105-493: (Redirected from Twilight Saga ) The Twilight Saga may refer to: Twilight (novel series) , a novel series by Stephenie Meyer The Twilight Saga (film series) , a film series on based the novel series by Stephenie Meyer The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide , a 2011 book by Stephenie Meyer See also [ edit ] Twilight (disambiguation) Twilight series (disambiguation) Topics referred to by
210-526: A Twilight -themed chocolate bar , which was released in Barnes & Noble book stores at the release parties. A four-city Breaking Dawn Concert Series, featuring Stephenie Meyer and Blue October 's Justin Furstenfeld , coincided with the novel's release. The concert series sold out three of its four locations on the day that tickets went on sale, selling out in under an hour in one city. Prior to
315-566: A vampire . As the wolves are telepathic, they hear Jacob's thoughts about Bella. Fearing Bella will give birth to an uncontrollable, bloodthirsty child, they want to kill her and the fetus. Jacob accepts his bloodline as the true pack leader to break free from the alpha, Sam's control. He goes to warn the Cullens that the wolf pack plans to kill Bella. En route, Seth Clearwater, a younger pack member, also breaks away and joins Jacob. He notes that once they formed their own pack, they can no longer hear
420-510: A "literary phenomenon", and Matt Arado of Daily Herald noted that the Twilight books have become the "hottest publishing phenomenon since a certain bespectacled wizard cast his spell on the world." The large and diverse online fan community of the series are often noted, sometimes even being called "cult-like". Despite this, the series is often considered to have a wider appeal; Crystal Mack of Daily Herald said, "While teenage girls are
525-539: A 'Quote of the Day' from Breaking Dawn for about three weeks prior to its August 2, 2008 release. The first quote was released on Meyer's website on July 12, 2008. The first chapter of Breaking Dawn , "Engaged", was released in the special edition of Eclipse . Breaking Dawn was officially released on August 2, 2008 through midnight release parties in over 4,000 bookstores, most of which involved costume and trivia contests, crafts, and face painting. Godiva also made
630-506: A 104-year-old vampire named Edward Cullen . The series is told primarily from Bella's point of view, with the epilogue of Eclipse and the second part of Breaking Dawn being told from the viewpoint of character Jacob Black , a werewolf . A novella, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner , which tells the story of a newborn vampire who appeared in Eclipse , was published on 2010. The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide ,
735-435: A D, criticizing the birth scene and Bella's "unwavering passion for Edward" and having no other goals. The Washington Post also responded with a negative review, making comments such as, "Meyer has put a stake through the heart of her own beloved creation," and " Breaking Dawn has a childbirth sequence that may promote lifelong abstinence in sensitive types." In an interview with Entertainment Weekly , Meyer responded to
840-470: A big influence on her writing. The Cullens were inspired by Meyer's own family as well as characters from X-Men: The Animated Series . Other influences on the series which Meyer has acknowledged include the 1847 novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë , HGTV , and the films Iron Man (2008), Somewhere in Time (1980), Stranger than Fiction (2006), and Baby Mama (2008). Other major themes of
945-454: A completed novel. After writing and editing the novel, she signed a three-book deal with Little, Brown and Company for $ 750,000, an unusually high amount for a first time author. Meyer's literary agent, Jodi Reamer of Writers House, discovered her only because the inexperienced assistant who received Meyer's original letter did not know that young adult books are supposed to be 40,000 to 60,000 words in length, not 130,000 words. Megan Tingley,
1050-401: A definitive encyclopedic reference with nearly 100 full color illustrations, was released in bookstores in 2011. In 2015, Meyer published a new novel in honor of the 10th anniversary of the book series, Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined , with the genders of the original protagonists switched. Midnight Sun , a retelling of the first book, Twilight , from Edward Cullen's point of view,
1155-455: A different path." Meyer, a Mormon , acknowledges that her faith has influenced her work. In particular, she says that her characters "tend to think more about where they came from, and where they are going, than might be typical." The Twilight series analyzes the Christian moral dilemma of mortal temptation. As a vampire, Edward experiences strong carnal temptations that would result in
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#17327765461001260-456: 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." Elizabeth Hand of The Washington Post wrote, "Meyer's prose seldom rises above the serviceable, and the plotting is leaden." The article, featured on the Yahoo! website Shine, also criticized the books and the author's final word on
1365-425: A lot of light in my stories." Stephenie Meyer says that the idea for Twilight came to her in a dream on June 2, 2003. The dream was about a human girl, and a vampire who was in love with her but thirsted for her blood. Based on this dream, Meyer wrote the transcript of what is now chapter 13 of the book. Despite having very little writing experience, in a matter of three months she had transformed that dream into
1470-481: A lot of people." Concerning the subject of the relatability of Bella, Meyer admitted that she lost some of her relatability to the character when she became a vampire and said, "every point up until that point in the story [the transformation] I would say I could step into this story right here and I could do everything she could do which made it really fun." Meyer wanted to experience Bella's vampiric experiences and "enjoyed very much" writing about them and wanted to end
