Hooked on Fiction
Aug 11th, 2007 by B.C.A.
IF YOU ARE A TWILIGHT FAN AND HAVE NOT FINISHED READING ECLIPSE THEN STOP READING THIS POST OR IT WILL RUIN THE ENDING OF THE BOOK FOR YOU!
Eclipse, written by Stephenie Meyer, came out on the August 7, 2007 and by Wednesday evening (8th) I had already finished reading the book (it is amazing I even got a copy seeing as it was sold out everywhere as soon as the doors opened (I did pre-order Eclipse but could not wait for it to arrive (now my extra copy is currently on loan to a co-worker))). Just shows you that you can’t put the dang thing down until you know that Bella isn’t going to choose the wrong person to be with(along with showing that I have no social life)!
I CANNOT believe Bella kissed Jacob back, admitted to loving him, and told him that he was her soul mate if other magical creatures (Edward) did not exist (granted none of these characters exist in the phenomenal realm but I can pretend)! I liked Jacob as Bella’s FRIEND in New Moon (only because the lack of Edward’s presence) but I do not condone Bella falling in love with Jacob romantically. Granted, Bella is only human but that does not excuse her disloyal behavior. I must give credit to Edward who handled Bella’s unfaithfulness exceedingly well. Don’t get me wrong, Jacob is great and he has his moments…. he just is not meant for Bella. Jacob just needs to hurry up and imprint on someone. It is also important to note that Bella and Edward aren’t married yet and she still “has a soul” so many of the same problems may still be present in book four (currently entitled Breaking Dawn set to be published fall of 2008). At least we know that
In Repetition by Søren Kierkegaard, there resides a passage about the control one person has over another that came to mind after reading Eclipse and the relationship between Bella, Edward, and Jacob. “You have a demonic power that can tempt a person to want to risk everything, to want to have powers that he does not otherwise have and that he does not otherwise crave—just as long as you are gazing at him—that can tempt him to appear to be what he is not just in order to buy this approving smile and its ineffable reward. I would like very much to gaze upon you all day long and listen to you all night, and yet if I were to take some action, I would not do it in your presences for anything. One word from you could confuse everything. I lack the courage to confess my weakness in your presence; if I ever did, I would be the chief of cowards, because I would think that I had lost everything. Thus do you hold me captive with an indescribable power, and this same power makes me anxious; thus do I admire you, and yet at times I believe that you are mentally disordered” (Letters From The Young Man August 15 To February 17, Repetition by Søren Kierkegaard). I would add to this quote but that would not be beneficial to anyone including Søren.
Now that all the venting is out, Eclipse is an astonishing book and it follows agreeably with the previous two in the series (although nothing can quite compare to the captivating and enthralling essence of Twilight). I think it followed consistently with the previous two books in the sense that she stayed true to the characters personalities. That being said, the story line in Eclipse was inevitable. That is not to say I am in high spirits about everything that took place in book three, but things happen sometimes regardless of your opinions on the issue. How often does life actually follow a road of complete regularity?
If Isabella Swan were to choose Jacob Black over Edward Cullen it would be like…..
Anne Shirley Choosing Morgan Harris Over Gilbert Blythe
Buttercup choosing Prince Humperdinck over Westley
Catherine Boyd choosing James Moreland over Ed Walters
Edith Adelon choosing Louis over James Percy
Elizabeth Bennet choosing Mr. Wickham over Mr. Darcy
Emma Woodhouse choosing Frank Churchill over Mr. Knightley
Jessica Harrison choosing Alistair Patton over Jim Craig
Juliet Capulet choosing
Lady Marguerite St Just choosing Citizen Chauvelin over Sir Percy Blakeney
This is completely random that I’m commenting now but I completely agree with you I’m so glad someone else agrees with me! lol I love Edward and if Bella doesn’t choose him I’m going to lose it!!
This is beyond overdue, but I must say that I completely disagree… Jacob Black is not an antagonist, as many of the above characters are. It is also different in the sense that Jacob is Bella’s best friend, a relationship, that again none of the above ‘couples’ (that I know of, at least) share.
Jacob is easily the most developed and deep character in the entire series, and his relationship with Bella makes much more sense than Edward&Bella’s. *They* have a dysfunctional, creepy, unhealthy relationship that seems, more than anything else, to be based upon physical attraction, which should disappoint all who enjoy a good romance.
