Edward Cullen

[twilight813]

I agree I think Edward and Bella's relationship is refreshing. I have read raunchy love novels before and just regular love related fiction, but for some reason I never felt attached to the characters like i feel with Edward and Bella. i didnt even feel anything between Elizabeth and Darcy! Edward is that "bad guy" that every woman wants to fall in love with. Hes not necessarily "bad" but he is mysterious, and old fashioned.. love it!

[glstewart]

Wow, Pubesy! I enjoyed your essay !

Essay or not, it was an avenue that needed to be put out there, and you did an excellent job. I agree with you wholeheartedly, but I read someone's post (somewhere, I don't remember, heck - it might have been yours...) that pointed out that Edward's controlling, possessive behavior stopped as soon as Bella was changed and she was no longer so vulnerable.

By the way, his controlling, possessive behavior really raised my hackles too. Even Stephenie mentions it (in a way), when Jacob tells Bella about the thing on T.V. he saw about controlling, abusive boyfriends.

I agree with another point of yours ***THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION -- NOT IN ANY WAY TO BE CONSTRUED AS A ROLE MODEL FOR YOUNG GIRLS TO BEHAVE ***.

Stephenie really has taken a load of !@$#@$#@ that is 100% unwarranted.

[moon sidhe]

That was a really thoughtful post, Pubesy. I really enjoyed it as well.

What got me interested in reading the novels was actually a series of articles I read that were describing the books as anti-feminist. I agree that Edward does have some domineering qualities, Bella does have a damsel-in-distress motif. Bella is by no means a feminist hero, but since when did we have to start chastising authors for not making all their characters into sturdy role models? I have no desire to read those books, they would be boring. These books were meant to be a fun diversion, and that's how I took them. I enjoyed the story, and I think most people have the good sense to know that this isn't a treatise on how your life should be lived.

[glstewart]

Moon Sidhe: Your story about reading the books as a response to the anti-feminist rants reminds me of why I started reading the Harry Potter books. My then-10 yr daughter was reading them (and loving them) and while I wasn't interested in them myself, I had no problem with her reading them. THEN, I started hearing about all the people screaming about how they're so dangerous, anti-Christian, etc., etc., etc., and decided to look at Harry myself. I was hooked!

Stephenie gave an interview about Bella being an anti-feminist, and I agreed with her that "feminism" is about women being able to make their own choices in their lives. According to that definition, Bella is definitely a feminist, although I don't know if I'd call her a "feminist hero".

[navarre]

This is random, I know, but I have enjoyed re-reading BD because some quotes in the first part are again quoted in the last part of the book. For example, when Edward and Bella were breaking the news about the wedding to Charlie and Edward states that he loves Bella more than his own life and by some miracle she loves him the same way (paraphrase) - then you go to the part where Bella purchases the locket for Renesmee and inside is a inscription in French which says 'more than my own life, I don't know, I thought that was poignant to me.

Flaws and all, Edward's love for Bella knows no limit, depth, heigth and can not be broken by time, space or distance. Bella's love is just as powerful. These two have been through hell and back (both of them the root cause of most of that kind of travel" lol!) He stayed with her all through the transformation process - he never left her side.

Theatrical - yes. Possessive - yes. Committed to Bella forever - YES. Would die for her - yes.
Abusive - NO. Flawed - definitely.

A beautifully written/ drawn character that I have had the immense pleasure of getting to know of the last four books and the twelve chapters of MS.

I'd take him any day of the week!

PS - my brain has a tendency to run amok with too many thoughts, so I apologize for all of the jumping around.

[glstewart]

Theatrical - yes. Possessive - yes. Committed to Bella forever - YES. Would die for her - yes.
Abusive - NO. Flawed - definitely.

A beautifully written/ drawn character that I have had the immense pleasure of getting to know of the last four books and the twelve chapters of MS.

I'd take him any day of the week!

In a nutshell!!

[holdingoutforjacob]

pubesy - that was a wonderful post!!

i disagree with most everything said about edward in that article. i don't think their relationship is in any way abusive. edward's behaviours in the beginning of eclipse certainly bordered abusive, and the dismantling of the truck probably was. but abuse is a PATTERN. not a single instance.

i understand where everyone is coming from about bella though. she really does follow the stereotype in her relationship WITH EDWARD. but she does differ from that in the fact that she DOES have another relationship to rival her total submission to edward - jacob. now, i'm not just saying because i'm an immense jacob fan. think about it. when, in a cliched novel, has the heroine ever had a choice like this?? i agree that she's not a good role model, at all. but why should she have to be?

these things about the characters may or may not be true. but for stephenie to be attacked for it is ridiculous. she wrote a book. it's not like she wrote a book and said "HERE! LIVE LIKE THIS!" the only time i think her religion was evident in her work AT ALL was maybe in the fact that bella didn't want to end her pregnancy. but it certainly wasn't an anti-choice message. and without nessie there would have been no story!

i agree with stephenie that feminism is about choice. and bella made her choice. she's not a champion feminist, but she's also not anti-feminist.

