Bared fangs don't draw women to Stephenie Meyer's Twilight books - fans fall for the vampire with the 'crooked smile' who can love forever, writes Siri Agrell
Even though he is only 19 years old, Kaleb Nation says his mother raised him to treat the ladies right.
But if he needs another model for a healthy approach to romance, he has one: Edward Cullen, a dreamy 17-year-old vampire from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series of young adult novels.
"I think more guys should read the books," Mr. Nation said. "They might not enjoy the romance parts very much, but there's a lot to learn."
The Texas resident, who maintains a blog about the series at KalebNation.com, is definitely on to something.
Even though he is only 19 years old, Kaleb Nation says his mother raised him to treat the ladies right.
But if he needs another model for a healthy approach to romance, he has one: Edward Cullen, a dreamy 17-year-old vampire from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series of young adult novels.
"I think more guys should read the books," Mr. Nation said. "They might not enjoy the romance parts very much, but there's a lot to learn."
The Texas resident, who maintains a blog about the series at KalebNation.com, is definitely on to something.
Within 24 hours of its Saturday release, Breaking Dawn, the fourth book in the Twilight series, sold more than 1.3 million copies - more than 110,000 of them in Canada.
The books are a publishing sensation, due in large part to a devoted following of female fans from all age groups.
But most women are not drawn to the genre out of a desire to see bared fangs - they want to see emotion laid bare.
The only stakes being driven through hearts are the pangs of teenage heartbreak.
"Only a vampire can love you forever," said Twilight fan Mahdis Aruni, a 20-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont.
"Because he is a vampire and loves her so much, he puts himself though so much pain to be with her. Not that we want Edward to be in pain, but it shows how much he loves her."
The appeal of this kind of undying (but usually unconsummated) love has caught the eye of Hollywood.
A movie based on the series will make its debut in December, and 2009 will see the release of Jennifer's Body, a teenage vampire flick written by Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody.
And next month, HBO will launch a vampire series called True Blood, directed by Six Feet Under creator Alan Ball.
At the recent Comic-Con convention in San Diego, Calif., Mr. Ball and the show's cast discussed "fangbangers" - humans who have a thing for immortal bloodsuckers.
"Apparently, sex with vampires is really kind of great," Mr. Ball said. "When you have sex with a vampire, it can be very romantic. It doesn't have to be violent."
Nicole DeCaria, a 22-year-old student at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ont., began reading the Twilight series after working her way through a series of Anne Rice books, and said she has been into vampires since she was a child.
"As I got older it's more the sexual aspect of it," she said. "They have that seductive side but in an instant they can be all, like, feral. You secretly want something a little dangerous, a little exciting to spice up your life."
Ms. DeCaria is not alone in her romantic obsession with the vampire set. The Internet is alive with talk of the undead, with groups such as TwilightMoms.com, a website where older women discuss their crushes on Edward.
On the social networking site Facebook, hundreds of groups are dedicated to vampire love, and its effect on real life romantic encounters.
Ms. Aruni is one of the administrators for a group called "Because I read Twilight I have unrealistic expectations in men," which has more than 55,000 members.
When it comes to falling for a vampire, Ms. Aruni said many women are probably drawn to Edward's "perfect body" or his "heart-melting crooked smile."
"Or maybe it's that he is always there when we need him, no matter what. Maybe it's that he is capable of love that we mere humans would never be able to comprehend," she said. "Maybe it's that we not only want someone to save us, but we want someone to save as well."
Angela Miles, a professor at the University of Toronto who has studied popular romance novels, said this kind of infatuation is a form of regression, but not necessarily an unhealthy one.
"It's quite a deep psychological escape, so when they're reading this formula, women really are in another world," she said. "They're very comforting in a strange way."
Mr. Nation said many readers of his blog are 12 or 13 years old and looking for a hopeful model of romance, and see themselves in the Twilight series' female main character, Bella, who is 16 when the books begin.
"They see a girl that's clumsy and depressed and they think, I'm better than she is," he said. "It's a boost of self-confidence to see that someone like Bella can get someone like Edward who's good and true and unselfish."