1575-447: A minor league baseball player. After moving to Forks, Bella finds herself involuntarily drawn to a mysterious, handsome boy, Edward Cullen and eventually learns that he is a member of a vampire family which drinks animal blood rather than human blood. Edward and Bella fall in love, while James, a sadistic vampire from another coven, is drawn to hunt down Bella. Edward and the other Cullens defend Bella. She escapes to Phoenix, where she
1680-408: A more conclusive ending, seemingly precluding its continuation through the remaining three Twilight novels. Midnight Sun is a 2020 companion novel to the 2005 book Twilight by author Stephenie Meyer . The work retells the events of Twilight from the perspective of Edward Cullen instead of that of the series' usual narrating character Bella Swan . Meyer stated that Twilight was to be
1785-480: A page from The Merchant of Venice to give a clue that the final confrontation at the end of the book would be a mental one—not a physical battle—like the one at the end of the play. It also hints that the novel would have a happy ending for the couples, as in The Merchant of Venice . Originally it was the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë that Alice tore a page from, but Jane Eyre had nothing to do with
1890-438: A phenomenon that's not gonna happen again", however noting that "you can compare my fans to her fans more easily [than me to her]. I do think that we both have people who are just really really enthusiastic, and will come miles to see you and be involved, and everybody really cares about our characters." Economically, the town of Forks, Washington , the setting for the Twilight series, has improved due to tourism from fans of
1995-443: A positive review, describing the book as "captivating" and noting, "While this novel is darker and more mature than the earlier titles, Meyer's twists and turns are not out of character." The Charlotte Observer agreed and called the book "pretty darned good", but criticized the book's length saying, "I wish [Stephenie Meyer] hadn't felt compelled to pack so much into one volume. It should have been two books." Mary Harris Russell of
2100-565: A printing of 500,000 additional copies just prior to publication of the title, bringing the initial print run to 3.7 million. The book sold 1.3 million copies in the US and 20,000 copies in the UK in its first 24 hours of release, as well as 100,000 copies in Canada during its first weekend. Breaking Dawn debuted at #1 on USA Today 's top 150 best sellers list and has gone on to spend over 58 weeks on
2205-499: A shape-shifter finds his soul mate) on her. After her painful transformation, Bella wakes to find herself changed into a vampire. Fully recovered, she enjoys her new life and vampire abilities. Renesmee grows rapidly into a toddler and is spotted at a distance by Irina, a vampire from the Alaskan coven. Misidentifying her as an "immortal child," a human child who is turned into an uncontrollable vampire, Irina presents her allegations to
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#17327765461002310-469: A vampire alongside her husband and daughter. Meyer also steers her work from subjects such as sex, despite the romantic nature of the novels. Meyer says that she does not consciously intend her novels to be Mormon-influenced, or to promote the virtues of sexual abstinence and spiritual purity, but admits that her writing is shaped by her values, saying, "I don't think my books are going to be really graphic or dark, because of who I am. There's always going to be
2415-545: A vampire seeking to avenge the death of her mate James. Due to a misunderstanding, Edward believes Bella is dead. Edward decides to commit suicide in Volterra , Italy , but is stopped by Bella, who is accompanied by Edward's sister, Alice. They meet with the Volturi , a powerful vampire coven, and are released only on the condition that Bella be turned into a vampire in the near future. Bella and Edward are reunited, and she and
2520-495: Is a reference to the beginning of Bella's life as a newborn vampire. Wanting to add a "sense of disaster" to the title to match the novel's mood, she called it Breaking Dawn . Another reason for giving the book this particular title is that it matches the book's plot, which centers on "a new awakening and a new day and there's also a lot of problems inherent in it". Entertainment Weekly magazine released an excerpt of Breaking Dawn on May 30, 2008. Stephenie Meyer also revealed
2625-507: Is cut short when Bella discovers that she is pregnant. Her pregnancy progresses rapidly, severely weakening her. She nearly dies giving birth to her and Edward's daughter, Renesmee , a dhampir . Edward injects Bella with his venom to save her life and makes her a vampire. A vampire from another coven sees Renesmee and mistakes her for an "immortal child". She informs the Volturi , as the existence of such beings violates vampire law. The Cullens gather vampire witnesses who can verify that Renesmee
2730-467: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Twilight (novel series) Twilight is a series of four fantasy romance novels , two companion novels, and one novella written by American author Stephenie Meyer . Released annually from 2005 through 2008, the four novels chart the later teen years of Bella Swan , a girl who moves to Forks, Washington , from Phoenix, Arizona and falls in love with
