Twilight (Meyer novel): Difference between revisions
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Twilight is the possibly the worst "saga" ever written. |
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{{Infobox book |
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There is little to no character development, and a crazy amount of adjectives in each sentence. |
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| name = Twilight |
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Twilight - Proof that shiny things attract idiots. |
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| title_orig = |
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It does, however, give hope to aspiring writers. |
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| translator = |
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After all, if this crap got published, your chances are looking great! |
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| image = [[File:Twilightbook.jpg|250px]] |
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| image_caption= Cover of ''Twilight'' |
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| author = [[Stephenie Meyer]] |
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| illustrator = |
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| cover_artist = Gail Doobinin (design)<br /> Roger Hagadone (photograph) |
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| country = United States |
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| language = English |
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| series = ''[[Twilight (series)|Twilight]]'' series |
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| subject = |
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| genre = [[Young-adult fiction|Young adult]], [[Fantasy novel|Fantasy]], [[Romance novel|Romance]] |
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| publisher = [[Little, Brown and Company|Little, Brown]] |
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| release_date = October 5, 2005 |
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| media_type = Print ([[Hardcover]], [[Paperback]]) <br/> e-Book ([[Amazon Kindle|Kindle]]) <br/> Audio Book ([[Compact Disc|CD]]) |
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| pages = 512<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.amazon.ca/Twilight-Stephenie-Meyer/dp/0316160172 |
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| work=Amazon.ca| title= Twilight (Hardcover)|accessdate=2008-07-23}}</ref> (Hardcover) <br/> 544<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.amazon.ca/Twilight-Stephenie-Meyer/dp/0316015849 |
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| work=Amazon.ca| title= Twilight (Paperback) |accessdate=2008-07-23}}</ref> (Paperback) |
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| isbn = ISBN 0-316-16017-2 |
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| preceded_by = |
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| followed_by = [[New Moon (novel)|New Moon]] |
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}} |
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'''''Twilight''''' is the debut, young-adult [[Vampire (Twilight)|vampire]]-[[romance novel]]<ref>{{cite web | author=Gregory Kirschling | title=Stephenie Meyer's 'Twilight' Zone | url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20049578,00.html | publisher=Entertainment Weekly | date=2007-08-02 | accessdate=2009-04-12 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author=Mike Russell | title='Twilight' taps teen-vampire romance | url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-ca-twilight11-2008may11,0,5524758.story | publisher=Los Angeles Times | date=2008-05-11 | accessdate=2009-04-12 }}</ref> by author [[Stephenie Meyer]]. ''Twilight'' was initially rejected by 14 agents,<ref>{{cite web |author=Rebecca Murray |title=Interview with 'Twilight' Author Stephenie Meyer |url=http://movies.about.com/od/twilight/a/stephenie-meyer_3.htm |publisher=About.com |accessdate=2009-07-23 }}</ref> but became an instant bestseller when published originally in hardback in 2005, debuting at #5 on the [[New York Times Best Seller list|''New York Times'' Best Seller list]] within a month of its release<ref name="time.com">[http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/10questions/0,30255,1833919_1752991,00.html Her Literary Career - Stephenie Meyer]</ref> and later peaking at #1.<ref name="Children's Books - New York Times">{{cite web |title=Children's Books - New York Times |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/17/books/bestseller/0617bestchildren.html?scp=10&sq=the+new+girl+falls+love+vampire&st=nyt |publisher=New York Times |date=2007-06-17 |accessdate=2009-07-23 }}</ref> That same year, ''Twilight'' was named one of ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'''s Best Children's Books of 2005.