I agree with your perspective to a point. My intention was not to make Jacob look like an antagonist to the entire series merely a threat to what I would deem as “true love” in this particular story. Also, please keep in mind that this post was written over a year ago and since, as you pointed out, Jacob’s character has been cultivated and deeply expounded upon. My whole issue with Bella and Jacob as a single entity is that they never were on the same terms as to what their relationship is, which I personally find extremely unhealthy.
As for Edward’s and Bella’s relationship being viewed as creepy, based on physical attraction, and dysfunctional…. creepy: well he is a vampire, what do you expect (LOL)? based on physical attraction: lets face it humans are naturally shallow creatures. dysfunctional: what relationship isn’t dysfunctional at one point or another
And honestly…. I’m not the hugest fan of Bella and I can’t for the life of me figure out why Edward and even Jacob for that matter grew so deeply attached to her.
P.S. If you are looking for a good romance story cultivated in the process of finding oneself, I highly recommend The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I read it after reading Stephenie Meyer’s recommendation to it on her website and I must say that it is now one of my favorite fictional stories.
I like the series but New Moon was painful to read. Bella was so weak and what author deletes their main character for three thirds of the book?
Edward and Bella’s relationship is downright unhealty and that’s because it is co-dependent. The characters are all co-dependent!! Both Edward and Bella are insecure — thinking they are unworthy of the other (Midnight Sun let’s you see just how insecure Edward is). That’s why he likes her — both are looking for the other person to make them feel good about themselves. Poor Jacob allows himself to be used by Bella, who in her grief of Edward leaving her is practically suicidal.
Now we all go through stuff and all of this would have been well and good if the characters grew. But they don’t! They stay dysfunctional through out the whole series
Sorry to disappoint but what Edward and Bella (and Jake too) share is not healthy love. Its funny so many people I talk to hate Jake, when he was really lead on by Bella from the very beginning.
Edward is really the most mature of the three although he is very possessive and controlling (yes, in a nice and charming I-know-what’s-best-for-you sort of way). At least he was wiling to give Bella up, because in his mind it would keep her safe.
But in a healthy relationship, he would have talked about it WITH her and they would have made the decision together as to what was best for both of them. That’s real love. Not one person deciding for the other, or using people because we can’t bare to be alone.
New Moon is a painful read. I was only able to get through it twice. I think you come to respect and disrespect certain parts of that book depending on were your own relationships are at the time of reading- for me they are non-existent
I don’t hate Jake, I just hate Jake with Bella. But I agree 100% that Bella lead him on from the beginning.
“Bella was so weak” I couldn’t agree more… and I don’t know how Stephenie justified removing her main male character from most of the book. I think for her Edward was not physically a main character in that part of the story but his mark left on the other character shows how deeply intertwined he is throughout the book regardless of his physical presence- an everlasting watermark.
As for Bella’s and Edward’s relationship being unhealthy… that is probably true if they didn’t have the personalities that were developed by Stephenie. But Stephenie makes it work for them in a healthy way through the development of their personalities. But in the reality that we “non-fictional” characters dwell in a balance between being able to survive independently and being content with a co-dependent relationship is needed. I think that was part of the point of New Moon; to show that although Edward’s and Bella’s relationship is highly co-dependent they would be able to eventually survive as an independent individual. But who honestly would have loved the series if Edward didn’t come back into Bella’s life, regardless of how pathetic and unhealthy their relationship may seem?
I have to admit I haven’t had a chance to read the 12 chapters of Midnight Sun (I have only read chapter one). But I think that the insecurity of Edward that you mention would add another dimension to the series as he seems so confident in Bella’s perspective (generally speaking).
As for the characters staying dysfunctional through out the whole series I don’t necessarily disagree or agree with that. There is always some sort of conflict within each character but the story itself mature throughout the series. I hope Edward would be the most mature out of the three since he has been around theoretically since 1901.
“I think that was part of the point of New Moon; to show that although Edward’s and Bella’s relationship is highly co-dependent they would be able to eventually survive as an independent individual.”
Really? I’m curious, and not at all to be argumentative, but how did you see that Bella or Edward learned to survive independently. The way I read the series, Bella latched on to Jake, admitting that she needed him to fill the hole that was left in her after Edward’s departure. She was not at all functional for months, abandoning the little friendships she had formed and using Jake shamelessly. When Edward came back in her life, she tried to have her cake and eat it too, wanting to keep Jake in her life, even though she was hurting him through her being unable to return his love, and also hurting Edward, as a relationship between him and Jake was unlikely.
