Description
Book SynopsisThe Twilight saga, a series of five films adapted from Stephanie Meyer's four vampire novels, has been a sensation, both at the box office and through the attention it has won from its predominantly teenaged fans. This series has also been the subject of criticism and sometimes derision - often from critics and on occasion even from fans. However, it also offers rich opportunities for analytic and critical attention, which the contributors to Screening Twilight demonstrate with energy and style. Through examining Twilight, the book unpacks how this popular group of films work as cinematic texts, what they have to say about cinema and culture today, and how fans may seek to re-read or subvert these messages. The chapters addressTwilight in the context of the vampire and myth, in terms of genre and reception, identity, gender and sexuality, and through re-viewing the series fandom. Screening Twilight is also a revelation of how a popular cinematic phenomenon like Twilight rewards close attention from contemporary critical scholars of cinema and culture.
Trade Review'Harman and Clayton have gathered together a dynamic mix of writers who tackle the series in all its complexities [ - ] This book is a must-read.' Stacey Abbott, Reader in Film and Television Studies, University of Roehampton 'Screening Twilight [ - ] examines not only the texts but also how fans and critics have responded to them and it opens up a lively discussion of the cultural significance of this new twist in the vampire tale. In short, this is a terrific book.' Milly Williams, Senior Lecturer in Film and TV Studies, Brunel University
Table of Contents1. Mute Monsters and Vocal [Fan] Critics: Genre and Reception Guilty Pleasures: Twilight, snark and ironic fandom Francesca Haig 'Cue the Shrieking Virgins'?: The Critical Reception of the Twilight Saga Mark Jankovich The Twilight Saga: Genre and Reception Nia Edwards-Behi 2. Werewolves, Lions and Lambs: Creating and Subverting the Myth Why Twilight Sucks And Edward Doesn’t: Contemporary Vampires and the Sentimental Tradition Judith Kohlenberger The Lore of the Wild Dr Caroline Ruddell Northwest Small Town Gothic: Location and Space in the Twilight Films Dr Ian Conrich 3. Romancing the Tomb: Gender and Sexuality My distaste for Forks’: Twilight, oral gratification and self-denial Ruth O’Donnell Of Masochistic Lions and Stupid Lambs: The Ambiguous Nature of Sexuality and Sexual Awakening in Twilight Marion Rana 'Venus in Fangs': Negotiating Masochism in Twilight Mark Adams 4. The Politics of Pallor: Post-colonialism and Racial Whiteness The Cullens: The Mimicry of the Post-Colonial Vampire Simon Bacon Racial Whiteness and Twilight Ewan Kirkland 5. Slash and Burn: Deviating Fandom and Re-writing the Text Twilight’s Queer Communities: Family and Fandom R. Justin Hunt, : Projected Interactivity and All Human Twilight Fanfic Brigid Cherry Normal Female Interest in Vampires and Werewolves Bonking: Slash and the Reconstruction of Meaning Bethan Jones Index