And he does not believe it is incongruous to put so much romantic stock in a character that drinks blood to sustain his own life. Edward, he notes, only consumes animal blood. And his love affair, while supernatural, is also chaste.
"You would think that a vampire's evil, but he actually has morals," he said. "He could very well do what he wants with her, because she would let him. He's set on doing what's best for Bella."
Ms. DeCaria agrees with Mr. Nation's analysis, and said the books can be a primer in romance for men.
"I can really relate [the books] to my relationship and maybe give my boyfriend some pointers," she said. "Read the book: Get some ideas."
The books are a publishing sensation, due in large part to a devoted following of female fans from all age groups.
But most women are not drawn to the genre out of a desire to see bared fangs - they want to see emotion laid bare.
The only stakes being driven through hearts are the pangs of teenage heartbreak.
"Only a vampire can love you forever," said Twilight fan Mahdis Aruni, a 20-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont.
"Because he is a vampire and loves her so much, he puts himself though so much pain to be with her. Not that we want Edward to be in pain, but it shows how much he loves her."
The appeal of this kind of undying (but usually unconsummated) love has caught the eye of Hollywood.
A movie based on the series will make its debut in December, and 2009 will see the release of Jennifer's Body, a teenage vampire flick written by Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody.
And next month, HBO will launch a vampire series called True Blood, directed by Six Feet Under creator Alan Ball.
At the recent Comic-Con convention in San Diego, Calif., Mr. Ball and the show's cast discussed "fangbangers" - humans who have a thing for immortal bloodsuckers.
"Apparently, sex with vampires is really kind of great," Mr. Ball said. "When you have sex with a vampire, it can be very romantic. It doesn't have to be violent."
Nicole DeCaria, a 22-year-old student at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ont., began reading the Twilight series after working her way through a series of Anne Rice books, and said she has been into vampires since she was a child.
"As I got older it's more the sexual aspect of it," she said. "They have that seductive side but in an instant they can be all, like, feral. You secretly want something a little dangerous, a little exciting to spice up your life."
Ms. DeCaria is not alone in her romantic obsession with the vampire set. The Internet is alive with talk of the undead, with groups such as TwilightMoms.com, a website where older women discuss their crushes on Edward.
On the social networking site Facebook, hundreds of groups are dedicated to vampire love, and its effect on real life romantic encounters.
Ms. Aruni is one of the administrators for a group called "Because I read Twilight I have unrealistic expectations in men," which has more than 55,000 members.
When it comes to falling for a vampire, Ms. Aruni said many women are probably drawn to Edward's "perfect body" or his "heart-melting crooked smile."
"Or maybe it's that he is always there when we need him, no matter what. Maybe it's that he is capable of love that we mere humans would never be able to comprehend," she said. "Maybe it's that we not only want someone to save us, but we want someone to save as well."
Angela Miles, a professor at the University of Toronto who has studied popular romance novels, said this kind of infatuation is a form of regression, but not necessarily an unhealthy one.
"It's quite a deep psychological escape, so when they're reading this formula, women really are in another world," she said. "They're very comforting in a strange way."
Mr. Nation said many readers of his blog are 12 or 13 years old and looking for a hopeful model of romance, and see themselves in the Twilight series' female main character, Bella, who is 16 when the books begin.
"They see a girl that's clumsy and depressed and they think, I'm better than she is," he said. "It's a boost of self-confidence to see that someone like Bella can get someone like Edward who's good and true and unselfish."
And he does not believe it is incongruous to put so much romantic stock in a character that drinks blood to sustain his own life. Edward, he notes, only consumes animal blood. And his love affair, while supernatural, is also chaste.
"You would think that a vampire's evil, but he actually has morals," he said. "He could very well do what he wants with her, because she would let him. He's set on doing what's best for Bella."
Ms. DeCaria agrees with Mr. Nation's analysis, and said the books can be a primer in romance for men.
"I can really relate [the books] to my relationship and maybe give my boyfriend some pointers," she said. "Read the book: Get some ideas."
Posts
