tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post3261890946083965435..comments2023-10-17T02:47:38.574-06:00Comments on In Palinode's Palace: the twilight saga saga: chapter 1palinodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01029915232895358768noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-26918714081676801862010-02-11T23:55:52.919-06:002010-02-11T23:55:52.919-06:00And for those who don't know... Forks is a rea...And for those who don't know... Forks is a real town in Washington. The Indian tribe (can't remember now) is a real tribe with a real legend on shapeshifters/werewolves. And La Push is where their reservation is.<br /><br />Cuz' I like to research shit. (Actually, I looked it up to learn how to pronounce the word.)LisaUnfilteredhttp://unfilteredinsanity.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-51959932078090702452010-02-11T23:52:58.520-06:002010-02-11T23:52:58.520-06:00Who says a 100+ year old vampire has sex with a 16...Who says a 100+ year old vampire has sex with a 16 year old girl? 1st of all, she's 17. 2nd... they don't have sex until she's 18.... Not to mention some other morality issues that are addressed in these books. <br /><br />IMHO.... Yes, they are terribly written, but I was compelled by the story. (I also have to say that Bella was NOT my favorite character in this book. She is bitchy, petty, and very self-absorbed until the very last book, when she has someone more important to worry about.) However, I will say that I agree with the Palinode here and say that it does raise interesting discussions. (And Potsherd had better-written novels that had less flowery vocabulary, which made him slightly less pretentious.)<br /><br />My favorite characters are the least liked characters, and they are the werewolves, Jacob, in particular.... However, what everyone sees in the bitchy Bella is beyond me.LisaUnfilteredhttp://unfilteredinsanity.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-47153326968246844342010-01-26T18:09:54.645-06:002010-01-26T18:09:54.645-06:00I can not believe I didn't notice the 'For...I can not believe I didn't notice the 'Forks' meaning when I read the books. Yes, I read them of my own volition...but I complained a lot through the week it took me to finish the series. <br /><br />I complained ALOT to EVERYONE...<br /><br />Awesome post though. Excellent and shit.erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00513388452402495090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-46421240209955874462010-01-26T15:41:00.047-06:002010-01-26T15:41:00.047-06:00Oh my god. THANK YOU for finally putting into word...Oh my god. THANK YOU for finally putting into words my reasoning for disliking Bella from the beginning. I kept wondering why she was such a bitch when she talked about her classmates-- who are all SUPER NICE TO HER when she's the new kid. When does that ever happen??? And then there was some sentence where she "was marinating a fish" and I'm like NO YOU WEREN'T, YOU'RE SEVENTEEN.Superjuleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01636075304563194445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-38148617780144637812010-01-14T13:22:00.416-06:002010-01-14T13:22:00.416-06:00You know I love you, right?You know I love you, right?Traceyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18004168548188885215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-88510193987496831882010-01-12T21:14:18.061-06:002010-01-12T21:14:18.061-06:00Or even Dante. (See? I told you I wasn't too...Or even Dante. (See? I told you I wasn't too bright.)JustLindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11696261661820445271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-76340699792758627722010-01-12T21:13:22.597-06:002010-01-12T21:13:22.597-06:00I soldiered through those books. I kept thinking ...I soldiered through those books. I kept thinking there MUST be something redeeming. The plot would carry it, maybe. Something.<br /><br />But no. It doesn't get any better. I'm such a glutton I even read the 2nd book. SAVE YOURSELF!! GO NO FURTHER.<br /><br />I agree with all your criticism. Well, except the smart parts about Dante and stuff. And it's not that I DISAGREE with those; I'm just not smart enough to agree with any authority because, dude, I was reading TWILIGHT. I should have read Danta, huh?JustLindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11696261661820445271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-70701575766706814522010-01-08T06:19:53.684-06:002010-01-08T06:19:53.684-06:00I did some re-reading of my own last night thinkin...I did some re-reading of my own last night thinking maybe there is something to all the "error" in Ms. Meyer's writing. I have to be honest, I get what your saying, but I also know that if you took away those errors, I would