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Twilight (Meyer novel)

From Alfawiki
Twilight
Company typeNovel
IndustryPublishing
Founded2005; 21 years ago (2005)
FounderStephenie Meyer
ProductsYoung adult vampire-romance novel

Twilight (presented as twilight) is a 2005 young adult vampire-romance novel authored by Stephenie Meyer. It marks the beginning of the Twilight series, centering on seventeen-year-old Isabella "Bella" Swan, who relocates from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington. There, she develops a romantic connection with Edward Cullen, a vampire aged 103 but perpetually appearing as a 17-year-old. The narrative continues through the sequels New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.

Critics offered varied opinions on Twilight; some lauded its mood and depiction of adolescent isolation and defiance, while others found fault with its writing style and character portrayal. Within a month of publication, it climbed to number five on the New York Times bestseller list, eventually reaching the top spot. The book was also recognized as one of Publishers Weekly's Best Children's Books of 2005.

The 2008 film adaptation achieved significant commercial success, earning over $392 million globally and generating an additional $157 million from North American DVD sales by mid-2009. Twilight was the best-selling book in 2008 and ranked second in 2009, surpassed only by its sequel New Moon. By 2008, translations of the novel were available in 37 languages.

In October 2015, Meyer introduced a gender-reversed edition titled Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined, featuring protagonists Beau and Edythe, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the series. Later, in 2020, she published Midnight Sun, which retells the original story from Edward Cullen’s viewpoint.

Plot

Seventeen-year-old Bella Swan is a quiet teenager who moves from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington, where she lives with her father, the local police chief. This change follows her mother’s decision to start anew with her husband, a minor-league baseball player. At Forks High School, Bella quickly forms friendships but feels uneasy due to several boys showing interest in her.

During her first day at school, Bella sits beside Edward Cullen in biology class. Edward initially reacts with aversion toward her and disappears for a week before returning with a friendlier attitude. When Bella narrowly avoids being struck by a van in the school parking lot, Edward halts the vehicle with his bare hands to save her. Although Bella questions him about this incident, he remains guarded.

At First Beach, Bella encounters Jacob Black from the Quileute tribe and discovers that Edward and his family are "cold ones"—vampires who survive solely on animal blood. Haunted by disturbing dreams, Bella investigates vampire lore and becomes convinced that Edward is one.

Edward rescues Bella once more during an attack in Port Angeles. He reveals his ability to read minds and confirms his vampire identity. He explains that Bella’s blood has an unusual allure and that he initially kept his distance to protect her; however, they eventually fall deeply in love.

Their bond faces danger when a wandering vampire coven arrives in Forks. James, a tracker vampire intrigued by Edward’s connection to a human, targets Bella. To safeguard her, Bella flees to Phoenix accompanied by Alice and Jasper Cullen.

James tricks Bella by falsely claiming he has taken her mother hostage. Rushing to rescue her mother, Bella falls into a trap where James attacks and bites her. The Cullens arrive just in time to kill James and save Bella. Edward stops her transformation by extracting the venom; she is then hospitalized under the guise of suffering an accident.

Back in Forks, Edward accompanies Bella to prom so she can experience normal teenage events. Bella expresses a wish to become a vampire herself, but Edward strongly opposes this idea.

Main characters

  • Isabella "Bella" Swan – A 17-year-old who relocates from Phoenix, Arizona, to Forks, Washington, to reside with her father. Bella is perceptive, intelligent, and altruistic, often placing others' well-being above her own. Throughout the story, she confronts challenging decisions and learns to accept their outcomes. She has an appreciation for classic novels such as Romeo and Juliet and Wuthering Heights.
  • Charlie Swan – Bella’s father and the chief of police in Forks. His parenting approach combines firm authority with a degree of leniency.
  • Edward Cullen – A vampire aged 103, transformed by Carlisle Cullen in 1918. Edward possesses the ability to read minds, except for Bella’s thoughts. Previously detached from romantic feelings, his encounter with Bella gives his life new meaning. He is highly protective of Bella, considering her "a magnet for trouble." His character embodies a somewhat cynical nature and draws inspiration from Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre.
  • Alice Cullen – A vampire within the Cullen family who can foresee future events; however, her visions change depending on others' choices and are limited when it comes to Bella. She views Bella as a sisterly figure.
  • Esme Cullen – Carlisle’s spouse and the nurturing presence within the Cullen family, recognized for her kindness and warmth.
  • Jasper Cullen – The youngest member of the Cullen vampires, gifted with the ability to sense and influence emotions in others, often aiding Bella in maintaining composure.
  • Mike Newton – One of Bella’s initial friends in Forks who harbors romantic feelings for her. After being turned down, he begins dating Jessica and feels envy toward Bella’s relationship with Edward.
  • Jessica Stanley – A friend of Mike and Angela who becomes acquainted with Bella but develops jealousy and passive-aggressive behavior due to Bella’s fascination with the Cullens.
  • James – A vampire tracker who pursues Bella as his most formidable target while the Cullens strive to protect her.
  • Jacob Black – A Quileute native near Forks who captivates Bella. Sharing common traits with her, he is regarded by Charlie as a suitable romantic interest for Bella.
  • Carlisle Cullen – The patriarch of the Cullen family, a compassionate physician who founded their practice of refraining from human blood consumption. Originating from the 17th century, he was the son of a pastor opposed to supernatural beings.

Development

Stephenie Meyer has stated that the concept for Twilight originated from a dream she had on June 2, 2003, involving a human girl and a vampire who loved her yet craved her blood. This vision inspired her to draft what would become Chapter 13. The book's early working title was Forks, but it was changed at the publisher's request. Initially, Meyer did not assign names to her main characters; she later selected Edward—drawing influence from literary figures Edward Rochester and Edward Ferrars—and named the female protagonist Isabella. The characters Rosalie and Jasper were originally called Carol and Ronald.