<ref name="Best Children's Books of 2005">{{cite web |authors=Jennifer M. Brown and Diane Roback |title=Best Children's Books of 2005 |url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6280581.html |publisher=Publishers Weekly |date=2005-11-03 |accessdate=2009-06-01 }}</ref> The novel was also the biggest selling book of 2008<ref>{{cite web| title=The top 100 titles of 2008 | url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2009-01-14-top-100-titles_N.htm | publisher=[[USA Today]] | date=2009-01-14 | accessdate-2009-01-15 }}</ref> and, to date, has sold 17 million copies worldwide, spent over 91 weeks on the ''New York Times'' Best Seller list,<ref>{{cite web |author=Gerri Miller |title=Inside "Twilight" |url=http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/inside-twilight.htm |publisher=HowStuffWorks |accessdate=2009-07-23 }}</ref> and been translated into 37 different languages.<ref name=Turan>{{cite web | author=Kenneth Turan | title=Movie Review: 'Twilight' | url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-twilight21-2008nov21,0,2444525.story | publisher=[[LA Times]] | date=2002-11-21 | accessdate=2008-11-21 }}</ref> |
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It is the first book of the [[Twilight (series)|''Twilight'' series]], and introduces seventeen-year-old [[Bella Swan|Isabella "Bella" Swan]], who moves from [[Phoenix, Arizona]] to [[Forks, Washington]] and finds her life in danger when she falls in love with a vampire, [[Edward Cullen]]. The novel is followed by ''[[New Moon (novel)|New Moon]]'', ''[[Eclipse (novel)|Eclipse]]'', and ''[[Breaking Dawn]]''. A [[Twilight (2008 film)|film adaptation of ''Twilight'']] was released in 2008. It was a commercial success, grossing more than $382 million worldwide<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=twilight08.htm |title=Twilight (2008) |date=2008-11-21 |publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] |accessdate=2009-07-23}}</ref> and an additional $157 million from North American [[DVD]] sales, as of July 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2008/TWLIT-DVD.php | title=Twilight - DVD Sales |publisher=The Numbers |date=2009-03-22 |accessdate=2009-07-23}}</ref> |
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==Plot summary== |
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[[Bella Swan|Isabella "Bella" Swan]] moves from sunny [[Phoenix, Arizona]] to rainy [[Forks, Washington]] to live with her father, [[List of Twilight characters#Charlie Swan|Charlie]], while her mother, [[List of Twilight characters#Renée Dwyer|Renée]], travels with her new husband, Phil Dwyer, a minor league baseball player. Bella attracts much attention at her new school and is quickly befriended by several students. Much to her dismay, several boys compete for shy Bella's attention. |
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When Bella is seated next to [[Edward Cullen]] in class on her first day of school, Edward seems utterly repulsed by her. He disappears for a few days, but warms up to Bella upon his return; their newfound relationship reaches a climax when Bella is nearly run over by a fellow classmate's van in the school parking lot. Seemingly defying the laws of physics, Edward saves her life when he instantaneously appears next to her and stops the van with his bare hands. |
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Bella becomes determined to find out how Edward saved her life, and constantly pesters him with questions. After tricking a family friend, [[Jacob Black]], into telling her the local tribal legends, Bella concludes that Edward and his family are [[vampires]] who drink animal blood rather than human. Edward confesses that he initially avoided Bella because the scent of her blood was too desirable to him. Over time, Edward and Bella fall in love. |
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Their relationship is disturbed when another [[coven#Vampire covens|vampire coven]] sweeps into Forks. [[List of Twilight characters#James|James]], a tracker vampire who is intrigued by the Cullens' relationship with a human, wants to hunt Bella for sport. The Cullens attempt to distract the tracker by splitting up Bella and Edward, and Bella is sent to hide in a hotel in Phoenix. There, Bella receives a phone call from James, who claims to be holding her mother captive. When Bella surrenders herself, James attacks her. Before she is killed, Edward, along with the other Cullens, rescues her and defeats James. Once they realize that James has bitten Bella's arm, Edward successfully sucks the venom from her bloodstream and prevents her from becoming a vampire, after which she is brought to a hospital. Upon returning to Forks, Bella and Edward attend their school prom and Bella expresses her desire to become a vampire, but Edward refuses. |
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==Cover== |
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[[Stephenie Meyer]] has stated that the apple on the cover represents the [[forbidden fruit]] from the [[Book of Genesis]]. It symbolizes Bella and Edward's love, which is forbidden, similar to the fruit of the [[Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil]], as is implied by the quote from Genesis 2:17 that is quoted at the beginning of the book. It also represents Bella's knowledge of what good and evil are, and the choice that she has in partaking of the "forbidden fruit", Edward, or choosing not to see him.<ref name="apple">{{cite web| url=http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilight_faq.html#apple | work=[http://www.stepheniemeyer.com StephenieMeyer.com]| title=What's with the apple? |accessdate=2008-02-08}}</ref> An alternate cover features [[Kristen Stewart]] and [[Robert Pattinson]], the actors who play Bella and Edward, respectively, in the film adaptation. |
