Amy M. Clarke

It feels a little strange to reference both academia and Twilight in one breath, but that's what this collection is: a look at Twilight from a grown-up and thoughtful eye. The essays range from talk on where Meyer drew her inspiration, to evidence of her religion in her writings, and to her appropriation of Quileute legend (real and imagined). While none of the essays were particularly critical- in fact, most were very positive- it gives a more balanced view of the series than one is likely to find elsewhere.

I received this book for free through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.… (meer)

As a librarian, I was interested in this work as it promised to critically analyze the Twilight series from various perspectives (feminist; Indigenous; genre; religious; etc.). I was particularly interested in Jensen's critique, as it analyzed shapeshifting and werewolves in relation to Pacific NW Native peoples.

The essay was well-documented, included Pacific NW Native myths, and compared Meyer's work with those myths - from a non-Native perspective. This essay was disappointing for that reason, that it was not written from a Native perspective, which would have addressed the series academically and included the Indigenous viewpoint to specifically address appropriation issues and the attempts of non-Native authors to write about Native peoples. The omission of this element is glaring to any scholar in modern anthropology or Native American studies. Certainly there are enough Native academics who could have participated and infused a more rigorous analysis.

Most of the other essays were descriptive rather than critical. The book included table of contents, preface and introduction, annotated list of authors, index, bibliography, and annotated notes at the end of each chapter. The essays in this book might be useful for undergraduates, but not for graduate-level work.… (meer)