Stephanie Meyer’s “Twilight” book series has turned many readers, especially teenage girls, into obsessive book fiends teetering on the edge waiting for their next fix. From crying, screaming fans on YouTube to midnight DVD release parties, the worldwide phenomenon may seem a little over the top.
“Twilighters,” as the fans have been dubbed, even have their own Web site, Twilighters.org filled with cast interviews, photos and links to every modern communication device, such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, in case one still cannot get enough of the growing saga.
The second movie, “New Moon,” is set to be released Nov. 20, 2009, and the hype is already building. Filming has barely started and devoted fans are scrambling to find out when they can purchase tickets for a film months away.
“I think it’s a beautiful thing, when kids are taken away in the joy of fantasy,” freshman Brad Bergeron said. “The hype is exaggerated, sure, but the world of ‘Twilight’ opens the door for bigger dreams; dreams that could never be imagined without the thrilling fantasy world that exists inside these books.”
Indeed it is possible that “Twilight” is escapism at its finest – an imaginary world, like that of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” novels – that allows its readers and audiences to imagine themselves in an unthinkable fantasy world.
“I think that the author has created a world where readers can escape yet still connect deeply to what the characters are thinking and experiencing,” sophomore Nicole Kates said.
Although some are cynical and hesitant to accept this new pop culture trend, it is difficult to ignore it and its fans. Lead actors Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson seem to be everywhere, from entertainment news on television, to the covers of major magazines, and all over blog sites.
Yet, have “Twilight” readers gone too far and distorted this outlandish fiction by transforming it into a reality? Before the first movie was even released, a 7-year-old fan asked Pattinson to bite her. It’s one thing to ask for a picture, and another thing to beg to be bitten by an actor who is just doing his job.
“To be honest, I think it’s overrated,” sophomore Emily Diniz said. “I read the first book and I’m just not a fan. I don’t plan on reading the other ones either; it’s not something that I find interesting.”
Yet, it seems as though some students at Quinnipiac are fascinated by the many attractive literary elements that “Twilight” possesses.
“I think ‘Twilight’ has spawned into such a craze because Stephanie Meyer creates characters that are supernatural yet, somehow, 90 percent of the female population can relate to them,” Kates said. “There’s something for everyone: a klutz, a bad boy, a beauty queen and, of course, a dream guy. As for the movies, I think they have, and will continue to boost the series’ popularity because they provide a visual for new ‘Twilight’ fans to apply to the books.”
Through the hype, author Stephanie Meyer and the actors in the “Twilight” film series have begun to make names for themselves through numerous avenues of advertising and promotion. Meyer may not have reached J.K. Rowling level of fame, but the mania, as well as the crazed fans, can only increase from here.
