The recent vampire craze has encouraged me to discover exactly what makes it so fascinating to audiences today. I will be concentrating on the Twilight films primarily because of its enormous female fan base. The devoted teenage girls that watch the movies are exposed to negative gender stereotypes and abusive relationships, which could have a harmful effect unless it is properly addressed. Many of the fans that idolize Edward say that he is the “perfect” boyfriend, however if you examine his personality and attitude in the context of real life, it would make him a very creepy obsessive romantic partner. His controlling ways are described by Bella as something he does out of his deep love for her, that even stalking her around is even perceived as caring and romantic. They excuse his behavior because he is a vampire, which makes me wonder if other people also find their own excuses for unacceptable behaviors.
What could be the possible real life consequences if these girls follow this formula as basis for their relationships? When so many girls desire to be in Bella’s shoes, it would be interesting to uncover why the films are so appealing to them even if the protagonist is a weak pushover. Do women enjoy watching a passive female lead character being manipulated and dominated by men? I want to know if the young women of our generation are tolerating the sexist messages in the media especially in the Twilight films.
In the article, “Twilight and Philosophy: Vampires, Vegetarians, and the Pursuit of Immortality”, the author provides a lot of background on the sudden increase of vampire themed television shows, films, and books. She mentions some of the popular shows on television today: Vampire Diaries from CW, which is pretty...
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The media, through its many outlets, has a lasting effect on the values and social structure evident in modern day society. Television, in particular, has the ability to influence the social structure of society with its subjective content. As Dwight E. Brooks and Lisa P. Hébert write in their article, “GENDER, RACE, AND MEDIA REPRESENTATION”, the basis of our accepted social identities is heavily controlled by the media we consume. One of the social identities that is heavily influenced is gender: Brooks and Hébert conclude, “While sex differences are rooted in biology, how we come to understand and perform gender is based on culture” (Brooks, Hébert 297). With gender being shaped so profusely by our culture, it is important to be aware of how social identities, such as gender, are being constructed in the media.
As of late, society has stolen the traditional idea of a vampire. These undead creatures are manipulated in countless genres and media, ranging from comedic reliefs and complex villains to sparkly heartthrobs. Songs, video games, movies, books, and TV shows all are guilty of this. Movies in particular have done the most with vampires, and clearly show their evolution in society’s eyes. In the earliest movies such as Nosferatu; directed by F. W. Murnau, and Dracula; directed by Todd Browning and Karl Freund, vampires are used as devices of horror. They are meant to be unhuman and terrifying. As time passes, they become portrayed in sympathetic lights and with more human traits. Emotions such as love, guilt, and fear were added to vampire vocabulary,
Stevenson, John Allen. A Vampire in the Mirror: The Sexuality of Dracula. 2nd ed. Vol. 103. N.p.: Modern Language Association, 1988. JSTOR. Web. 6 Jan. 2014. .
Bram Stoker’s Dracula illustrated fears about sexual women in contrast to the woman who respected and abided by society’s sexual norms. Joseph Sheridan LeFanu’s “Carmilla” represented not only the fear of feminine sexuality, but also the fear of sexuality between women. John William Polidori’s “The Vampyre” showed society’s fear of sexuality in terms of the seductive man who could “ruin” a young girl.These texts are representative of vampire stories in the Victorian Era, and will be the focus here.
In the famous novel and movie series, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, an average teenage girl, Bella Swan, is forced to move from Arizona (where she lived with her mother) to Washington to start an almost new life with her father. She attends a small-town high school with mostly average people, besides one family, the Cullens. As Bella and Edward Cullen get closer, she uncovers a deep secret about him and his family. Their relationship faces many hard challenges and conflicts as the story develops. Both the novel and movie share very similar storylines, however, differ in many ways. From themes to author’s craft, or to relationships, these important parts of the story highlight the significant differences and similarities of Twilight.