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==Awards and honors== |
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*''[[New York Times]]'' Editor's Choice<ref name="MTV">{{cite web |author=Larry Carroll |title=Official ‘Twilight’ Synopsis Sadly Lacking In 'OME!' Exclamations |url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2008/05/09/official-twilight-synopsis-sadly-lacking-in-ome-exclamations/ |publisher=[[MTV]] |date=2008-05-09 |accessdate=2009-06-11 }}</ref> |
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*One of ''[[Publishers Weekly]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s "Best Children's Books of 2005"<ref name="Best Children's Books of 2005"/> |
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*''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' "Best Book of the Year"<ref name="MTV"/> |
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*One of the [[American Library Association]]'s "Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults" and "Top Ten Books for Reluctant Readers"<ref name="MTV"/> |
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*One of ''[[School Library Journal]]'''s "Best Books of 2005"<ref>{{cite web |author=Trevelyn Jones |title=Best Books 2005 |url=http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6286432.html |publisher=School Library Journal |date=2005-12-01 |accessdate=2009-08-26 }}</ref> |
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*[[Amazon.com]]'s "Best Book of the Decade...So Far"<ref name="MTV"/> |
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==Development, publication and reception== |
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===Development=== |
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Meyer says that the idea for ''Twilight'' came to her in a dream on June 2, 2003.<ref name="story">[http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilight.html StephenieMeyer.com | The Story Behind ''Twilight'']</ref> The dream was about a human girl, and a [[vampire]] who was in love with her but thirsted for her blood.<ref name="story"/> Based on this dream, Meyer wrote the transcript of what is now Chapter 13 of the book.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view&a=1972 |title=A Teenage Tale With Bite |publisher=Brigham Young University Magazine |last=Walker |first=Michael R. |date=Winter 2007 |accessdate=2008-08-01 }}</ref> In a matter of three months she had transformed her dream into a completed novel,<ref name="Grossman">{{cite web |author=Lev Grossman |title=Stephenie Meyer: A New J.K. Rowling? |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1734838,00.html |publisher=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=2008-04-24 |accessdate=2009-06-30 }}</ref> though she claims that she never intended to publish ''Twilight'' and was writing for her own enjoyment.<ref>{{cite web |title=BookStories Interview with Stephenie Meyer |url=http://chbookstore.qwestoffice.net/fa2006-08.html |work=BookStories |publisher=Changing Hands Bookstore |date=August 2006 |accessdate=2009-08-15 }}</ref> Her sister's response towards the book was enthusiastic and she persuaded Meyer to send the manuscript to literary agencies.<ref>{{cite web |author=Damian Whitworth |title=Harry who? Meet the new J.K. Rowling |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article3917660.ece |publisher=[[The Times]] |date=2008-05-13 |accessdate=2009-08-15 }}</ref> Of the 15 letters she wrote, five went unanswered, nine brought rejections, and the last was a positive response from Jodi Reamer of Writers House.<ref name="Numbers">{{cite web |title=Stephenie Meyer By the Numbers |url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6559505.html |publisher=[[Publishers Weekly]] |date=2008-12-05 |accessdate=2009-08b-15 }}</ref> |
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===Publication=== |
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Eight publishers competed for the rights to publish ''Twilight'' in the 2003 auction.<ref name="Numbers"/> [[Little, Brown and Company]] originally bid for $300,000, but Meyer's agent asked for $1 million; the publishers finally settled on $750,000 for three books.<ref>{{cite web |author=Cecelia Goodnow |title=Debut writer shines with 'Twilight' |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/books/243782_vampire08.html |publisher=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]] |date=2005-10-08 |accessdate=2009-08-16 }}</ref> ''Twilight'' was published in 2005 with a print run of 75,000 copies.<ref name="Numbers"/> It debuted at #5 on the [[New York Times Best Seller list|''New York Times'' Best Seller list]] within a month of its release,<ref name="time.com"/> and later peaked at #1.<ref name="Children's Books - New York Times"/> Foreign rights to the novel were sold to over 26 countries.<ref>{{cite web |title=Stephenie Meyer |url=http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/navigate.do?pPageID=200000424 |publisher=[[Waterstone's]] |accessdate=2009-08-16 }}</ref> |