not like it. I think what you see as awful writing is what "beats" you into loving them. I hope you do more then pick the books apart based on the writing, but also look at at the books as a whole and explore the why. Why do people including many educated adults enjoy it. It is in that exploration more than the structural exploration that will turn up some interesting things about people as a whole. <br /><br />Meanwhile I am continuing my quest as to why this series brings up an equal amount of hate from people.Jezzellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08774821291270778771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-46868600389047648992010-01-08T00:46:57.172-06:002010-01-08T00:46:57.172-06:00Dreadmouse - I guess you're the ... backlash? ...Dreadmouse - I guess you're the ... backlash? I was worried I'd get a hardcore Twilight fan with a caps lock problem, but you make some good points, which is infinitely better. <br /><br />But the truth is that I'm not seeking to trash the book, even though I'm kicking pretty hard at its weaknesses. The point is to work out my response to the book and see where it takes me. If I end up enjoying it, then so be it. I will say this - it gets better as you go along.<br /><br />Even though Twilight may not have been written with me in mind, plenty of adults love it - many of them people with taste as seasoned as mine. I'd like to know why. So I'm reading it with as much care and attention as possible.<br /><br />And while I may not expect greatness from Twilight, I do expect a certain level of skill at the basics of putting a work of fiction together. I don't care if it's written for five year olds or English profs.<br /><br />Lots of people declare that Twilight is a bad book. But if it's a bad book, then how is it bad? Why? What makes it bad? Where do you look? What happens when you identify its flaws? What happens to the way you read? These questions matter, because we have been given a book by an author with a degree in English literature who cannot identify the subject in a sentence with one clause.palinodehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01029915232895358768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-11219232522644627022010-01-08T00:18:59.990-06:002010-01-08T00:18:59.990-06:00Bah. You're shooting fish in a barrel. You&#...Bah. You're shooting fish in a barrel. You've done your time in teenage angstland and now you're an adult with a developed literary palate; Twilight wasn't written for you. I don't see the merit in trashing something just for the sake of trashing it, no matter how well you take a verbal brickbat to it all. If "the kids" are reading something and enjoying it, then they will continue to read more, and grow, just like we "old folks" did. Sure it's shlock, but did you really expect greatness from pop culture?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18433903878180074791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-7330619421533994442010-01-07T22:54:23.625-06:002010-01-07T22:54:23.625-06:00You so get it: "it's because the soil in ...You so get it: "it's because the soil in which the language of Twilight grows is a mulch of soap operas and teen drama."<br /><br />Being a high school English teacher, the writing reminds me of a student desperately trying to appear smarter, more literary, by hitting the THESAURUS button one too many times. Thus, the writing is awkward, disjointed, forced, contrived more times than it isn't<br /><br />Meyer will continue to beat your head in with just how beautiful the Cullens are by . . . well, telling you in every other paragraph--she keeps it up in every book. It is exhausting. She also lacks concision and it appears that brevity it foreign to her. <br /><br />I say all this yet here I am trudging through the final book. <br /><br />I guess I take comfort in knowing that students who deigned to pick up one book in my class were often eager to read this series. I cringed at first, but their passion for the story, their ultimate passion for reading gave me a strange hope that a vampire might inspire literacy. <br /><br />BTW, have you see this? http://theoatmeal.com/story/twilight<br /><br />Signed,<br />A reluctant lemmingLaskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12001998549713092381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-57991419420494662642010-01-07T17:01:48.176-06:002010-01-07T17:01:48.176-06:00"Her eyes are wide? How exactly? Are they wid..."Her eyes are wide? How exactly? Are they wide apart? Wide open? Does her mother go around holding her eyes really wide? What for? That's kind of weird."<br /><br />Hilarious. Perfect. You are amazing.birdykinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15278844065728571773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-35284966748309102112010-01-07T13:39:04.487-06:002010-01-07T13:39:04.487-06:00Genius commentary on the book so far. I fear for ...Genius commentary on the book so far. I fear for your sanity as you continue with them but will gladly continue to read these. <br /><br />Spoiler alert: it gets worse.Lorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09114062607610314946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-47718364434593069632010-01-07T12:23:53.029-06:002010-01-07T12:23:53.029-06:00You. Are. Awesome.
