Since the publication of the first novel of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga in 2005, millions of readers all over the world, the majority of whom are teenage girls and women, have fallen for the love story of Bella and Edward. Furthered by the release of the movie adaptations of the first three volumes in 2009 and 2010, critics have started to wonder about the foundation of Twilight-mania, especially concerning the basic theme of the story, namely the vampire myth, which, throughout its literary history, is rather a reflection of "adolescent male fantasy" (Twitchell, Living 6). Still, the indisputably kitschy story of an inconspicuous teenager who falls in love with the vampire next door fascinates today's emancipated and independent females and thus can be regarded as an essential part of the success. It would seem that the attraction derives from Meyer's unique interweaving of different generic elements, a strategy which can be found in other late 20th- and 21st-century popular ...
History
Journal
The Looking Glass : New Perspectives on Children's Literature
ISSN
1551-5680
Volume
15
Issue
1
Publisher
La Trobe University
Section Title
Alice's Academy
Author Biography
Stefanie Kruger works as an assistant professor and is a PhD student at the University of Osnabruck, Germany. While her dissertation focuses on the writings of Nathanial Hawthorne and the American Imaginary, her research interests also include Literature from the American South, Class Theories and Structures, Neo-Victorian Studies, Anglo-American Romanticism, Literature for Children and Young Adults, and Manga and Anime.Anne Klaus is employed as a research assistant at the University of Osnabruck, Germany. She is working on a doctoral thesis on saviour figures in fantasy fiction for children and young adults.
Date Created
2011-02-28
Rights Statement
Essays and articles published in The Looking Glass may be reproduced for non-profit use by any educational or public institution; letters to the editor and on-site comments made by our readers may not be used without the expressed permission of that individual. Any commercial use of this journal, in whole or in part, by any means, is prohibited. Authors of accepted articles assign to The Looking Glass the right to publish and distribute their text electronically and to archive and make it permanently available electronically. They retain the copyright and, 90 days after initial publication, may republish it in any form they wish as long as The Looking Glass is acknowledged as the original source.
Data source
OJS data migration 2025: https://ojs.latrobe.edu.au/ojs/index.php/tlg/article/view/260