2835-752: 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. It is also the location of a series of murders committed by newborn vampires in Eclipse . In Breaking Dawn , Bella and Edward spend their honeymoon on a fictional "Isle Esme", purportedly off the coast of Brazil. The Twilight series falls under the genre of young adult , fantasy , and romance , though Meyer categorized her first book, Twilight , as "suspense romance horror comedy". However, she states that she considers her books as "romance more than anything else". The series explores
2940-460: Is never okay to hit a woman...Today, the hidden message in the entertainment consumed by many impressionable teens is that if he hits you, it is out of love – which is absolutely wrong. Many entertainment and media outlets have made similar comments on the abusive nature of Bella and Edward's relationship, including Entertainment Weekly , Movieline , and Mediabistro.com . Meyer has dismissed such criticisms, arguing both that
3045-616: Is not an immortal child. After an intense confrontation, the Cullens and their witnesses convince the Volturi that the child poses no danger to vampires or their secret, and they are left in peace by the Volturi. On October 6, 2015, Little, Brown and Company released the Twilight Tenth Anniversary/Life and Death Dual Edition , which includes a nearly-400 page reimagining of the novel with Edward and Bella gender-swapped as Edythe and Beau. The reimagined novel has
3150-519: Is out." In an article by The Associated Press , journalist Sara Rose wrote on NewsOK.com that fans of the series would love "engaging characters, great humor, a distracting obsession with beauty, focus on the minutiae of emotions"; however "casual readers may be disappointed with a lot of build-up and little action." The Independent called the book, "shockingly, tackily, sick-makingly sexist" and said that "Bella Swan lives to serve men and suffer." Entertainment Weekly graded Breaking Dawn with
3255-659: Is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer, and Stephenie Meyer can't write worth a darn. She's not very good." However, King understood the appeal of the series, adding, "People are attracted by the stories, by the pace and in the case of Stephenie Meyer, it's very clear that she's writing to a whole generation of girls and opening up kind of a safe joining of love and sex in those books. It's exciting and it's thrilling and it's not particularly threatening because it's not overtly sexual." A quote from Robin Browne (though frequently misattributed to King or Andrew Futral) negatively compares
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3360-631: Is the 2008 fourth novel in The Twilight Saga by American author Stephenie Meyer . Divided into three parts, the first and third sections are written from Bella Swan 's perspective, and the second is written from the perspective of Jacob Black . The novel directly follows the events of the previous novel, Eclipse , as Bella and Edward Cullen get married, leaving behind a heartbroken Jacob. When Bella faces unexpected and life-threatening situations, she willingly risks her human life and possible vampire immortality. Meyer finished an outline of
3465-427: Is tricked into confronting James, who tries to kill her. She is seriously wounded, but Edward rescues her and they return to Forks. Edward and his family leave Forks because he believes he is endangering Bella's life. Bella goes into a depression until she develops a strong friendship with Jacob Black , who she discovers can shape-shift into a wolf. Jacob and the other wolves in his tribe must protect her from Victoria,
3570-454: The BBC News listed The Twilight Series on its list of the 100 most influential novels . The series has garnered some notoriety both over its literary substance and over the type of relationship portrayed in the books. Many have derided the series as poor writing. While comparing Stephenie Meyer to J. K. Rowling , Stephen King said, "the real difference [between Rowling and Meyer]
3675-547: The Chicago Tribune also responded with a positive review and hailed the book as a "fun read", noting that Stephenie Meyer "continues to produce witty writing about families, teenagers and popular culture", while Time called the book "a wild but satisfying finish to the ballad of Bella and Edward" and gave it a rating of A−. An article in The Daily News Tribune said of Breaking Dawn , "Some of
3780-608: The National Domestic Violence Hotline for being in an abusive relationship. L. Lee Butler of Young Adult Library Services Association commented how he was unusually hesitant to stock the Twilight books in his library because he felt the books were "robbing [teen girls] of agency and normalizing stalking and abusive behavior." Many female-oriented and feminist media outlets, like Jezebel , The Frisky, and Salon.com have decried Twilight as promoting an anti-woman message. Bitch magazine stated
3885-435: The Twilight and Harry Potter book series: " Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity ... Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend". Laura Miller of Salon.com wrote that "the characters, such as they are, are stripped down to a minimum, lacking the texture and idiosyncrasies of actual people", and said that " Twilight would be
3990-628: The Twilight series has been a visible presence in many conventions such as ComicCon , there have also been many conventions whose main focus has been on the Twilight series (books and films). Some notable conventions have been TwiCon in 2009 and a series of "Official Twilight Conventions" that are being held by Creation Entertainment . Forever Twilight in Forks Festival is held in Forks, Washington , every year around September 13, Bella Swan's birthday. Originally called Stephenie Meyer's Day,
4095-428: The Twilight series on March 16, called Forks: Bitten by Twilight . The third installment in the series, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse , was released on June 30, 2010. The fourth installment, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 was released November 18, 2011. The fifth and last installment, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 was released November 16, 2012. While
