Another Take on Austen and Twilight

            I recently read another blog by The Color of Lemons who had a similar discussion about reading and how critics and people alike think certain genres and books create a negative influence over people.

            She too saw the connection in Northanger Abbey and Twilight and how for over two centuries we as people are obsessed with making sure women are not corrupted. Where as I see the ability to choose as the great message in the books and women having the right to decide for themselves what they want—and proceed with caution—she highlights the importance of education.

            As she sees it, education and not being highly educated is the downfall of Catherine in not making smart decisions. She highlights her country background and how her family didn’t push for high academics, making Catherine ignorant to the world around her—allowing gothic novels to rule her life. Had Catherine been brought up in proper society though, she would understand that novels are meant for entertainment and enjoyment and shouldn’t be applied to real world thinking.

            This assumption that Color of Lemons highlights can then be applied to Twilight; with a well-rounded education people understand that novels are for fun and shouldn’t influence your judgment and morals.

            I love the way she made these connections and whole heartily believe that education plays a big part in how much fiction influences your judgment. But I think not just your personal education can help you deceiver what to take from novels and won’t should be left on the pages for enjoyment.

            You need to take in other people’s opinions and their education—especially those that are “older and wiser.” They have been around longer, witnessed more of history and society than you have and can give you great advise and guide you the correct way.

            Don’t get me wrong, your personal education is very important! But don’t rely on just one opinion when deciding something and deciphering what is corrupting and what is not—it can give you great insight for your judgment.  

There's A Connection Between Twilight and Jane Austen?!?!

I think its crazy that for over 200 years people still have this debate over what’s acceptable to read. I believe everyone is entitled to his or her own opinions, and some books just aren’t meant for little kids, but it fascinates me that we are still obsessed with the idea. What is it that gets people worried about the younger generation being corrupted to soon? Or if they can even handle a topic?

Have you read this little thing called the Twilight Saga?  It’s only a New York Times Bestseller, a multi-billion dollar movie franchise and the most recent example of the constant debate over what it is acceptable to read—with a modern twist.

The premise of Twilight is that Bella moves to the dreary town of Forks, Washington the first week into her junior year of high school. She’s described as a shy, clumsy girl who doesn’t see herself clearly. Bella’s first day she notices the “uncommonly” beautiful Cullen family and is immediately attracted to the loner brother, Edward. As the book details, against all odds, Edward likes her as well and as they get closer it is revealed that he is a vampire. But since Bella loves him so much she accepts who he is and they stay together, not without some difficulties, and eventually get married, have a half-vampire half human baby and Bella becomes a vampire, completing their undead happily ever after.  

The debate over Twilight is that it gives girls the wrong idea about love, gender roles and submissive nature versus a dominant male character in the main characters of Bella and Edward. A debate that spurs from a constant struggle over what is feminism—and how much of it as changed over the years?

Feminism is advocacy to create equality between men and women in economic, social and political issues. It is divided though between the newer and the older generations. The older generations fight for equality in all places of life. They believe that women should have an equal chance in relationships, job environments, etc. Where as the newer generations are relying on the “ability to choose” as stated by academic scholar, Anne Peterson, in her essay,  “That Teenage Feeling: Twilight, Fantasy, and Feminist Readers” (Peterson 54).  The new generation, or the “post-feminist” as they are referred to, believe that as long as women have the option to decide between, for example, becoming a career woman or a stay at home mom they are satisfied. Because it is women’s choice and Twilight it is a prime example of choice and making your own decisions.

As stated in the last post people should be able to make their own judgment on books and I think Twilight is no exception. Besides the whole stance on “making the call for yourself” Twilight is based on the idea to choose. Even though we as the reader may think she may be forced into certain situations with becoming involved with a vampire, Edward through out the novels always tries to convince her otherwise, in asking if this situation is really what she really wants and always argues he wants better for her and that being involved with him will not end well. Bella may roll her eyes at him when he makes these claims but she does take his opinion in consideration—just like a person should when dealing with questionable fiction. Even though she may go against others judgment, choosing Edward was the best thing for her to do and she ended up with a happily ever after.

Twilight both deals with cautionary content and also ways to deal with the warned content. Twilight does have submissive tendencies and lacks a strong female character in Bella—but it is also fiction. And when dealing with fiction people do need to remember it is fantasy and shouldn’t be applied to the real world at all times, just like Northanger Abbey and those pesky gothic novels as told by Austen and Chapone.

I think certain books should be read with caution because some books do deal with “borderline” subject matter, but a person needs to know about the world around them—or they will be swallowed whole.

Knowledge is key and the more a person has of it, the more likely they will be a well-rounded individual and make knowledgeable decisions. That’s what Austen and Chapone wanted when they talked about using a guide and reading with caution. No book should be off limits—whether it be vampire love or a gothic satire—because it helps you understand the society in which you live.

Jane Austen Makes Great Points...

Jane Austen is considered one of the greats of her time. She knew how to poke fun at the rich and pompous, without pushing it too far, and her satiric irony is still relevant today. When people think of Austen though, they immediately think of Pride and Prejudice or Emma. Both are phenomenal novels with strong protagonist characters in Elizabeth and Emma but the book most forget—that could have the greater deeper meaning—is Northanger Abbey.

The novel has a ditzy and “occasionally stupid” lead character in Catherine that which already alludes to the fact that this book isn’t like her other works (Austen 2). It is a satiric story about the silly fears people had about the gothic novel. In the 18^th century people believed that by reading these books they would live a corrupted lifestyle and Austen wrote the novel to poke fun at the ridiculousness of the idea. This book is the road map for how to navigate around fiction and not take it all to heart—people can read for fun and entertainment without being corrupted.

Personally though, I think it might also be a book about how to navigate around what to read and how much a person should actually indulge in fiction and read a wide variety of things so that the person is a well-rounded individual.

As Austen does write novels she explains that “I will not adopt the ungenerous custom” of degrading the novel, because as she sees it she can’t let her heroine “take up a novel” and “open the pages and turn her head in disgust” when in reality the heroine is within the very thing she is disgusted about (Austen Northanger Abbey 18). Austen sees novels as another tool to learn from.

An advice writer for girls during this time was Hester Chapone and she had a similar stance on the subject. In Hester Chapone’s essay, Letters on the Improvement of the Mind, she writes to her nieces about the importance of having a second opinion on all things a person reads, especially if it is of questionable content. Chapone understood that reading was necessary but didn’t want her nieces to have a corrupted mind, so she said to always take the “judgment of your best friend” first when deciding to read fiction (Chapone 189). A person needs that older and wiser adult leading their mind in the correct direction as to not make harmful mistakes. Chapone wanted her nieces to understand that a trusted adult could make the judgment call for them because they have lived life and could send them down the correct path.

Chapone, like Austen understands that fiction is needed in life if a person wants to be well-rounded and well informed in society. This same type of thinking can be applied today.

My mom always says, “even if you don’t agree with someone’s opinion hear them out and know every side of a topic before drawing conclusions.” This same philosophy can be applied with books. A person needs to see all sides of a story to know the facts. So “all sides of the story” would be those questionable books that people are warned not to read. Get the warning, understand what is being cautioned about the novel and make the judgment for yourself. Read with your mentor’s perspective in mind—this person is someone you think highly of—and remember what they found iffy about the book and make the call yourself.