Starting at 12:01 am tonight...theaters across the nation will be engulfed with teenagers anticipating the highly acclaimed release of 'Twilight.' As one writer comments..."if you haven't heard of Twilight, what rock have you been living under?"
This summer I sought out several new reads and while perusing the shelves of Tattered Cover came across the intriguing storyline of 'Twilight'...a modern day remix of Romeo and Juliet...with vampires. And now having read the books, can hardly disagree with the millions who have been captivated by the world author Stephenie Meyers has created...the 4 book series is one interwoven page-turner! But for several million teenage girls...the story of 'Twilight' has become an obsession.
'Twilight' tells the story of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen - a forbidden love story between a 'plain, simple' girl and an 'impossibly beautiful, perfect' vampire.
Richard Corliss of the 'Times' writes (note the 'obsession')...
"You needn't read 'Twilight' to know where its secret pulses reside. Just see the movie version and listen to the reactions of the girls in the theater. There's an audible shiver as they first spy the teen vampire Edward Cullen, his impossibly gorgeous face caked in a mime's pallor, sitting in biology class next to young Bella Swan. When he holds an apple in his hands to present to her - the novel's cover image - the girls emit an awestruck sigh, as if they'd just seen Zac Efron in the flesh or a puppy on YouTube."
Vampires are not the central focus of 'Twilight'...love is. And what estrogen-crazed teenage girl isn't seeking "love?" Any wonder why High School Musical is so intensely popular? It's not "just" the songs!
While 'Twilight' offers something much deeper than the more recent teen ventures of 'Superbad' and "sex, sex, sex...and more sex," the line between love and lust is often more blurred than we imagine. And the fascination between Bella and Edward often flirts with the line between the two...a line teenagers themselves flirt with often. One writer even describes teen's fascination with the novels and movie as "innocent lust." Is there such a thing?
'Twilight' has several redeeming characteristics and is a welcome change from the sex-crazed, grossly-inappropriate humor Hollywood has produced the last several years...but raises important questions about love...and about lust. Ask your teen where characteristics of love present themselves in the book, and more importantly, where characteristics of lust can be seen.
The reality is teenagers are experiencing feelings of both love and lust...and distinguishing the difference between the two is critical - start the conversation at home! Let's not stay hidden 'beneath the rocks'
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