Now in Stephanie Meyer’s world, she did eventually make a very happy family out of the three of them, but I think that this was the most unrealistic part of the book. The scene when Jake is “warming” Bella up in the tent while Edward sits in the corner, watching and reading his mind was outrageous. There is no healthy person with boundaries that would put themselves in that situation.
I really didn’t see Bella growing at all through this book. She had no future goals for herself, no life at all w/o Edward. Edward himself said clearly that Bella was his life. The only one who struggled to move on but failed to, was Jake and I find that the author’s attempt to make us think he had imprinted on the non-fertalized fetus in Bella’s womb laughable.
I told my daughter, who is 14, to strap on her seat belt and get ready for a wild roller coaster ride when she began Breaking Dawn. I love stories because they invite you into the author’s world, leading you to look at things from another perspective. But the stories I enjoy the most is those that present us with characters that are like us, with all of our insecurities and frailties, but then over come them, becoming our heroes.
This series did not accomplish that I don’t think. Stephanie would have us believe that you can be unfulfilled, incomplete and lacking in self-love and find love, acceptance in others. I think that’s why her books are so popular. It feeds a very sad, untrue myth.
I guess I should have said that they were able to survive without each other rather than saying they were able to survive independently. You are right, Bella did use Jacob to piece herself back together without taking into consideration his feelings. It honestly gets under my skin how Bella tries to have both Edward and Jacob. It literally makes me angry and they aren’t even real. I don’t particularly like how it was patched up in the end with Jacob and Renesmee.
To be completely honest, and I should probably do and hide from the twilight fans after saying this, I am not fond of Bella’s character. Although I am envious of her Edward, she is not someone I would want staring back at me in the mirror. The way she uses and disregards those around her is a trait I would never want to carry.
I still love the series but I agree there are some attributes that are hard to appreciate. But I think that is one reason that makes it so impossible to put down at the same time. If you appreciate books with growing characters I suggest The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
Thanks for the tip on the book. What did you think of the movie?
It’s funny to hear Rob Pattinson talk about the book/movie — it seems he see’s the characters very clearly but is really tactful in explaining it.
He says he is only in two scenes in New Moon, which is set to shoot in March — so unless there’s rewrites they’re going to stick to the story line.
Have you finished the series yet?
Breaking Dawn I actually think is the best book in the series, despite my complaints about the characters — it is really a roller coaster ride, as I said.
If they do Breaking Dawn, that’s going to be one hell of a movie.
They say the best books make you angry. I was pretty angry at Bella myself — so in that case, Stephenie did a really good job in evoking emotion in us.
I don’t think Twilight fans will have much problem with you disliking Bella. I really think it’s Edward they all love.
My daughter, recognizing his stalking and his self-loathing, is still in love with Edward Cullen. There’s just something about a bad boy who’s gorgeous :).
I’ve seen the movie four times now lol. I like the movie…. the acting was great….. the characters are beautiful. However, everything happened too fast and a lot of essential moments that take place in the book were left out of the movie. Obviously no book-based-movie will contain all the details within the pages it is representing, however, the essentials should at least be present. Furthermore, if you haven’t read the book you will not get a lot of the humor in the film or be able to connect the dots between the scenes. It was almost an uncomfortable feeling how fast things were happening…. it was just a shell of the storyline. The process of them falling in love felt robbed. The thing that I was concerned about most is after the movie you still don’t feel like you know the characters or their relationships with one another-especially the relationships that Bella has with the various Cullen characters. I must admit that the movie is growing on me more and more I was concerned that people that have not read the book would not appreciate the movie but after discussing the movie with those that have not read the books those fears have dissipated. I still wish that they would have developed the Cullen characters.
I knew that summit released that they will be doing New Moon and that is will have a new director but I didn’t know that Rob/Edward would only be in two scenes. I kind of wanted them to show a little of what Edward was doing during their time apart.
Yes, I have finished the series. I went to a mid-night release party of Breaking Dawn. I only got to chapter 6 before I tried to get a couple hours of sleep before I had to head into work. As soon as I was done with work I was reading again and I didn’t stop until I was finished.
My personal favorite of all four books is Twilight. But I agree that Breaking Dawn would be an amazing movie. I don’t know how they could do Renesmee realistically though.
“They say the best books make you angry. I was pretty angry at Bella myself — so in that case, Stephenie did a really good job in evoking emotion in us….. My daughter, recognizing his stalking and his self-loathing, is still in love with Edward Cullen. There’s just something about a bad boy who’s gorgeous :).” I couldn’t put it better myself.