I can't wait to read you...You. Are. Awesome.<br /><br />I can't wait to read your thoughts on the movies! I think you should probably be very very drunk when you watch them, otherwise your head might explode. <br /><br />I'll bet your brain is sparkly!Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10315843187811122669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-39652561887934301182010-01-07T09:53:04.457-06:002010-01-07T09:53:04.457-06:00Can't wait 'til you come across the hundre...Can't wait 'til you come across the hundreds of times Bella's clumsiness is mentioned. Also, start a count of the number of times Meyers uses the word chagrined.Mildly Unstablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03963989580330183968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-57350907398118887992010-01-07T08:35:55.101-06:002010-01-07T08:35:55.101-06:00Wow. I read all four books and didn't think ab...Wow. I read all four books and didn't think about it this much.<br /><br />You either have some sort of illness or you are a genius.<br /><br />I'll let you know what I decide when you get to "New Moon".<br /><br />If you aren't already crazy "Breaking Dawn" will surely push you over the edge.Sarah, Goon Squad Sarahhttp://sarahandthegoonsquad.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-64456122987395062592010-01-07T07:36:42.618-06:002010-01-07T07:36:42.618-06:00jezzi - What you say is true. Teenagers are self-c...jezzi - What you say is true. Teenagers are self-centred and tend to see things through the narrow lens of their own perspective. And I too would not share my inner voice with others, because I would have very very few friends.<br /><br />I think it's a question of balance when it comes time to sit down and write a character with whom we're supposed to sympathise, especially in a work of genre fiction. A few moments of sarcasm and contempt would have sold me on the flaws in her character, but it's so relentless that I can only think Stephenie Meyer is subjecting us to Bella instead of portraying her to us.<br /><br />I suspect this is a form of literary mortification. Meyer is whipping herself with her memories of adolescence.palinodehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01029915232895358768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-8253990919645858212010-01-07T07:28:56.413-06:002010-01-07T07:28:56.413-06:00ozma - You should read Elaine Scarry's "O...ozma - You should read Elaine Scarry's "On Beauty and Being Wrong". It's a long essay on the topic of literary beauty and its relation to the palinode (not me - the literary form).palinodehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01029915232895358768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-61331203608117910272010-01-07T07:00:00.869-06:002010-01-07T07:00:00.869-06:00I love your detail, and do feel sorry for you, if ...I love your detail, and do feel sorry for you, if this first chapter is painful, you are in for some chronic pain. <br /><br />I would like to point out, that teenagers are naturally self centered. They are at a developmental age where they see things from one perspective theirs. (yes we all know nice teens) Bella by all accounts is acting like most teens would when facing a move to a small town, with their non-custodial parent. It is after all her inner dialougue, not what she is saying outwordly. I know I would not like to share my inner dialougue most of the time.<br /><br />Can't wait for your next installment, thanks for making morning coffee a little more bearable. <br />jillJezzellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08774821291270778771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-61151107824819304232010-01-07T02:05:58.278-06:002010-01-07T02:05:58.278-06:00Here, here. Your sacrifice should be honored someh...Here, here. Your sacrifice should be honored somehow. I would never read this book and now I'm going to read every chapter of the book this way...if I'm lucky and you torment yourself by writing on every chapter.<br /><br />Fun for me, but maybe not for you.<br /><br />It was such a perfect encapsulation-that Twilight should be called--What Bella Is Thinking About Everything She Sees. Hah! And boiled down into a pamphlet.