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In October 2008, ''Twilight'' was ranked #26 in ''[[USA Today]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s list of "Bestselling Books of Last 15 Years".<ref>{{cite web |title=USA Today's best-selling books of last 15 years |url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2008-10-29-top-150-books_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip |publisher=USA Today |date=2008-10-30 |accessdate=2009-08-22}}</ref> Later, the book went on to become the biggest selling book of 2008.<ref>{{cite web |author=Mary Cadden |title=New star authors made, old ones rediscovered in 2008 |url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2009-01-14-top-sellers-side_N.htm |publisher=USA Today |date=2009-01-15 |accessdate=2009-08-22 }}</ref> |
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===Critical reception=== |
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Since ''Twilight's'' initial publication, the book has received mainly positive reviews from critics, with ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' calling Meyer one of the most "promising new authors of 2005".<ref>[http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/bio.html StephenieMeyer.com | Official Bio]</ref> ''[[The Times]]'' praised the book for capturing "perfectly the teenage feeling of sexual tension and alienation",<ref>{{cite web | author=Amanda Craig | title=New-Age vampires stake their claim | url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/children/article1081930.ece | publisher=[[The Times]] | date=2006-01-14 | accessdate=2009-04-14 }}</ref> and [[Amazon.com]] hailed the book as "[d]eeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful".<ref name="Amazon">{{cite web | title=Editorial Reviews | url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0316015849/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books | publisher=Amazon.com | accessdate=2009-04-14 }}</ref> Hillias J. Martin of ''[[School Library Journal]]'' stated, "Realistic, subtle, succinct, and easy to follow, ''Twilight'' will have readers dying to sink their teeth into it",<ref>{{cite web | author= Hillias J. Martin | title=Grades 5 and Up Reviews: October, 2005 | url=http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA446397.html?industryid=47085&q=twilight+meyer+review | publisher=[[School Library Journal]] | date=2005-10-01 | accessdate=2008-11-16 }}</ref> and Norah Piehl of ''TeenReads'' wrote, "''Twilight'' is a gripping blend of romance and horror".<ref>{{cite web | author=Norah Piehl | title=Review: Twilight | url=http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/0316160172.asp | publisher=Teenreads.com | accessdate=2009-04-14 }}</ref> ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'''s starred review described Bella's "infatuation with outsider Edward", their risky relationship, and "Edward's inner struggle" as a metaphor for sexual frustration accompanying adolescence.<ref name="stepheniemeyer.com">{{cite web|url=http://stepheniemeyer.com/twilight_reviews.html|title=Stephenie Meyer's official website — Twilight reviews|accessdate=2008-05-29}}</ref> ''[[Booklist]]'' wrote, "There are some flaws here–a plot that could have been tightened, an over reliance on [[adjective]]s and [[adverb]]s to bolster dialogue–but this dark romance seeps into the soul."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0316015849/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books| work=Amazon.com| title= ''Booklist'' Review at Amazon.com|accessdate=2008-07-23}}</ref> Christopher Middleton of ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' called the book a "high school drama with a bloody twist ... no secret, of course, at whom this book is aimed, and no doubt, either, that it has hit its mark.<ref>{{cite web |author=Christopher Middleton |title=Twilight: high school drama with a bloody twist |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookclub/5989699/Twilight-high-school-drama-with-a-bloody-twist.html |publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=2009-08-07 |accessdate=2009-08-15 }}</ref> Jennifer Hawes of ''[[The Post and Courier]]'' said, "''Twilight'', the first book in Stephenie Meyer's series, gripped me so fiercely that I called the nearest teenager I know and begged for her copy after I misplaced my own."<ref>{{cite web |author=Jennifer Hawes |title=Living a real-life romance |url=http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/jul/13/living_real_life_romance88905/ |publisher=[[The Post and Courier]] |date=2009-07-13 |accessdate=2009-08-16 }}</ref> |