So you are a Twi-hard Twilight fan! lol Thanks for being such a good sport about my criticisms. I think I finished Breaking Dawn in about six hours! I didn’t move or eat, I just read and I saw the movie a bunch of times myself. So what does that make me?
Confused!
I don’t know if it was just the whole romance part of it or Rob Pattison, but I really liked the movie and you’re right, it grows on you.
I think Jake will be the next heart throb, since he’ll star in New Moon and I’m kind of glad they replaced the director. I didn’t think she did as good a job as could have been done.
They could probably do a fantastic Renesmee with CGI and a nice budget (I thought the special effects were a little weak and I’m a CGI fanatic).
But we won’t have to wait TOO long cause their filming in March, so let’s keep our fingers crossed that we won’t have to suffer with no Edward for more than 15 minutes of the film!
p.s. I was inspired to write about my feelings about Bella and Edward’s relationship. If you have a minute, check it out and let me know what you think www.celebratethetruth.blogspot.com
Yes. I do have to admit that I am a hard core Twilight nerd… I adore Stephenie Meyer’s style of writing. And apparently you are a twi-hard Twilight fan yourself but you do have some valid critiques of the Bella-Edward-Jacob triangle. I actually want to thank you for your criticisms. As Winston Churchill stated “Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”
I’m glad you enjoyed the movie. I hope your daughter enjoyed it as well. And I agree with you. Jake will be the next heart throb! Taylor Lautner will bring on an increase to “Team Jacob” just on his looks alone. I think he will give Rob a run for his money…. And so the excitement continues.
Thank you for the link to your blog! I enjoyed reading more of your perspective.
*sigh* you’re right! I’m a reluctant fan!!!!
I also agree with you about dysfunctional love — I swoon over it too, and secretly imagine having it. It’s just that I believe realistically it doesn’t work.
Thanks for reading my blog and for your comment — I love your Winston Churchill quote. It’s so true!
p.s. My daughter loves the movie, and the best part is she now loves reading!
It may not be realistic… But I think that is what makes it so attractive…. We always grow attached to the things we ourselves do not have.
oh, it’s possible to have it. many people do. But in order to stay in it, we have to stay dysfunctional. and many people do that, too. So take Edward and Bella. Both would have to stay where they are and never grow. If Bella develops outside interests, friends, dreams of her own, goals, realistically she might be very pissed that she gave up her life for Edward. Edward, if he was to gain self-esteem, self-worth, in the real world, he might no longer want to be with someone as immature as Bella, someone who is not as experienced in life as he is; who isn’t as educated and mature as he is.
In this romantic story we don’t want to think like that, but in real life, that’s happens. The relationship isn’t based on anything that can sustain it. The love is idealistic.
Oh my gosh i so agree with the main post!! I cant believe bella was so disloyal it made me so frustrated with her because it just made jacob have hope which is totally mean for him and edward!! I’ve read all 4 books so many times i’ve lost count, and although i’m a fan of Stephenie Meyer, it makes me annoyed that Bella acted how she did.. but i guess it was essential..
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Twilight the movie was amazing! I reccomend it completely but it happens very fast, and misses out some things. Well loads of things like the bond between bella and alice which im really annoyed about! Anyway i reccomend the movie and the twilight saga but just to warn anyone who wants to start reading them: they are really SERIOUSLEY addictive! They changed my whole life..
The series would have been much better if it didn’t include that annoying pest by the name of Jacob.
I love this book! it had me gripped from the beginning and i do agree with you on the fact that she shouldn’t fall in love with Jacob, especially not while she’s engaged! She is starting to be a bit of a player, and that actually continues in the next book… No more spoilers though!
I’m totally for edward!
Izziie
xxx
The book and the move twilight are great but I was very scared when Bella got bit by James. I have almost read all the twilight series but I am still on the last book.
Wow, your hot!!!
I don’t usually post but I enjoyed your blog a lot.
Love it!
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.
I beginning to think the problem with the series is people are putting way too much emphasis on critiquing every sentence of the book. It’s supposed to just be a love story! Although I’m one of those people that talks about it. Heh, anyways, I don’t see that much of a problem with Bella’s character. Renesmee, uh, well I’m not even going to get into that. Anyhow, if the story was based how all of us are complaining we would like it to be, the Twilight saga wouldn’t be popular. We like the series because it draws emotion from ourselves and makes a vision of an ideal relationship that we would all want to have (considering the series is mostly for the teen group).
And not to sound like a complete dork, but Eclipse is coming out in June insead of another year like the usual! Hoorah to that Twilight-fans?
Lots of love,
-Melia
*Nice blog by the way!*