Overview

Much of the criticism on Stephenie Meyer's immensely popular 'Twilight' novels has underrated or even disparaged the books while belittling the questionable taste of an audience that many believe is being inculcated with anti-feminist values. Avoiding a repetition of such reductive critiques of the series's purported shortcomings with respect to literary merit and political correctness, this volume adopts a cultural studies framework to explore the range of scholarly concerns awakened by the 'Twilight novels and their filmic adaptations. Contributors examine 'Twilight's debts to its predecessors in young adult, vampire, and romance literature; the problems of cinematic adaptation; issues in fan and critical reception in the United States and Korea; and the relationship between the series and contemporary conceptualizations of feminism, particularly girl culture. Placing the series within a broad tradition of literary history, reception studies, and filmic adaptation, the collection offers scholars the opportunity to engage with the books' importance for studies of popular culture, gender, and young adult literature.

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9781138271593

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Reviews

'By seriously and thoughtfully examining a cultural phenomenon that has been a site of both adoration and ridicule, this collection illuminates the complex, ambiguous and significant place the Twilight novels have assumed in contemporary culture. The contributors eschew easy judgments, offering, instead, fresh and engaging interdisciplinary perspectives to scholars of young adult literature, youth culture, gender studies, romance, gothic literature and fan culture.' Annette Wannamaker, Coordinator of Children's Literature Studies at Eastern Michigan University 'This new volume from Ashgate is revelatory in terms of the study of Twilight. The amount of material covered [...] is noteworthy for both its breadth and its quality... Morey and her writers elevate the discourse and discussion surrounding Twilight to levels more frequently given to the classics of any literature.' Children's Literature Association Quarterly '... [a] well-argued and thoughtful examination of the [...] series as [it] exists now: phenomenally popular, culturally challenging, and clearly commenting on where we are now.' The Looking Glass 'This volume succeeds at providing smart analysis where heated debate has reigned, and, because Twilight is an almost unavoidable commodity for anyone working in pop culture, it could be a useful resource for any scholar wanting a more nuanced understanding of the text and larger phenomenon... [This book] is accessible to scholars of all levels...' Transformative Works and Culture 'Morey has compiled a useful collection of scholarly work on an important contemporary popular culture phenomenon that will appeal to a range of readers' interests in a variety of issues involving the cultural circulation of texts.' The Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts

Author Information

Anne Morey is associate professor of English at Texas A&M University. She is presently at work on a history of religious filmmaking in the United States.

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