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''[[Kirkus Reviews|Kirkus]]'' gave a more mixed review, noting that, "[''Twilight''] is far from perfect: Edward's portrayal as monstrous tragic hero is overly Byronic, and Bella's appeal is based on magic rather than character. Nonetheless, the portrayal of dangerous lovers hits the spot; fans of dark romance will find it hard to resist."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Twilight/Stephenie-Meyer/e/9780316160179 | work=B&N.com| title= ''Kirkus'' Review at B&N.com|accessdate=2008-07-23}}</ref> Although the [[Daily Telegraph]] later listed ''Twilight'' at number 32 on its list of "100 books that defined the noughties", it said that the novel was "Astonishing, mainly for the ineptitude of [Meyer's] prose".<ref>{{cite web| author=Brian MacArthur |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/6554803/100-books-that-defined-the-noughties.html | work=telegraph.co.uk| publisher=Telegraph Media Group |title=100 books that defined the noughties| date=2009-11-13 |accessdate=2009-11-17}}</ref> |
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==Adaptations== |
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===Film=== |
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{{Main|Twilight (2008 film)}} |
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<!-- mention blu-ray edition --> |
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''Twilight'' was adapted into a film by [[Summit Entertainment]]. The film was directed by [[Catherine Hardwicke]] and stars [[Kristen Stewart]] and [[Robert Pattinson]] as protagonists [[Bella Swan|Isabella Swan]] and [[Edward Cullen]], respectively. The screenplay was adapted by [[Melissa Rosenberg]]. The movie was released in theaters in the [[United States]] on November 21, 2008,<ref name="movie annoucement">{{cite web|url=http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/index.html|title=Stephenie Meyer's official website — Twilight news archive|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> and on [[DVD]] on March 21, 2009.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Summit Home Entertainment's Saturday Release of Twilight Unleashes With Over 3 Million Units Sold |url=http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-22-2009/0004992497&EDATE= |publisher=[[Summit Entertainment]] |date=2009-03-22 |accessdate=2009-03-22}}</ref> The DVD was released in [[Australia]] on April 22, 2009.<ref>{{cite web | author=Gillian Cumming | title=Stephanie Meyer reflects on bright Twilight as DVD looms | url=http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25346651-5003424,00.html | publisher=The Courier Mail | date=2009-04-19 | accessdate=2009-04-21 }}</ref> |
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===Graphic novel=== |
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On July 15, 2009, ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' confirmed rumors that a [[graphic novel]] adaptation of ''Twilight'' was in the works. The book will be drawn by [[Koreans|Korean]] artist Young Kim and published by [[Yen Press]]. Stephenie Meyer reviews every panel herself. According to ''EW'', "it doesn't look simply like an artist's rendering of Kristen Stewart and Rob Pattinson. In fact, the characters seem to be an amalgam of Meyer's literary imagination and the actors' actual looks." ''EW'' magazine published finished illustrations of Edward, Bella, and Jacob in their July 17, 2009 issue.<ref>{{cite web |author=Tina Jordan |title='Twilight' exclusive: Graphic novel version on the way! |url=http://shelf-life.ew.com/2009/07/15/twilight-comic-book-manga/ |publisher=Entertainment Weekly |date=2009-07-15 |accessdate=2009-07-16 }}</ref> |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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{{Portal|Twilight|Apple icon 2.png}} |
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{{wikiquote}} |
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*[http://www.stepheniemeyer.com Stephenie Meyer - Official Website] |
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*[http://www.thetwilightsaga.com/ Official Twilight Saga Website] |
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{{Twilight (series)}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Twilight (Novel)}} |
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[[Category:2005 novels]] |
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[[Category:American novels]] |
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[[Category:Fantasy novels]] |
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[[Category:Horror novels]] |
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[[Category:Romance novels]] |
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[[Category:Debut novels]] |
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[[Category:Vampires in written fiction]] |
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[[Category:Twilight series]] |
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[[Category:Novels by Stephenie Meyer]] |
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Revision as of 12:39, 21 February 2010
Twilight is the possibly the worst "saga" ever written. There is little to no character development, and a crazy amount of adjectives in each sentence. Twilight - Proof that shiny things attract idiots. It does, however, give hope to aspiring writers. After all, if this crap got published, your chances are looking great!