She is the lame and vulnarble human and he is quite the opposite. And the “less personality thing” I think it’s perfect because it highlights the contrast between her and Edward. But only Bella could change his misbelief. Yes I agree that Edward is the Main Character. Because only she could described Edward as the lovable desirable vampire, he couldn’t see. Who knows how such tactics might be explored and experimented with? Maybe the authors of the future will surprise us all-they usually do.I think that Bella’s character is just perfect because of what you’ve described. Tolkien chose familiarity above mystery-he might just as easily have begun his story with Legolas or Elrond instead of in a hole in the ground-and in this instance, it works.Įven if designated protagonist syndrome doesn't justify the writing in Twilight, it never pays to throw the baby out with the bath water. Instead, they stabilize the wild, more fantastic figures that inhabit Middle Earth. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings were not designed to be the most exciting characters of the series-quite the contrary. For example, the diminutive, bucolic hobbits of J.R.R. Despite the veracity of much of the criticism levied at books like Twilight, the concept of audience surrogates as way to enhance a story doesn't necessarily have to be abandoned as a whole. Inversely, others debate the value of such tactics, calling them an excuse for shoddy writing and weak characters. It’s a concept that forces readers to ask the question: is it more interesting to be part of an audience, or do we actually want to be the actors? In an interview with the Guardian, Stephenie Meyer herself even verifies that Twilight originated as a form of personal escapism. An empty shell offers a much more immersive way for the reader to engage with a story. Yet their titles are to be found on the bestseller lists during any given month.Ī character lacking a face of her own becomes a very convenient channel for escapism, or so the core argument for the use of such a vanilla protagonist goes. Clive Cussler, James Patterson, Janet Evanovich none are particularly strong where character development is concerned. Known as an audience surrogate, or designated protagonist syndrome, this trope isn’t relegated to young adult fiction. Which character is the easiest to describe (outside of the physical marker of the lightning bolt scar): Ron, Hermione, or Harry? It’s not Harry, is it? Forget Bella for a second, and reflect on some of the other bestsellers of the past several years. Incidentally, Inman hits the nail on the head, but Meyer is far from the first author to have a runaway success with a less than engaging protagonist. I read 400 pages of that book and barely had any idea of what the main character looked like as far as I was concerned she was a giant Lego brick. Her appearance isn't described in detail that way, any female can slip into it and easily fantasize about being this person. So exactly how did Twilight become so popular when most of the character development centered round Bella making her dad dinner, going to high school, and fantasizing about sparkly boys? In a somewhat mean-spirited (but admittedly hilarious) comic by The Oatmeal, Matthew Inman writes:įirst off, the author creates a main character which is an empty shell. At the height of the series’ popularity in 2010, the Twilight books made their author $40 million in sales over the course of one year alone, according to Forbes. The number one reason is that, for a period of time, it sold like Nutella-dipped bacon strips. Often labeled a feminist’s nightmare or a straight-up Mary Sue, Bella certainly didn’t win Meyer any Pulitzers.Ī bit passé now, the books did, however, manage to accomplish something rather impressive, as Robbie Blair pointed out a while back in his column, 8 Reasons Intelligent Writers Must Read Twilight. Besides an undeniable clumsiness, Bella is known for having few defining personality traits of her own. Although she's unlikely to need an introduction, Miss Swan is the protagonist of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series (bear with me just a moment I can hear the collective groan at the mere mention of the T-word). There are few characters in modern fiction regarded with as much vitriol as Bella Swan. Cathedra Image licensed under Creative Commons by Barnett Newman
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