<br /><br />And damn I wish I could hire you as my copyeditor. <br /><br />But then I was thinking--since this writer seems only semi-literate, instead of being outraged that she has written such a horrendous novel, maybe we can be impressed that she wrote one at all? <br /><br />Judging from what you wrote, this sounds like it was written by a teenager, and not only about a teenager.<br /><br />Right on, on beauty. I've known there's a built-in futility to attempts to describe beauty but somehow never fully formed the thought.<br /><br />Now I'm going to spend all this time trying to find some instance where beauty is well-described (obviously in some other way that 'beautiful.')<br /><br />What the hell is this vampire doing in high school? Why is a vampire going to high school? Perhaps that is explained at some point. Does he get good grades? Is he planning on going to college? Does he show up in his yearbook picture.<br /><br />Is it statutory rape if a 100 year old vampire has sex with a 16 year old?<br /><br />Strongly disliked the one Harry Potter book I read for being boring. Not because it is children's lit--I loved The Golden Compass. But then I'm a grouch about most recent fiction.ozmanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-64515368319285956292010-01-06T23:59:29.810-06:002010-01-06T23:59:29.810-06:00I'm going to have this, and the first one, ope...I'm going to have this, and the first one, open for the next week. I've read the first bit and I still think you're shitting us all. This can't be for real.<br /><br />I'm going to need snacks.sweetsalty katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15822876211091242851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-84606296344187943332010-01-06T23:46:52.586-06:002010-01-06T23:46:52.586-06:00cheesefairy - You can stick a pin in July 23rd and...cheesefairy - You can stick a pin in July 23rd and call it 'Nodemas.<br /><br />diva - I'm making my Blue Steel face in your honour.<br /><br />EarnestGirl - This is the thing about books Twilight and Harry Potsherd; even though they read terribly, they're still compelling, and more importantly, they pull kids into reading. Is that a good thing? I wonder if we're so happy that children are enjoying books that we're pretty much shrugging our shoulders over the quality. What I particularly liked is that the ideas in Twilight lend themselves to discussion.<br /><br />But man, I just cannot get over how relentlessly nasty Bella is. Unless she's drooling over the Cullens, it's nothing but condescension for the rest of the characters. Why?palinodehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01029915232895358768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-85208259960278424192010-01-06T23:19:53.957-06:002010-01-06T23:19:53.957-06:00Here is my terrible secret: I liked these books de...Here is my terrible secret: I liked these books despite myself. I was supposed to be culling (cue teen voice: *omg!* cull?? get it?? the Cullens???) them, making sure they were "appropriate" for a grade 7 reading level, so I did my homework & read the first & the second, and then, god help me, the whole series. <br /><br />The best part was the conversations I got to have in the library with the girls who were devouring these books. Books! Over which they were squealing & crushing and fighting. <br /><br />Meyers is able to do something admirable: create and people an alternate world. Myth-make. But she has also borrowed (& garbled) a whole lot of plotlines and recycled other, older Joseph Campbellian unconscious star-crossed lovers and stories to do so. It was fun to draw the parallels for the girls, and yes, boys who were discovering the series. Fun to make them think differently about a story. Or a werewolf. <br /><br />By the end Meyer's morals were showing glaringly through her narrative. Bella is alternately dim and downright idiotic. All that you say about her is true & I am sorry to say, gets worse & more petulant by the book. I only kept the first two on the shelves. <br /><br />This post however, goes to the front of the class. Can't wait for more.EarnestGirlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-86166646083242704852010-01-06T23:15:50.752-06:002010-01-06T23:15:50.752-06:00you are my favourite. period.you are my favourite. period.i am the divahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02263135869760345387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943519.post-81331147656505039202010-01-06T23:15:00.899-06:002010-01-06T23:15:00.899-06:00Hilarious, biting, genius.
Thank you for reading ...Hilarious, biting, genius.<br /><br />Thank you for reading this so I never ever EVER have to. You read, that we all might read other things.<br /><br />When's your birthday? I shall call it Palinodemas and eat shortbread that day to honour your sacrifice.cheesefairyhttp://torturedpotato.com/cheeseblognoreply@blogger.com