4200-501: The Twilight series, Breaking Dawn , was released with an initial print run of 3.7 million copies. Over 1.3 million copies were sold on the first day alone, setting a record in first-day sales performance for the Hachette Book Group USA . Upon the completion of the fourth entry in the series, Meyer indicated that Breaking Dawn would be the final novel to be told from Bella Swan 's perspective. In 2008 and 2009,
4305-582: The Cullens and the Quileute, ending the hatred between them. As local and foreign vampires arrive, the Cullen house becomes the headquarters and training ground for the assorted vampires and the Quileute wolf packs. Bella learns that she is a 'shield', meaning the gifts of other vampires do not work on her, which is why Edward and Aro cannot read her mind. Bella works with the other vampires to improve her skill and shield people other than herself. Upon confronting
The Twilight Saga - Misplaced Pages Continue
4410-515: The Cullens broke their treaty not to bite another human, he advances on their home intending to kill Edward. Jacob arrives and discovers Bella's pregnancy, in which the fetus is draining her life away. Jacob begs her to abort the fetus to save her life, as neither Carlisle, a doctor, nor Alice who can see the future, are optimistic about Bella's prognosis. Despite concerns that her pregnancy will be fatal, Bella continues it, believing she can survive long enough to give birth and then be transformed into
4515-509: The Cullens return to Forks. Victoria has created an army of "newborn" vampires to battle the Cullen family and murder Bella for revenge. Meanwhile, Bella is compelled to choose between her relationship with Edward and her friendship with Jacob. Edward's vampire family and Jacob's werewolf pack join forces to successfully destroy Victoria and her vampire army. In the end, Bella chooses Edward's love over Jacob's friendship and agrees to marry Edward. Bella and Edward are married, but their honeymoon
4620-466: The Little, Brown editor who signed Meyer, said that halfway through the reading of the Twilight manuscript, she realized that she had a future bestseller in her hands. The book was released in 2005. Following the success of Twilight , Meyer expanded the story into a series with three more books: New Moon (2006), Eclipse (2007), and Breaking Dawn (2008). In its first week after publication,
4725-533: The Mormon emphasis on family. Various psychology experts have come out in agreement with the assessment of the relationship as abusive. Melissa Henson, Director of communication and public education for the Parents Television Council , stated: To impressionable teens, domestic violence is almost romanticized. We've made great strides in recent years in clearly communicating the message that
4830-413: The Volturi agree to leave the Cullens alone. The Cullens and their allies leave in peace, realizing that the Volturi may one day return. While being alone with Edward, Bella allows him to read her mind for the first time and shares her feelings about him. Originally, Meyer wrote a book titled Forever Dawn , which was a direct sequel to Twilight . While the basic storyline remained the same, Forever Dawn
4935-456: The Volturi who outlawed the creation of such creatures. As the largest and most powerful vampire coven, the Volturi see Renesmee and the Cullens as a threat and plot to destroy them. Foreseeing their arrival, the Cullens gather other vampire clans from around the world to stand as witnesses and prove that Renesmee is not an immortal child upon Alice's request. Jacob's imprinting on Renesmee forged an unbreakable bond and mutual protective pact between
5040-420: The birth scene published is a little less grotesque than the one she wrote before editing due to her editor, agent and publisher's requests to "tone down the violence a little". She stated that Bella's pregnancy and childbirth, for her, were "a way to kind of explore that concept of what childbirth used to be" in the past and acknowledged that they were "taking Bella in a new direction that wasn't [as] relatable for
5145-493: The book from her perspective, but still thought it was "a little bit harder" as she couldn't step in into the story anymore. In regard to Renesmee's unique name, Meyer wrote that she "couldn't call her Jennifer or Ashley. What do you name the most unique baby in the world? I looked through a lot of baby name websites. Eventually I realized that there was no human name that was going to work for me, so I surrendered to necessity and made up my own." Meyer states in regard to ending
5250-426: The book in 2003, but developed and changed it as she wrote New Moon and Eclipse , though the main and most significant storylines remained unchanged. Little, Brown and Company took certain measures to prevent the book's contents from leaking, such as closing forums and message boards on several fansites and providing a special e-mail address for fans to send in links to leaks and spoilers online. Breaking Dawn
5355-410: The book was made available free from her web site, as well as in bookstores. In October 2010, Little, Brown and Company announced that The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide , a definitive encyclopedic reference for the saga including character profiles, outtakes, a conversation with Meyer, genealogical charts, maps and extensive cross-references with nearly 100 full color illustrations,
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#17327765461005460-438: The books center around Bella's choice, which she perceives as the foundation of modern feminism , and that Bella's damsel in distress persona is due only to her humanity. Meyer also added, "Just because [Bella] doesn't do kung fu and she cooks for her father doesn't make her worthy of that criticism". Shannon Simcox of The Daily Collegian has similarly dismissed the criticism surrounding Bella, commenting, "While Bella plays
