Twilight Mystique

Amy M. Clarke is a continuing lecturer in the University Writing Program at the University of California, Davis. She teaches courses in science fiction and fantasy, including seminars on both the Harry Potter and Twilight series, and has recently published a study of Ursula Le Guin. Marijane Osborn is professor emeritus of English at the University of California, Davis. She has written or been a major contributor to several books on Beowulf and has published three books on Middle English topics.

“academics...discuss how author Stephenie Meyer uses various traditions in new ways, refers to earlier works of literature, and promotes abstinence. How the novels relate to the Gothic and Quilete traditions and Mormonism and whether the main character is a role model for girls are also examined. Other essays address whether Meyer follows vampire lore and tradition, the impact of fan activity on the setting’s town of Forks, Washington, and fan fiction”—Reference & Research Book News; “a fascinating book...informative and elegant...thought-provoking”—Margaret W. Ferguson, editor, The Norton Anthology of Poetry.

• Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments      Introduction: Approaching TwilightAMY M. CLARKE      Luminous and Liminal: Why Edward ShinesMARIJANE OSBORN      Narrative Layering and “High-culture” RomanceYVETTE KISOR      Carlisle’s Cross: Locating the Post-Secular GothicLORI BRANCH      Eco-Gothics for the Twenty-First CenturyJAMES MC ELROY AND EMMA CATHERINE MC ELROY      Noble Werewolves or Native Shape-Shifters?KRISTIAN JENSEN      Abstinence, American-StyleANN V. BLISS      Is Twilight Mormon?SARAH SCHWARTZMAN      Bella and the Choice Made in EdenSUSAN JEFFERS      Bella and Boundaries, Crossed and RedeployedKERI WOLF      Sleeping Beauty and the Idealized Undead: Avoiding AdolescenceJANICE HAWES      Why We Like Our Vampires SexySTEPHANIE L. DOWDLE      Forks, Washington: From Farms to Forests to FansCHRISTINE M. MITCHELL      The Pleasures of Adapting: Reading, Viewing, LoggingPAMELA H. DEMORY      About the Contributors      Bibliography      Index