[Caesar Soze]

Twilight, like its spiritual forebear Titanic, has hit the sweet spot: It appeals to unsophisticated tween girls, young women wishing they were unsophisticated tween girls, and hausfraus advancing into middle age.

Who can tell why it is so popular? The standard reading is that the protagonist, Bella, is a tabula rasa onto which the reader can project herself. The vampire is typically the avatar of a rape fantasy, although in this case it's a very chaste, sparkly rape fantasy. There is a minority interpretation, however, in which Bella is a passive-aggressive emotional manipulator and Edward is her victim. That makes it kind of an empowerment/femdom fantasy. With sparkles.

I have no idea how to interpret Edward chewing their baby out of Bella's uterus, or the werewolf Jacob instantly falling in love with the infant and declaring his intention to marry her. Body horror and medieval customs of royal betrothal as actual love matches? Spoilers in this paragraph, btw.

[Ransomed]

“I have no idea how to interpret Edward chewing their baby out of Bella’s uterus, or the werewolf Jacob instantly falling in love with the infant and declaring his intention to marry her.”

Tell me you’re joking.

Freegards

[thefactor]

yeah thanks for the spoiler alert after i read it.

[netmilsmom]

I’m so glad we’re into Harry Potter instead.

[Borges]

The difference is that Titanic is sophisticated cinema. This probably isn’t.