  Drama
This week: Terrible Bestsellers? How Strange! Edited by: NaNoKit  
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They're read by people from around the globe. The authors rake in the cash. Everyone says they are terrible, and yet everyone seems to have an informed opinion on them.
This week's Drama Newsletter is about (supposedly) terrible bestsellers.
kittiara |
| ASIN: 0910355479 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 13.99
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It is interesting – well, I find it interesting – that some of the most popular novels of the last few years have also been some of the most criticized. Take Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, for example. Everywhere I looked, people commented on the amateuristic writing style, the unrealistic characters, the messed-up, unhealthy relationships portrayed, and the tedious, overall reading experience. And yet, the Twilight novels have been translated into 37 languages and more than 100 million copies have been sold.
Which begs the question – who is reading these novels? Did a lot of people buy them just to see how bad they really are? Why not simply borrow them from a friend, or from the library? Were the readers just silly teenagers? Then why the jokes about the Twilight-moms?
I’ve got a guilty secret – I have purchased, and read, the novels. I am not a teenager, nor a mom. Actually, I lie… I received the first novel as a gift from a friend, but I did buy the rest of the series. And I wouldn’t have done that if I thought they were terrible.
When I opened Twilight on a night when I was bored and didn’t have anything else new to read, I did so with caution, but I ended up reading straight through. I didn’t feel as though I had discovered a literary genius. Apparently, it was Meyer’s first novel and she hadn’t even written a short story before. There is a lot of repetition about how wonderful the object of the heroine’s desire is, how perfect, how beautiful, how intense, and that can get tedious.
Those who argue that the relationship between Bella and Edward is twisted have a valid point. Edward is controlling, critical, he breaks into her bedroom at night to watch her sleep without her knowledge or consent – whilst wanting her blood, remember – and in the second novel he abandons her, supposedly for her own good. Yet he is made out to be this perfect man.
Let’s not even talk about the final novel, Breaking Dawn, in which Bella suddenly is this perfect creature as well, who doesn’t struggle with anything and is all-powerful. And let’s not even mention all the stereotypical character traits employed.
Wherein, then, lies the strength of this series? In my opinion, it is because Meyer has brought to life all those memories of a first love. When you fall in love for the first time, that boy, or that girl, does seem perfect. First love has a certain magic to it. You’re discovering what chemistry between two people is like, you’re fascinated, probably silly, and often, you will get hurt, because first love rarely lasts.
You can overlook the other’s flaws. You overlook undesirable traits. You want to believe that this is it, this is the one, that you are meant to be together and you have found your happily ever after.
First love is full of drama and dramatic exaggeration.
Meyer may not be in the league in which I have placed authors such as Terry Pratchett, Stephen King and Michael Connelly, but I cannot deny that she has done well and that she has written some rather clever novels.
Now, I don’t know if I want to check out the other sensation that everyone says is terrible, yet also seems to have an informed opinion on. I don’t think 50 Shades of Grey is my kind of thing…
kittiara
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Here are some of the latest additions to the Drama genre:
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The Drama Newsletter team welcomes any and all questions, suggestions, thoughts and feedback, so please don't hesitate to write in  .
As there were no comments to respond to from last time, I shall simply wish you a week filled with inspiration!
kittiara
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Drama: October 24, 2012 Issue [#5330]
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