she was excited, my day was amazing. I'm telling you, this experience was like nothing else, and it was wonderful. Perhaps this partially due to my immensely empathetic nature, but regardless, it ruled.

So the movie? I mean, it's hard not to love it since I saw it four times. (Not entirely my fault. . .the fourth was because I promised Bevin I would go with her!!) But, I was determined to like it regardless. It really didn't matter how bad it was, because it stuck to the book, and it was TWILIGHT! Kind of like, no matter how bad the Harry Potter movies are, you still have to see them. No choice in the matter. The movie on its own is really fun and exciting. I mean, my brother saw it with me twice, so it must be relatable to those other than addicts of the books. Now, in relating it to the books, I must state that it did not evoke the same feelings. But can we really expect it to? Perhaps. . . .but as I said, it is hard to relate those intimate moments in any other setting than her unique writing style. And the leads both played the characters quite differently than the book. Bella was way more "too cool for school" in the movie, and had less of the sweetness and purity that Bella has about her. Of course, I still enjoyed her. And Edward. . . .well he played it more as this pained guy who hates himself and really doesn't have the control that he's trying to attain, whereas in the book, yes, Edward doesn't like that he's a vampire, but I feel like he's come to terms with it more, and is a very strong guy. He also has more of a parental nature in the book, as he has been around for quite a while, and is always in need of protectng Bella. The way he attempts to control what she does gets extremely frustrating to me in the third book, but it goes along with this protective, dominating nature.

Alright, so what do we think? Twilight is perfection, and I am extremely glad that I found this beauteous love to be obsessed with, because we all know I love being obsessed with love. Now if only I could find my Edward, then all would be wunderbar. Someday soon! :)