5565-528: The books. Forks is visited by an average of 8,000 tourists per month, and has been described as a "mecca for Twilighters". In response to plans for the aging Forks High School to be renovated, Twilight fans have teamed up with Infinite Jewelry Co. and the West Olympic Peninsula Betterment Association to collect donations in an attempt to save the brick appearance or the building altogether. On November 5, 2019,
5670-482: The canon vampires. She did not consider the way her vampires differed from established literature until Twilight was close to being published. By that time, it was too late to make drastic changes and Meyer kept her vampires sans "fang and coffins and so forth" not as an act of separation from vampire canon, but as staying true to the way the characters appeared in her mind. According to the author, her books are "about life, not death" and "love, not lust". Each book in
5775-419: The case Smith v. Summit Entertainment LLC . Smith's song "Eternal Knight" was posted on several websites accompanied by cover art which Summit claimed used its "Twilight" typeface mark. Smith won four of the seven causes of action, including his right to continue distribution of his copyrighted song, under the terms that he remove any reference to "Twilight" or the "Twilight Saga". The Twilight series made
5880-400: The corruption of his sense of self. Overcoming these temptations illustrates a common Christian principles of "overcoming the natural man". Mormon tenets of immortality and eternal life are also explored in the series. The vampires have perfected, immortal bodies, but the Cullens long for satisfying relationships. Bella achieves both immortality and the Mormon concept of eternal life by becoming
5985-504: The dialog is a bit stilted,... but, if you stay close to Meyer's rich and prodigious narrative, you too might fall in love with its suspense and moving sensitivity". Publishers Weekly stated that the main problem with Breaking Dawn was that, "Essentially, everyone gets everything they want, even if their desires necessitate an about-face in characterization or the messy introduction of some back story. Nobody has to renounce anything or suffer more than temporarily—in other words, grandeur
6090-432: The epilogue of the third book and a part of the fourth book being from Jacob's point of view . When asked about the structure of the novel, Meyer described her difficulty in pinpointing the premise of the novels to any specific category. The novels involve vampires, but they are not the typical tragic or bloodthirsty kind. The main characters are high schoolers, but according to some, that description also unfairly stereotypes
6195-476: The festival was created by the Forks City Council, and has led to an increase in tourism to the town. The festival attracts fans to visit famous sites from the movies, including Forks High School, Bella's house, the Cullens' house, Newton hardware store, and La Push Beach. Fans often dress up as their favorite book characters. Breaking Dawn Breaking Dawn (stylized as breaking dawn )
6300-590: The first sequel, New Moon , debuted at #5 on the New York Times Best Seller List for Children's Chapter Books, and in its second week rose to the #1 position, where it remained for the next eleven weeks. In total, it spent over 50 weeks on the list. After the release of Eclipse , the first three "Twilight" books spent a combined 143 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List. The fourth installment of
6405-424: The first three novels were released in 2008, 2009, and 2010, respectively. The fourth novel was adapted into two films, the first film being released in 2011 and the second film in 2012. An animated television series based on Midnight Sun is also in development at Netflix . Bella Swan moves from Phoenix, Arizona to live with her father in Forks, Washington to allow her mother to travel with her new husband,
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#17327765461006510-401: The first time, and she gets pregnant. Because the fetus is part-vampire, her condition progresses at an accelerated rate, causing Bella severe physical and emotional distress. Bella and Edward return home to Forks, Washington . Knowing of Bella's wish to become a vampire, Jacob is suspicious when she returns from her honeymoon and the Cullens keep her father, Charlie, from seeing her. Believing
6615-605: The four books of the series claimed the top four spots on USA Today 's year-end bestseller list, making Meyer the first author to ever achieve this feat. The series then won the 2009 Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Book, where it competed against the Harry Potter series . The response to Twilight has been mixed. While the books have become immensely popular, they have also generated much controversy. Twilight has gathered acclaim for its popularity with its target readers. The Times lauded it for capturing "perfectly
6720-441: The gathered Cullen allies and witnesses, the Volturi discover that they were misinformed on Renesmee's identity. The Volturi execute Irina in an attempt to instigate a full battle but are unsuccessful. They bring up the Cullens' pact with the Quileute wolves and the uncertainty of Renesmee's future in an effort to further provoke hostilities, naming her as a threat to the secret existence of vampires. Alice and Jasper, who left prior to
6825-400: The gathering of the Cullen's allies, return with a Mapuche called Nahuel, a 150-year-old vampire-human hybrid like Renesmee. Alongside him is his biological aunt, Huilen, who explains that her sister fell in love with a vampire and became pregnant with his child, but died in childbirth. When Nahuel was born, he bit his aunt and made her immortal. Nahuel proves that hybrids pose no threat, and