Fiction of each era reflects the insecurities, concerns, and ideals of its generation, and through this genre, authors are able to construct entire universes of their own fantasy. These universes might contain characters that push boundaries for what is socially acceptable, but the authors need not be held accountable for their actions. The same holds true for works of the 19th century, where authors question traditional Victorian notions of the boundaries of acceptable gendered behavior and sexual roles. Specifically, Bram Stoker’s Dracula pushes social conceptions of customary gendered conduct through the vampires’ and Dracula’s actions and characterization as mutable. Qualities, such as intelligence, sexuality, and parenthood as portrayed
Because I have never been a person with racist views, it is hard for me at times to put myself in the shoes of someone who may view things different and see things from their point of view. With that being said, I find it hard or unreal to believe/understand what may be racial implications in Twilight, mainly because I do not view things the same way others might when comparing and contrasting racial differences. I feel like the information in this article seemed valid, and agree that it may be possible that to some extent there are some racial depictions in the movie and book. I do think that maybe not with negative intentions the author may have included those things. I think she may have included those things to realistically imply society today, and some of the social issues we face as humans. I do not agree with racial discrimination, but sadly, it is an issue that is common in society amongst many. I would not be surprised is Bella’s natural instinct was to choose Edward because of what society has created to be desirable, intriguing, and
Wood, J. T. (2011). Gendered lives: Communication, gender, and culture. (9th ed ed., pp. 1-227). Boston,MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Dines, Gail, and Jean McMahon Humez. Gender, Race, and Class in Media: A Text-reader. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1995. Print.
In Twilight, Edward Cullen presents the question; “ But what if I’m not the hero? What if I’m the bad guy?” The role of vampires is very controversial. Back in the day they were evil, soulless monsters and people genuinely feared them. However, in the present day it seems that we have grown to love them and even hope to one day be them. There are a plethora of vampire stories and many of them have become immense hits. With so many vampire stories, it is not uncommon that readers are able to identify a vast amount of similarities. Although similar in aspects, there are still many differences between the classic and modern day vampires. Two highly popular stories, in which we can easily identify similarities and differences, are Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight.
Over the centuries vampires have been creatures of mystique and intrigue to our society. They represent danger, death, lust, and allure. They are immortal, and often sexualized beyond the bounds of the puritanical values that still guard modern society. Due to these traits they are practically irresistible to the reader and have fascinated society for centuries. While vampirism can take on multiple forms, with each form possessing its own specific set of traits that allow it to successfully prey on the living, the official definition for a vampire in literature is: “The vampire as ghost or revenant; as monster or deformity; and as reanimated corpse, revenge-seeking emanation of the dead. (Huggan, 192) Early mythological vampires date back centuries
These novels tell the dark love story between Bella Swan, an average, somewhat shy high school student, and Edward Cullen, a mysterious and strong vampire. Rape culture is evident throughout these four novels. For example, when Bella’s best friend Jacob kisses her against her will, she tries to fight it and then gives up “acting on instinct…I opened my eyes and didn’t fight”. Charlie, Bella’s father, asked Jacob why Bella hit him, and when Jacob said “because I kissed her”, Charlie said “good job kid”. At another point in the novels, Bella admires the bruises on her skin after having sex with
Anyone that has watched The Vampire Diaries and Twilight have noticed similarities and differences with the main women protagonists, love, supernatural powers, and craving of blood. In the Vampire Diaries people are introduced to Elena Gilbert a young outgoing teenaged girl. She has lived in Mystic Falls her entire life, unfortunately her parents are deceased. They passed away in a car accident while their vehicle sank in a nearby river. Elena had a normal life until it was interrupted by meeting Stefan Salvator a 165 year old vampire. Unlike the Vampire Diaries, Twilight has Bella Swan. She seems like an awkward shy teenager. Bella moved to Forks, Washington to have a better father-daughter relationship with her dad. Both Bella’s parents are divorce and share custody; which is why Bella had to move to Forks. Just like Elena met Stefan, Bella meets Edward Cullen the handsome intriguing 107 year old vampire.
Blasingame, James, Kathleen Deakin, and Laura Walsh. Stephenie Meyer: In the Twilight. Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2012. Print.