I got home from my Reading Extravaganza discussion about Pride and Prejudice when I realized I haven't blogged this week. And since Breaking Dawn has gotten so many people sitting on the edge of their seats (even though practically everyone's already read the series), I thought this topic would be very appropriate for a blog post.
So let's get straight to it. Pride and Prejudice vs. Twilight. What are some similarities and differences between these two tales?
At first glance, it seems hard to find some similarities between any aspect of these stories, whether you're discussing books or movies. However, take out the vampire aspect of the Twilight series, and I think you'll agree that there are some similarities. Mr. Darcy and Edward are both very dark, mysterious characters who are unwilling to succumb to their emotions and admit that they are in love with Elizabeth and Bella. Both Elizabeth and Bella stand out from what the reader expects. Elizabeth is very outspoken compared to women of her time and isn't as mellow as a woman was expected to be. In Twilight, the reader expects Bella to stay away from Edwards' mysteriousness but she invites him in.
It is easier to find differences between the two. Obviously, the Twilight series isn't even realistic because the Cullens are vampires. More importantly, the relationship between the two couples differs greatly. Elizabeth represents something unheard of at the time Jane Austen wrote the book: a strong, independent woman. Conversely, Bella is so dependent on Edward that, according to my Reading Extravaganza facilitator, she would "suck the life out of him" (not a very good joke, but they're not my words). The endings are also different. In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are together in a healthy relationship. Although Bella and Edward are also together at the end of Twilight, I consider their relationship to be very unhealthy. Bella is extremely dependent on Edward and can't even live with the thought of not being with him. Then again, this is my opinion, so to anyone on Team Edward, you're entitled to your opinion too.
I just thought our discussion took an interesting turn with respect to comparing Pride and Prejudice and Twilight. Just to clear things up, I am not a Twilight hater, and I plan on seeing Breaking Dawn sometime over Thanksgiving weekend. To Mr. Mullins, I know you hate Nicholas Sparks, so I can only assume that you don't like Stephenie Meyers that much. Sorry if this blog post caused you any pain. It won't happen again. :)
So let's get straight to it. Pride and Prejudice vs. Twilight. What are some similarities and differences between these two tales?
At first glance, it seems hard to find some similarities between any aspect of these stories, whether you're discussing books or movies. However, take out the vampire aspect of the Twilight series, and I think you'll agree that there are some similarities. Mr. Darcy and Edward are both very dark, mysterious characters who are unwilling to succumb to their emotions and admit that they are in love with Elizabeth and Bella. Both Elizabeth and Bella stand out from what the reader expects. Elizabeth is very outspoken compared to women of her time and isn't as mellow as a woman was expected to be. In Twilight, the reader expects Bella to stay away from Edwards' mysteriousness but she invites him in.
It is easier to find differences between the two. Obviously, the Twilight series isn't even realistic because the Cullens are vampires. More importantly, the relationship between the two couples differs greatly. Elizabeth represents something unheard of at the time Jane Austen wrote the book: a strong, independent woman. Conversely, Bella is so dependent on Edward that, according to my Reading Extravaganza facilitator, she would "suck the life out of him" (not a very good joke, but they're not my words). The endings are also different. In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are together in a healthy relationship. Although Bella and Edward are also together at the end of Twilight, I consider their relationship to be very unhealthy. Bella is extremely dependent on Edward and can't even live with the thought of not being with him. Then again, this is my opinion, so to anyone on Team Edward, you're entitled to your opinion too.
I just thought our discussion took an interesting turn with respect to comparing Pride and Prejudice and Twilight. Just to clear things up, I am not a Twilight hater, and I plan on seeing Breaking Dawn sometime over Thanksgiving weekend. To Mr. Mullins, I know you hate Nicholas Sparks, so I can only assume that you don't like Stephenie Meyers that much. Sorry if this blog post caused you any pain. It won't happen again. :)
Indeed, there are similarities between the two stories, but I feel like all romance novels have similar plot and stock characters.
ReplyDeleteI had never really thought that the two resembled each other, but now that you mention stock characters, I understand that.
ReplyDelete