6930-474: The gothic genre, and Meyer's main inspiration for Twilight came from a dream. Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein , a classic in gothic literature, was also inspired by a dream. Twilight moves away from the classical gothic however, through Bella's sympathy toward Edward. Rather than feeling disgust for the vampire, the dangerous intrigue she takes in him moves the plot forward. The books are written in first-person narrative , primarily through Bella's eyes with
7035-558: The idea that Bella is powerless, an object, a fact that is highlighted when we get to the sex scenes in Breaking Dawn ." Ms. declared that Twilight promotes a physically abusive relationship and an anti-abortion message. However, writer Angela Aleiss of Religion News Service said that contrary to popular opinion, Mormons do permit abortion when the mother's life is in danger. Bella's refusal to abort her fetus, along with her quick marriage and pregnancy, instead underscore
7140-474: The leading roles of Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen , respectively. The movie was released in the United States on November 21, 2008. Twilight: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion , written by Mark Cotta Vaz , was released October 28. On November 22, 2008, following the box office success of Twilight , Summit Entertainment confirmed a sequel, called The Twilight Saga: New Moon , based on
7245-512: The legend of the incubus , a demon who could father children. Bella's insistence to not let her child die was inspired by Meyer's reaction when asked if she would let one of her children die so she could live, which was to deliver the child no matter what the consequences were. Meyer said in an interview with Shannon Hale , published in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide , that
7350-590: The list. It was also the biggest-selling children's book of 2008 with over 6 million copies sold. A special edition of Breaking Dawn was released on August 4, 2009, containing a DVD of the Breaking Dawn Concert Series and an interview with Meyer. Critical reception of Breaking Dawn was mixed. Lev Grossman wrote, "First, since there's a lot of one-star reviews up on Amazon, let me say up front: I loved Breaking Dawn ." Cara von Wrangel Kinsey of School Library Journal responded with
7455-556: The main audience, young boys and adults of both genders have also been swept up in the phenomenon." The author and the series' popularity are often compared with J. K. Rowling and Harry Potter . Describing the fan following of the books, the Phoenix New Times wrote, "Meyer's fandom is reminiscent of Harry Potter mania." The Daily Telegraph described Twilight as the "spiritual successor to Harry Potter ". Rebekah Bradford of The Post and Courier stated that
7560-453: The negative response of many fans to the book and called it the "Rob Effect"; she said that the fans need time to accept the ending of Breaking Dawn , just as they needed time to accept Robert Pattinson playing the role of Edward in the Twilight movie. Breaking Dawn was the recipient of a British Book Award for "Children's Book of the Year". In the 2009 "Children's Choice Book Awards",
7665-576: The novel was chosen as "Teen Choice Book of the Year" and Meyer won the "Author of the Year" award. Summit Entertainment announced in November 2008 that they had obtained the rights to the fourth book in Stephenie Meyer 's series, Breaking Dawn . The studio greenlit an adaptation of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn in April 2010. The film was split into two parts; the first part of the film
7770-419: The novel's release, the first three Twilight books had already sold 8.5 million copies throughout the US and over 2 million copies in the UK. Breaking Dawn was one of the most anticipated books of 2008 with The Guardian noting, "Teenagers across the world are anxiously awaiting the next instalment of author Stephenie Meyer's vampiric series of novels." To meet the high demand, Little, Brown Books added
7875-407: The novels "had created a new, popular genre of "abstinence porn", concluding that, "In reality, the abstinence message—wrapped in the genre of abstinence porn—objectifies Bella in the same ways that 'real' porn might. The Twilight books conflate Bella losing her virginity with the loss of other things, including her sense of self and her very life. Such a high-stakes treatment of abstinence reinforces
7980-615: The number five spot on the American Library Association 's (ALA) Top Ten List of the Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2009, for being "Sexually Explicit", "Unsuited to Age Group", and having a "Religious Viewpoint". 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
8085-428: The only book from the series that she planned to rewrite from Edward's perspective. To give them a better feel of Edward's character, Meyer allowed Catherine Hardwicke , the director of the film adaptation of Twilight , and Robert Pattinson , the actor playing Edward, to read some completed chapters of the novel while they shot the film. It was released on August 4, 2020. In August 2020, Meyer revealed that she
8190-491: The other wolves' thoughts. They start patrolling the Cullens' property before Leah, Seth's older sister and the lone female wolf, joins them. Bella enters labor as the baby begins fighting its way out, breaking her body. Edward is forced to perform a cesarean section, saving the baby. As Bella is dying, Edward injects his venom into her heart. Jacob, believing Bella is dead, blames her baby, Renesmee . He goes to kill Renesmee but instead imprints (an involuntary response in which
