Observing its meteoric rise in popularity leaves many critics wondering why Twilight is so popular.
Why Is Twilight So Popular | Revealing Common Indicators by Michael Clutton ~~ December 2009
Twilight is Stephenie Meyer's publishing sensation about a forbidden vampire romance. Twilight is a love story. It's a novel that shows the kind of struggles that encompass relationships. Meyer's creativity uses a classic vampire-human to illustrate this forbidden love. Twilight was her first novel and quickly became a huge success. Observing its meteoric rise in popularity leaves many critics wondering why Twilight is so popular.
Meyer was chosen by booksellers as one of the most promising new authors of 2005. Translated into 20 languages, Twilight is a paranormal romance novel. Twilight was published in October of 2005 and within a month had become the #5 best-selling young adult novel on the New York Times bestseller list.
Although critical reception has been mixed, the Twilight series has gained a cult following of loyal and enthusiastic fans. This is what's behind the popularity. Add to this that Twilight is about vampires, but not typical Hollywood styled vampires - no fangs or coffins. And you have two of the reasons why Twilight is so popular.
Bella Swan has always been a little bit different, never caring about fitting in with the trendy girls at her Phoenix high school. When her mother re-marries and sends Bella to live with her father in the rainy little town of Forks, Washington, she doesn't expect much of anything to change.
Bella attracts much attention at her new school and is quickly befriended by several students. Much to her dismay, several boys compete for shy Bella's attention. Before long, Bella is head over heels for Edward Cullen, a mysterious outsider with an attraction rating that's off the charts. Chock up another feature that makes Twilight popular with the fans.
Edward Cullen, the immortal vampire, is attracted to Bella because unlike everyone else he's met, he finds himself unable to read her thoughts. She also possesses a mouth-watering smell that he finds irresistible. Edward can run faster than a deer, stop a moving car with his bare hands and he hasn't aged since 1918.
Edward is the perfect model for this type of fantasy. Edward Cullen is cool, attractive, young and aloof. And, creating even more appeal to the females, Edward is both masculine and sensitive - falling for the most unlikely damsel. In Twilight, Edward is confident, impossibly strong and completely uninterested in girls. Bella, of course, becomes the only exception to this quirk.
Edward is impossibly handsome, athletic, intelligent, educated, rich, self-confident, and mature for a high school boy. He wears beautiful clothes and drives a beautiful car. Edward leads a numbingly quiet, respectable life with his vampire family in Forks, a small Washington town under a near-permanent cloud cover. Edward will ultimately claim that he loves Bella too much to lose her. Yet, bubbling just under the surface is his inner battle; to kill her or not.
The age-old good vs. evil conflict fuels the Twilight popularity even further as we find ourselves rooting for evil to - be good.
Edward is the unattainable pinnacle for sappy romantics - doting, fiercely protective, carrying his beloved great distances in his arms like a groom forever crossing the honeymoon threshold.
Edward and the Cullen family are a group of cultured vampires trying to live a "vegetarian" lifestyle by not preying on humans - choosing instead to feed on wild animals.
Edward is drawn to the scent of Bella's blood; Bella is drawn to him for the same reasons most young girls are drawn to the ultimate male. They become the centers of each other's world, beyond all reason and into the realm of obsession. Edward's gift is that he can hear anyone's thoughts, with the single exception of Bella. Edward has sworn off human blood, yet he thirsts madly for Bella, and struggles not to give in.
Edward, his siblings and their adoptive parents have disciplined themselves to feed on animals rather than humans; and Edward is obsessed with Bella. Other elements factor into the plot, including a rival group of vampires who are not as disciplined as the Cullens. Thus, some added danger and suspense to increase the popularity of Twilight.
Edward and Bella fall in love, but James, a sadistic vampire from another coven, is driven by instinct to hunt down Bella. She escapes to Phoenix, Arizona, where she is tricked into confronting James, who tries to kill her. Edward is the only thing that stands between Bella and a certain death. Edward and the rest of the Cullen family must race to rescue Bella before James can kill her. In the chaos, Bella is bitten by James, which complicates matters further, due to the venom injected when a vampire bites which starts the process of becoming a vampire.
Will she become a vampire? Or, not. Fanning the flames of Twilight's popularity is the "to be continued" cliffhangers that keep you reaching for the next book.
Twilight vampires possess supernatural beauty, making them all the more alluring to human victims. Their skin is flawless, and has the texture and cold feel of marble, and sparkles in sunlight. Twilight vampires are unassuming superheroes, which comes into play when faced with "less friendly" vampires.
Smart, confident and mysterious, Twilight vampires are not allergic to garlic or silver. They cast reflections in mirrors and they show up in pictures. However, they don't sleep, and their bodies are pale, cold and hard as a rock. The vampires in Twilight trying to be good. This is a radical transformation of the genre and turns the general perception of vampires in a positive direction.
Forget any vampire romance you've already read. Twilight, the story of Edward and Bella's romance, is in a class by itself. It's called the "we can't get enough" class.
