Twilight, New Moon and Blah, Blah, Blah

Reading the third book in the Twilight Series makes me wonder if the male hero of the story is a substitute for both Jesus and the perfect husband. What more could you ask for? (How about strong relationships with Jesus and my real husband?)


So, when all the girls ages 12 to 18 at church were talking about these books Twilight and New Moon by Stephanie Meyer last summer, I decided to check it out so I could relate to them better or whatever. As I read the first book, I thought to myself a few times, "Is this actually a good book?" I couldn't decide. I liked parts, and I knew they were really popular, but I kept asking (quietly) what is wrong here? Should these books be as popular as they are?

Anyway, I read them and enjoyed them, which has got to count for something. But I didn't jump at the third book in the series when it came out in August 2007. But now my daughter is going through a new stage, and I need a book to read so that she can't come up and slam my laptop into my face yet again this week when I am trying to enjoy some free time. She is much less interested in my book, and, for the record, I can already see her making connections between my book and her books and her games that have letters, which is very cool.

So, I opened Eclipse and almost barfed. It is common for the first chapter in a series book to be trite and hard to swallow because the author has to word things funny to remind you what happen in the last book without boring the people who remember, but this was crazy bad. I think the line, "I'll pay you back if it takes 100,000 years" or something close to it was in there somewhere and I almost cried because I was actually excited to read, and I thought that line might be my limit of cheese for the day. But, hence, I persevered, and made it to the point where I am reading and smiling and laughing. But let me tell you: that Edward, sorry ladies, is not real. NOT REAL.

Just a few pages into my reading today, I totally picked a fight with my husband, and I bet if I could read into the depths of my little mind, it had something to do with how my man doesn't hold me, watch me sleep or smell my hair the way Edward does for Bella all day long (or ever).

Come on, ladies? We've got to admit. No one has a man like what... unless they read the bible. Last summer when I was reading a friend of mine pointed out that Edward, as a character is perfect (like Christ), and that many of our friends were using him as a substitute Savior figure to fill lulls in their spiritual lives ... the same why that Bella does with her personal life. Anyone who thinks the perfect actions of a romantic hero will make their troubles and pains go away is not of the right page. The whole concept of Bella and Edward is that he is the perfect lover. He has perfect love. No matter what she is or who she is, he will love her. That story is not new. It has been told... in the bible. (And since the Author is Mormon, like myself, I think it is more than far to make these comparisons.)

So it comes down to this. The writing is fine and entertaining but sometimes cheesy, and the main character is a substitute for what will really make the reader happy, which is selflessness, charity, pure love in there own lives and not in Edward and Bella's. How many people really put that book down and then think "I should be more like Edward?" I bet most people walk away from the book thinking "I deserve an Edward... so, dear, be more like Edward!" Maybe I'm just sensitive because I'm not very good at keep up on my spirituality AND my I an a band widow.

I might just stop reading the book in order to save my soul and come closer to the real God. Probably not, though, because in reality the book is pretty clean, and the alternative outlet for my relaxation is Grey's Anatomy, which could single handedly chop down the tree of life (a metaphor for eternal life.)

Your thoughts about the series? Please comment.

Social Penetration Theory

For years I have taught my students about social penetration theory, which basically says that relationships become more intimate when you share information about yourself. There is a lot more to the theory, but that is the main gist of it. As self-disclosure goes up (from both people) intimacy goes up.

In a different course today I had my media students consider how blogging affects -- proves or disproves -- social penetration theory. Remember the theory doesn't say "hanging out together makes friends feel closer." It says, "Sharing about yourself makes friends feel closer."

So, I think blogging is evidence that social penetration theory is true. Blogging might also have all kinds of positive and negative impacts or society and relationships, but at least in this case it proves the theory correct.

My UVSC students pointed out that the sharing has to be felt on both sides. I write, you read, you comment. You write, I read, I comment. It seems that this is the only appropriate way to use blogging to strengthen relationships, according to my UVSC students. But of course you can use Blogs to share information, make money, learn something, or whatever, and that would be different.

We also pointed out that blogs can be used to create pseudo relationships, which are one sided relationships in which one person feels connected to another because they know a lot about them, while the other person does not know the first person. For example, If were to run into Jon Peter Lewis at the airport, I would want to talk to him about his life and his time on American Idol Season 3. I might even get a little star struck. I would be showing that I have a pseudo relationship with him while he has no relationship with me.

In the case of Jon Peter Lewis, I might send my cute daughter to break the ice outside of Gate 54A at LAX. He, he, he.

Anyway, I guess my students decided that the blogisphere can show us multiple examples of how the underlying concepts in the social penetration theory are correct. Do some research. It's interesting.