In Defence of Twilight…

That’s right, kids, I’m going there. I’m going to explain why, despite the mis-spelled words and the excessive tension between her teens, Stephenie Meyer knows what she’s doing.

Her instincts for character are great. Even if you don’t agree with the idea of “vegetarian” vamps, you can’t deny that it stops the Cullens from being shallow characters. It also allows for another layer of world development when these characters are contrasted against the likes of the Volturi. Bella’s whiny narrative may annoy you with its singular focus of how much she loves Edward, but you can’t say that this isn’t a fair representation of teenage girls.

Meyer’s a pretty dab hand at plotting too: juggling fresh perils which are believable in the context of the world, organically delivering unique back-stories for her characters, and physically manoeuvring her different character groups in dramatic and entertaining ways throughout the series.

Every time I pick up this book, I want to write, because as her typos, clichés and horrific and inconsistent genre-mangling repulse me, her characters and storylines enthral me. The books are an easy, entertaining read. Undoubtedly, there is something to be learned from their success which I feel shouldn’t be dismissed as readily as it is by literary snobs or vampire die-hards who consider themselves to cool for the Cullens.

One thing I cannot and will not forgive, however, is that after all the extra print runs and the staggering profits that have been made from this series: nobody has corrected the typos.