8295-456: The perfect damsel in distress that gets herself into sticky situations, she is also very in control of herself. She chose to move to Forks and be in a new place; she constantly faces a bunch of people who want to suck the life right out of her, and she is constantly pleading to become a vampire, too, so she can take care of herself and Edward." In December 2010, professional singer Matthew Smith, known as Matt Heart, sued Summit Entertainment in
8400-511: The quality Twilight and Harry Potter (and The Lord of the Rings ) share, but you know it when you see it: their worlds have a freestanding internal integrity that makes you feel as if you should be able to buy real estate there. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer called the book a "hot new teen novel", Entertainment Weekly called Meyer "the world's most popular vampire novelist since Anne Rice", The New York Times described Twilight as
8505-431: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title The Twilight Saga . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Twilight_Saga&oldid=1210480051 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
8610-477: The second book in the series, New Moon . The film was released on November 20, 2009. The Twilight Saga: New Moon was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 20, 2010, through midnight release parties. That same day, Summit Entertainment released Twilight in Forks , a documentary about the primary setting of the Twilight series, Forks, Washington . Topics Entertainment released its own documentary about Forks and
8715-625: The series had sold over 160 million copies worldwide with translations into 49 different languages. The four Twilight books have consecutively set records as the biggest-selling novels of 2008 on the USA Today Best-Selling Books list and have spent over 235 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list for Children's Series Books. The novels have been adapted into The Twilight Saga film series by Summit Entertainment . The film adaptations of
8820-682: The series has a "huge crossover appeal much like the Harry Potter books before them." According to the Daily Telegraph , "Stephenie Meyer, in particular, has achieved incredible success across all the English-speaking nations and Europe and many will say that her Twilight series has filled the hole left by Harry Potter ." Meyer has responded to such comparisons, saying, "It's terribly flattering to be compared to her, but there's never going to be another J. K. Rowling; that's
8925-416: The series include choice and free will. Meyer says that the books are centered around Bella's choice to choose her life on her own, and the Cullens' choices to abstain from killing rather than follow their temptations: "I really think that's the underlying metaphor of my vampires. It doesn't matter where you're stuck in life or what you think you have to do; you can always choose something else. There's always
9030-656: 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 first in Twilight and second in Eclipse , when Edward and Bella visit Bella's mother, who has moved there with her new husband. Seattle, Washington ,
9135-457: The series was inspired by and loosely based on a different literary classic: Twilight on Jane Austen 's 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice , New Moon on William Shakespeare 's play Romeo and Juliet , Eclipse on Emily Brontë 's 1847 novel Wuthering Heights , and Breaking Dawn on a second Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night's Dream . Meyer also states that Orson Scott Card and L. M. Montgomery 's Anne of Green Gables series are
9240-662: The series was, "Good books deal with themes of longing and loneliness, sexual passion and human frailty, alienation and fear just as the Twilight books do. But they do so by engaging us with complexities of feeling and subtleties of character, expressed in language that rises above banal mediocrity. Their reward is something more than just an escape into banal mediocrity. We deserve something better to get hooked on." The books have also been widely critiqued as promoting, normalizing, and idealizing an emotionally and physically abusive relationship. Sci-fi website io9 noted that Bella and Edward's relationship meets all fifteen criteria set by
9345-428: The series. The books are based on the vampire myth, but Twilight vampires differ in a number of particulars from the general vampire lore. For instance, Twilight vampires have strong piercing teeth rather than fangs; they glitter in sunlight rather than burn; and they can drink animal as well as human blood. Meyer comments that her vampire mythology differs from that of other authors because she wasn't informed about
9450-599: The series: The Twilight Saga is really Bella's story, and this was the natural place for her story to wind up. She overcame the major obstacles in her path and fought her way to the place she wanted to be. I suppose I could try to prolong her story unnaturally, but it wouldn't be interesting enough to keep me writing. Stories need conflict, and the conflicts that are Bella-centric are resolved. The plays The Merchant of Venice and A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare both influenced Breaking Dawn . Meyer decided that Alice would write her instruction to Bella on
9555-487: The story, so Meyer changed it. The idea of imprinting, which existed in Forever Dawn , was inspired by A Midsummer Night's Dream . Meyer described it as "the magic of setting things right—which doesn't happen in the real world, which is absolutely fantasy", and decided to introduce it earlier–in Eclipse –so she wouldn't have to explain it later. Meyer described the cover as "extremely meaningful" and said that she
9660-507: The teenage feeling of sexual tension and alienation." Other reviews described Twilight as an "exquisite fantasy", and a "gripping blend of romance and horror". Lev Grossman of Time wrote that the books have a "pillowy quality distinctly reminiscent of Internet fan fiction ", but still praised the series, comparing it to The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter : People do not want to just read Meyer's books; they want to climb inside them and live there... There's no literary term for
