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Twilight series
Twilight Saga Collection box set, containing the four books in the series, in hardcover, by Stephenie Meyer.
Author
Stephenie Meyer
Country
United States
Language
English
Genre(s)
Romance, Horror, Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Media type
Print (Hardback & Paperback)
The Twilight Saga is a series of four vampire-based fantasy/romance novels by author Stephenie Meyer. It follows the adventures of Isabella “Bella” Swan, a teenager who moves to Forks, Washington, and finds her life turned upside-down when she falls in love with a vampire named Edward Cullen.
The series is told primarily from Bella’s point of view, with the epilogue of Eclipse and a portion of Breaking Dawn being told from the viewpoint of character Jacob Black. Midnight Sun, if published, will be a retelling of the first book, Twilight, from Edward Cullen’s point of view.
The series has sold over 25 million copies worldwide
Contents
- 1 Plot
- 2 Setting
- 3 Future books
- 4 Film adaptation
- 5 Reception and influence
- 6 References
- 7 External links
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Plot
Twilight
Main article: Twilight (novel)
Bella Swan moves from Phoenix, Arizona, to Forks, Washington, to allow her mother, Renée, to travel with her new husband, Phil, a minor league baseball player. After moving to Forks, Bella finds herself involuntarily drawn to a mysterious, handsome boy, Edward Cullen, who turns out to be a vampire who drinks animal blood as opposed to human blood. They fall passionately in love, and must fight off a vampire from another coven who is drawn to drink Bella’s blood. Bella escapes to Phoenix, Arizona, where she is tricked into confronting James, the sadistic vampire who wishes to kill her. She is mortally wounded, but Edward rescues her, and they return to Forks.
New Moon
Main article: New Moon (novel)
Edward and his family leave Forks because of his belief that he is constantly endangering Bella’s life. Bella falls into a deep depression, until she develops a strong friendship with werewolf Jacob Black. Jacob and the other wolves in his tribe must protect her from Victoria, an evil vampire who intends to avenge the death of James, her mate, by killing Bella. A misunderstanding occurs, and Edward is led to believe that Bella is dead. Edward decides to commit suicide in Volterra, Italy, but he is stopped by Bella and Alice. They meet with the Volturi and are released on the condition that Bella be turned into a vampire in the near future. Bella and Edward are reunited, and the Cullens return to Forks.
Eclipse
Main article: Eclipse (novel)
The vampire Victoria, James’s mate from Twilight with fiery red hair, has created an army of “newborn” vampires to battle the Cullen family and kill Bella. Meanwhile, Bella is forced to choose between her relationship with Edward and her friendship with Jacob. Edward’s family of vampires and Jacob’s pack of werewolves join forces to successfully destroy Victoria and her army of vampires. In the end, Bella chooses Edward’s love over Jacob’s. Jacob is devastated to hear of Bella’s choice and of her decision to become a vampire, and runs away in his wolf form.
Breaking Dawn
Main article: Breaking Dawn
Bella and Edward get married, but their honeymoon is cut short by Bella’s realization that she has become pregnant. Bella’s pregnancy progresses extremely quickly and makes her very weak. She nearly dies while giving birth to her and Edward’s half-vampire-half-human daughter, Renesmee, but Edward injects Bella with his venom to save her life by turning her into a vampire. A vampire from another coven sees Renesmee and mistakes her for an “immortal child”, the existence of which violates vampire rules, and informs the Volturi. The Cullens gather vampire witnesses who can verify that the child is not one of the immortal children. The Cullens and their witnesses convince the Volturi that Renesmee is not a danger to vampires or their secret, and they are left in peace.
Main characters
See also: List of Twilight characters
- Bella Swan – The protagonist of the series, Bella is a perpetually clumsy “danger magnet” with dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. She is often portrayed as having low self-esteem and not being able to grasp Edward’s love for her. She has an immunity to supernatural abilities that involve the mind, such as Edward’s mind reading. After her transformation into a vampire in the saga’s fourth installment, Bella acquires the ability to shield both herself and others from “mental harm” caused by opposing vampires’ abilities.
- Edward Cullen – Edward is a vampire who lives with a coven of like-minded vampires known as the Cullen family, who feed on animals instead of humans. At first, Edward feels a mutual hatred toward Jacob Black because of his love for Bella, but in Breaking Dawn he comes to see Jacob as a brother and friend. Like some vampires, Edward has a supernatural ability, mind reading; it allows him to read the thoughts of anyone within a radius of a few miles. Bella is immune to his power as a human, but learns how to lower this “shield” after she becomes a vampire.
- Jacob Black – A minor character in the first novel, Jacob is introduced as a member of the Quileute tribe. He resurfaces in New Moon with a much larger role, becoming a werewolf and Bella’s best friend as she struggles through her depression over losing Edward. Although he is in love with Bella, she initially sees him as just her best friend. In Eclipse Bella realizes that she loves Jacob as well, though this love is overpowered by her love for Edward Cullen. In Breaking Dawn, Jacob finds his soul-mate in Bella and Edward’s baby daughter Renesmee, thus ridding him of his heartache for Bella.