[navarre]

pubesy - that was a wonderful post!!

i disagree with most everything said about edward in that article. i don't think their relationship is in any way abusive. edward's behaviours in the beginning of eclipse certainly bordered abusive, and the dismantling of the truck probably was. but abuse is a PATTERN. not a single instance.

i understand where everyone is coming from about bella though. she really does follow the stereotype in her relationship WITH EDWARD. but she does differ from that in the fact that she DOES have another relationship to rival her total submission to edward - jacob. now, i'm not just saying because i'm an immense jacob fan. think about it. when, in a cliched novel, has the heroine ever had a choice like this?? i agree that she's not a good role model, at all. but why should she have to be?

these things about the characters may or may not be true. but for stephenie to be attacked for it is ridiculous. she wrote a book. it's not like she wrote a book and said "HERE! LIVE LIKE THIS!" the only time i think her religion was evident in her work AT ALL was maybe in the fact that bella didn't want to end her pregnancy. but it certainly wasn't an anti-choice message. and without nessie there would have been no story!

i agree with stephenie that feminism is about choice. and bella made her choice. she's not a champion feminist, but she's also not anti-feminist.

I like SM's description of Bella and her defense as a feminist. I agree, a feminist is a woman who makes the best CHOICES for herself and not a ideology. Bella fought for and got what she wanted, whether people want to agree with that or not. Choice is just that - CHOICE, choosing what you want to have and what you want to be and going for it. Choosing what you believe in - not what everyone else says you should believe in.

I have never looked at Bella as a role model, just as a great fictional character who like all of the others in these great books, is flawed. Aren't we all. I do not put too much weight on what these character chose to do, I just enjoy going along for the ride( in the 'Twilight zone'

[KaseyHeartEdward]

Pubesy That was a very insightful post.

I I understand a lot of what was involved in the post as well as the articles. but i don't feel like i can agree with them

i love the books and plus they have really helped me. Another reason is because i have never been in a relationship so i am sorta clueless when it comes to that.

with i consider myself a feminist, i see a person's right to be their own person as well as make their own choices. I see Bella as strong. Because to me she is. She fought for the life she wanted. She stayed true to herself.

now when it comes to Edward yes he had "stakerish" ways but i mean come on it is a book and he is a vampire who have their own way of doing things that can be seen as strange but i feel that is the point.

Oh i just want to post from an older post of mine.

So are we saying that if we find a close to perfect guy for us that we should turn him down because he is too perfect and then find the next guy down the street? ( i don't mean Jacob becuase he is a good guy as well heck perfect in a different sense)

Okay i know a lot of girls go around Screaming OMG EDWARD IS SO HOT. But i mean he is more than that. This sweet guy who loves his girlfriend and treats her right. Why is it that we must find flaws in this? It is like we are saying that we are not good for this and so now it must be put down. I don't know.

i don't know, i just don't like when people have to take these good sort of guys and then MUST find something wrong with them.

I mean you could take any character from the book and find something wrong with them. Like he is abusive or he doesn't do something right.

And hey i Edward was the kind of guy Bella wanted that was her choice. And Edward wanted Bella and that was his choice.

for some reason i don't feel like i have worded this exactly right. So much is going on in my head. lol

[Amethyst1]

pubesy - that was a wonderful post!!

i disagree with most everything said about edward in that article. i don't think their relationship is in any way abusive. edward's behaviours in the beginning of eclipse certainly bordered abusive, and the dismantling of the truck probably was. but abuse is a PATTERN. not a single instance.

i understand where everyone is coming from about bella though. she really does follow the stereotype in her relationship WITH EDWARD. but she does differ from that in the fact that she DOES have another relationship to rival her total submission to edward - jacob. now, i'm not just saying because i'm an immense jacob fan. think about it. when, in a cliched novel, has the heroine ever had a choice like this?? i agree that she's not a good role model, at all. but why should she have to be?

these things about the characters may or may not be true. but for stephenie to be attacked for it is ridiculous. she wrote a book. it's not like she wrote a book and said "HERE! LIVE LIKE THIS!" the only time i think her religion was evident in her work AT ALL was maybe in the fact that bella didn't want to end her pregnancy. but it certainly wasn't an anti-choice message. and without nessie there would have been no story!

i agree with stephenie that feminism is about choice. and bella made her choice. she's not a champion feminist, but she's also not anti-feminist.

I agree, with holdingoutforjacob

I haven't read the articles and don't plan to. i just read the small paragraphs pubsey posted here. I'd rather not read the articles, i think i would then need be roped down. hahahaa.
this isn't about edward but about SM...it SO sad to see people taking her books In such a negative matter. it's a fricken book not a 'guide through your life' type of book. I don't get what's the big deal, really. i am not really a feminist as you can tell. so yeah...