9765-408: The unorthodox romance between human Bella and vampire Edward, as well as the love triangle between Bella, Edward, and Jacob, a werewolf. The books avoid delving into provocative sex, drugs, and harsh swearing because, according to Meyer, "I don't think teens need to read about gratuitous sex." To some, Meyer's novels fall into the category of gothic literature as well. Meyer's use of monsters and
9870-498: The unsettling circumstances of Edward and Bella's relationship are key components to the gothic. Gothic literature allows readers to analyze abstract concepts through dark or disturbing analogies. The disturbing nature of the gothic is a result of "repressed familiarity," according to neurologist Sigmund Freud , and we are meant to see ourselves in Meyer's monsters. It is also interesting to note that dreams are an important theme in
9975-424: Was "really happy with how it turned out". The cover is a metaphor for Bella's progression throughout the entire series; she began as the physically weakest player on the board, the pawn , but at the end she becomes the strongest, the queen . The chessboard also hints at the conclusion of the novel "where the battle with the Volturi is one of wits and strategy, not physical violence." The title, Breaking Dawn ,
10080-414: Was narrated completely from Bella's point of view, the werewolves and Jacob were "only sketchily developed", Victoria and Laurent were both alive, and there was an epilogue. Meyer went on to say that she "may post some extras someday if I ever have time to go back through the Forever Dawn manuscript—it's just as long as Breaking Dawn ." The part that took Meyer the longest time to write in Breaking Dawn
10185-457: Was published in 2020. Since the release of the first novel, Twilight , in 2005, the books have gained immense popularity and commercial success around the world. The series is most popular among young adults ; the four books have won multiple awards, most notably the 2008 British Book Award for Children's Book of the Year for Breaking Dawn , while the series as a whole won the 2009 Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Book. As of August 2020,
10290-415: Was released on August 2, 2008 at midnight release parties in over 4,000 bookstores throughout the US. From its initial print run of 3.7 million copies, over 1.3 million were sold in the US and 20,000 in the UK in the first 24 hours of the book's release, setting a record in first-day sales performance for the Hachette Book Group USA . The book was highly successful, selling over 6 million copies in 2008, and
10395-545: Was released on November 18, 2011, and the second part was released on November 16, 2012. Bill Condon directed both parts; Stephenie Meyer co-produced the film along with Karen Rosenfelt and Wyck Godfrey . In July 2010, Summit announced that the film would be shot in Vancouver, Canada, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Maggie Grace plays the part of Irina in the film, while Mackenzie Foy plays Renesmee, Edward and Bella's half-vampire, half-human child. The infant Renesmee
10500-427: Was released on October 11, 2011, and followed Volume 1 in topping The New York Times Best Seller list for Hardcover Graphic Books in its first week. In March 2010, Meyer revealed on her official website that she will be releasing a new novella in the series, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner , which tells the story of a newborn vampire who appeared in Eclipse , on June 5, 2010. An electronic version of
10605-416: Was the half-chapter describing the 3 months after Bella's transformation into a vampire because "the amount of time per word put into that section was probably ten times what it was in any other part of the book" and Meyer liked to write minute by minute, but didn't think it would be exciting. Meyer decided to include the pregnancy in her story while she was researching vampires, early in 2003 and came across
10710-472: Was the third best-selling novel of 2008 behind Twilight and New Moon . Unlike the series' previous three entries, Breaking Dawn received mixed reviews from critics. It is also the most controversial book of the series, as adult themes and concepts are explored more directly than in its predecessors. However, the novel was awarded the British Book Award for "Children's Book of the Year". It
10815-530: Was to be released on April 12, 2011, after many publication delays since 2008. It debuted at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list , where it stayed for three consecutive weeks, and at #4 on the USA Today Best Seller list. The story is set primarily in the town of Forks, Washington , where Bella and her father, Charlie Swan , live. Other cities in Washington briefly appear in
10920-428: Was translated in 38 languages with rights sold to over 50 countries. The book has been adapted into a two-part movie, with the first part released on November 18, 2011, and the second part released on November 16, 2012. After Bella's marriage with Edward, they spend their honeymoon on Isle Esme, a private island off the coast of Brazil that Carlisle owns. Two weeks into their honeymoon, Edward and Bella have sex for
11025-435: Was working on two additional Twilight novels. The author intended to continue writing stories set in the universe, after completing an original novel first. On March 16, 2010, Yen Press released Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1 , by artist Young Kim based on the first book in the series. In February 2011, the graphic novel won the 2010 Gem Awards Best Manga of the Year. The sequel, Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 2
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