After discussing this series with Mr. Burdick, today, I was doing some thinking and came to some conclusions about why the Twilight books are so popular.
First, to a generation of women who are desperate for a man to love and protect them, Edward is the ultimate dude. He is the over protective sort-of-man who will do anything to protect Bella. Can I hear an “Aww!”? Because of the “I am Woman: Fear me,” attitude of many feminists, women have become impossible for men to protect. If men try, women immediately pull the guns and say “I can take care of myself. I don’t need a man.” If people are afraid of you, they tend to back off. As a result of men backing off, women are left to take care of themselves. Edward doesn’t really allow this, and this reminds women what they are missing out on: a man unafraid to take care of his woman.
Second, Edward treats Bella like a lady. In this ‘new age,’ women, in their eagerness to have equal rights with men, have lost their true feminity. They have become so caught up in the need to be respected they have lost the natural respect that men once had for them. Edward, being the old-fashioned character that he is, treats Bella like a lady. Although she herself does not like this, every female reader secretly wishes a guy would treat her like that.
Third, Bella is an everyday character whereas Edward is unusual and mysterious. For some reason, women are drawn to what is mysterious and forbidden (Garden of Eden, anybody?). The great fantasy of it is attractive, even if it has no moral basis or solid plot. In the end, there is a predictable, dry story, made interesting by the fact that it is totally new. Vampires have never looked so available!
Ultimately, this brings us to the realization that the books are popular because women are starting to realize just how much they’ve messed up. All that they love about these books is something that they have lost: Respect for the beauty of what is quintessentially feminine.
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