Meyer wrote the novel in chronological order, labeling chapters with letters instead of numbers; Chapter 13 was designated as E. The final chapter expanded into several epilogues, which led her to develop a backstory that grew from an intended five or six chapters into twenty-four. She completed the manuscript in roughly three months, finishing on August 29, 2003. Writing was initially a personal endeavor without intentions for publication.

Motivated by encouragement from her sister, Meyer sent fifteen inquiry letters to literary agents; nine declined, five did not respond, and one—Jodi Reamer at Writers House—accepted. Meyer had simply asked if there was interest in a 130,000-word manuscript about teenage vampires. An assistant unfamiliar with typical young adult novel lengths (usually between 40,000 and 60,000 words) forwarded it to Reamer, who then signed Meyer as a client. During editing, a chapter originally numbered 20—detailing Emmett's bear attack—and portions of the epilogue were removed.

Cover

Stephenie Meyer has explained that the apple depicted on the cover represents the forbidden fruit from the Book of Genesis, symbolizing the illicit romance between Bella and Edward. This imagery reflects Bella's awareness of morality and her consequential decisions. At the beginning of the book, Meyer includes a quote from Genesis 2:17, illustrating that the apple "poses the question of whether you will take a bite and confront the unsettling possibilities around you or decline and remain secure within the familiar world." An alternative cover later featured images of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, who play the main characters in the movie adaptation.

Awards and honors

Publication

Before publication, Meyer’s query letter faced rejection from 14 literary agents. In 2003, an auction involving eight publishers took place for Twilight, with Little, Brown and Company initially offering $300,000; after further negotiation, Meyer secured $750,000 for a trilogy. Released in 2005 with an initial print run of 75,000 copies, Twilight entered the New York Times Best Seller list at number five within its first month and eventually climbed to number one. The foreign publishing rights were sold to over 26 countries.

By October 2008, Twilight was ranked #26 on USA Today's list of "Bestselling Books of Last 15 Years". It was the top-selling book in 2008 and ranked second in 2009, surpassed only by its sequel New Moon.

To commemorate its tenth anniversary, Meyer released Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined, which retells the original story featuring Beau (a male human) and Edythe (a female vampire) as protagonists.

On August 4, 2020, Meyer published Midnight Sun, a companion novel narrating Twilight from Edward Cullen’s perspective.

Critical reception

The Times commended the novel for authentically capturing "the teenage sensation of sexual tension and alienation." Hillias J. Martin from School Library Journal praised its straightforward and captivating prose. Norah Piehl at TeenReads described Twilight as a "compelling mix of romance and horror." Publishers Weekly emphasized Bella's "passion for outsider Edward" and their perilous relationship as an allegory for adolescent sexual frustration. While acknowledging some shortcomings, Booklist lauded the emotional resonance of its dark romantic theme. Christopher Middleton from The Daily Telegraph characterized it as a "high school drama with a bloody twist" that effectively reached its intended demographic. Jennifer Hawes at The Post and Courier expressed personal enthusiasm for the series, whereas Roberta Goli of Suite101.com valued its emotional depth despite a slow beginning. Jana Reiss identified Mormon influences in Edward Cullen’s internal battle against physical desires, reflecting aspects of Meyer's background.

Kirkus provided a mixed critique, noting Edward’s exaggerated Byronic traits and Bella’s almost magical allure but acknowledged its strong attraction to fans of dark romance. The New York Times found the concept intriguing but criticized the writing as overly earnest and amateurish, recommending more rigorous editing. Despite this, the Daily Telegraph ranked Twilight 32nd among "100 books that defined the noughties," though it criticized Meyer’s prose style as inept. Elizabeth Hand from the Washington Post described the writing as adequate but found the plot sluggish.

Book challenges

In both 2009 and 2010, Twilight appeared on the American Library Association Top Ten List of Most Frequently Challenged Books due to concerns over "religious viewpoint," "violence," "sexual explicitness," and being deemed inappropriate for certain age groups. Several educational institutions removed it citing its overtly sexual content and religious objections.

Legacy

Sequels

The saga continued with sequels: New Moon (August 21, 2006), followed by Eclipse (August 7, 2007), and concluding with Breaking Dawn (August 2, 2008), which sold more than 1.3 million copies within its first day in the US market. Additional works include The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (June 5, 2010), which explores events from a new vampire's viewpoint; Life and Death (October 6, 2015), a gender-swapped retelling; and finally Midnight Sun (August 4, 2020), presenting Edward Cullen’s perspective.

Manga version

A Japanese-language manga adaptation of the Twilight series was released in thirteen segments, combining narrative text with illustrated artwork.

Film version

Main article: Twilight (2008 film)

The cinematic adaptation of Twilight, produced by Summit Entertainment, was directed by Catherine Hardwicke, starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. Melissa Rosenberg wrote the screenplay. The film premiered in United States theaters on November 21, 2008; DVD editions followed in March 2009 in the US and April 2009 in Australia. This adaptation played a crucial role in broadening franchise exposure.

Graphic novel version

On July 15, 2009, it was confirmed by Entertainment Weekly that a graphic novel version of Twilight was underway. Illustrated by Korean artist Young Kim and published by Yen Press, this adaptation received close oversight from Stephenie Meyer. According to EW, character depictions integrate Meyer's literary vision with elements inspired by actors’ appearances rather than directly copying them. Completed illustrations featuring Edward, Bella, and Jacob were showcased in the July 17, 2009 issue. The graphic novel’s first installment was released on March 16, 2010.

External links

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