by Kristen Lorene

Created on: July 28, 2010

An ordinary girl. Forbidden romance. Vampires. These are the elements woven into Stephenie Meyer’s popular Twilight series. Stephenie Meyer probably had no idea how big of a monster she was creating when Twilight was first published in 2005. But a monster she did create. Four books and three (of five) movies later, Meyer is now earning $40 million a year. But let’s face it, anyone who has read these books knows that Stephenie Meyer is not a good writer. So how has her series managed to sell over 100 million copies?

One of the most basic reasons is the forbidden love angle. Bella’s a human, Edward’s a vampire, so it’s impossible for them to be together. Yada, yada, yada. This plot has been around since the beginning of time, but is still very effective, particularly with teenage girls. Most tween and teen girls dream about a romance as epic as Edward and Bella’s, and have no trouble immersing themselves into Meyer’s world. It is especially easy for these girls to identify with Bella as she could be any girl. Which then gives rise to fantasies of Edward sweeping them off their feet.

Then, if forbidden love isn’t enough to suck the reader in, New Moon amps up the romance and tension in the form of a love triangle. Enter Jacob, the werewolf, friend of Bella and sworn enemy of the vampires. Jacob is the opposite of Edward in many ways. In fact, the book even brings up their differences in a metaphor about fire and ice. Bella loves both Edward and Jacob, which is where a lot of the tension and desire to keep reading lay, but ultimately she must make a decision about who she wants to be with. This doesn’t stop Edward and Jacob from fighting over her the whole time, and teenage girls eat this up with a spoon. Who wouldn’t want to be fought over?

These reasons, however, don’t fully explain why many adults and even boys/men have also become addicted to reading these stories. It has been proven, and I know from personal experience, that it is not just teenage girls reading these books. So what is the draw? My husband said something the other day that made me think more deeply about it. He said that in her story telling Meyer has tapped into a gut emotion. Something in these books speaks to the very core of who we are as humans, whether we are a teenage girl or a father of three, we feel the emotions of these characters. We feel their pain and joy, and we want to join in with them. One of the underlying themes in Twilight is the value and importance of family, and in this world of broken homes we want to feel that sense of security and protection. Edward and Bella’s love story is not the only thing driving this book. There is Charlie and Bella’s love story. There is the Cullen clan’s love story. There is the werewolf pack’s/tribe’s love story. There is the Cullen and werewolf reconciliation. There is the everyone and Renesmee love story. Stephenie Meyer, though not a great writer, has captured in print the human capacity to love and to be human, ironically in a book about vampires. She makes us believe that we can find true love and overcome all obstacles to do so, whether it be love for a significant other, family members, friends, or children. Ultimately, Twilight is so successful because it is about that universal theme: love.

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