Setting
The story is set primarily in the town of Forks, Washington, where Bella Swan and her father, Charlie Swan, live. Other cities in Washington briefly appear in the series or are mentioned, such as Port Angeles, Olympia, Seattle and La Push. Some events in Twilight take place in Phoenix, Arizona, where Bella was raised. Volterra, Italy, is featured in New Moon, when Edward travels there to commit suicide and Bella rushes to save him. Jacksonville, Florida is mentioned in Eclipse when Edward and Bella visit her mother, who has moved there with her husband. Seattle, Washington, is featured in Breaking Dawn when Jacob tries to escape his love for Bella, and when Bella tries to locate a man named J. Jenks. A fictional “Isle Esme” off the coast of Brazil is mentioned in Breaking Dawn, where Bella and Edward spend their honeymoon.
Future books
Stephenie Meyer originally planned to write a companion book to Twilight called Midnight Sun. Midnight Sun would be the story of Twilight told from the point of view of Edward Cullen. She stated that Twilight was the only book that she planned to rewrite from Edward’s point of view.
The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide is due to come out in 2009.
Film adaptation
Main article: Twilight (2008 film)
A screenplay for Twilight was written by Melissa Rosenberg and has been adapted into a film by Summit Entertainment. The film was directed by Catherine Hardwicke, with Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in the leading roles of Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen, respectively. The movie was released domestically on November 21, 2008.
Twilight: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion, written by Mark Cotta Vaz, was released October 28.
Reception and influence
The series as a whole has received relatively negative reviews from critics. Laura Miller of Salon.com notes that “characters, such as they are, are stripped down to a minimum, lacking the texture and idiosyncrasies of actual people”, and says that “Twilight would be a lot more persuasive as an argument that an “amazing heart” counts for more than appearances if it didn’t harp so incessantly on Edward’s superficial splendors.”
The books have also received criticism for alleged sexism for the portrayal of the series’s female characters, most notably Bella Swan’s obsessive behavior relating to Edward Cullen and the emphasis on his romantic hero status.
Economically, the town of Forks, Washington, the setting for the Twilight series, has improved due to tourism from fans of the books.
References
- ^ a b c Claudia Parsons (2008-11-20). “”Twilight” publisher sees film boosting book sales”, Yahoo!. Retrieved on 21 November 2008.
- ^ a b Kenneth Turan (2002-11-21). “Movie Review: ‘Twilight’”. LA Times. Retrieved on 2008-11-21.
- ^ “Box Office Tracking: Twilight Could Suck $65 Million From Moviegoers This Weekend”, Slash Film (2008-11-20). Retrieved on 21 November 2008.
- ^ Ron Grover (2008-11-14). “Twilight, the Movie: This Season’s Harry Potter?“, Business Week. Retrieved on 21 November 2008.
- ^ Susan Wloszczyna (2008-11-20). “Vampires seduce a new generation in ‘Twilight,’ ‘True Blood’”, USA Today. Retrieved on 21 November 2008.
- ^ Ambrose Heron (2008-11-20). “Twilight set to rule the US box office”, Film Detail. Retrieved on 21 November 2008.
- ^ Entertainment Weekly interview with Stephenie Meyer: Part 2
- ^ StephenieMeyer.com | Twilight Series | Midnight Sun
- ^ Sabrina Rojas Weiss (2008-08-12). “‘Twilight’ Tuesday: Stephenie Meyer Answers Your Burning ‘Breaking Dawn’ Questions”, MTV. Retrieved on 22 October 2008. }
- ^ TheTwilightSaga.com
- ^ Sabrina Rojas Weiss (2008-08-15). “Did ‘Harry Potter’ Release Date Change To Avoid ‘Twilight’ Competition?”, MTV. Retrieved on 9 September 2008.
- ^ “A Strategic Move? Twilight moves release date to November 21st!” (in English). The Movie Fanatic. Retrieved on 2008-09-09.
- ^ Sharon Hoffmann (2008-09-30). “Twilight shopping calendar”, The Kansas City Star. Retrieved on 1 October 2008.
- ^ “Salon.com Review (Page 1)”. Salon.com. Retrieved on 2008-09-17.
- ^ a b “Salon.com Review (Page 2)”. Salon.com. Retrieved on 2008-09-17.
- ^ “Twilight Review at Inquirer”. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved on 2008-09-17.
- ^ “New Moon: The Story”. www.stepheniemeyer.com. Retrieved on 2008-11-13.
- ^ a b “Effect on Forks Washington” (in English). The Seattle Times. Retrieved on 2008-08-31.
- ^ “Forks High School”. Peninsula Daily News. Retrieved on 2008-09-17.
External links
- Stephenie Meyer’s website
- The Twilight Series’s official website
- Twilight Saga Wiki
The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
Novels
Twilight · New Moon · Eclipse · Breaking Dawn · Midnight Sun (unpublished)
Films
Twilight (soundtrack)
Characters
Bella Swan · Edward Cullen · Jacob Black · Other characters
Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_Saga”
Categories: Twilight series | Fantasy novel series | Horror novels | Romance novels | Vampires in written fiction | Young adult novels | Fantasy books by series | Culture of the Pacific Northwest | Contemporary fantasyHidden categories: Semi-protected | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since November 2008