Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Claudia Bucciferro, Editor

I. Contextualizing Twilight’s Appeal
1. Mythic Themes, Archetypes, and Metaphors: The Foundations of Twilight’s Cross-Cultural Appeal
Claudia Bucciferro
2. Manifest Destiny Forever: The Twilight Saga, History, and a Vampire’s American Dream
Michelle Maloney-Mangold
3. Reading Twilight: Fandom, Romance, and Gender in the Age of Bella
Barbara Chambers and Robert Peaslee
II. Twilight Audiences
4. “Twilight Moms” and the “Female Midlife Crisis”: Life Transitions, Fantasy, and Fandom
Laura K. Dorsey-Elson
5. Twilight and Twitter: An Ethnographic Study
Michelle Groover
6. Twilight Anti-fans: “Real” Fans and “Real” Vampires
Victoria Godwin
III. Characters and Their Cultural Referents
7. Renesmee as (R)omantic Child: A Glimpse into Bella and Edward’s Fairy Tale Cottage
Lisa Nevárez
8. Isabella Swan: A Twenty-First Century Victorian Heroine?
Gaïane Hanser
9. "Doesn’t He Own a Shirt?": Rivalry and Masculine Embodiment in Twilight
Nicole Willms
IV. Issues of Gender, Sex, Class, and Race in Twilight
10. Chastity, Power, and Delayed Gratification: The Lure of Sex in the Twilight Saga
Brynn Buskirk
11. Alice, Bella, and Economics: Financial Security and Class Mobility in Twilight
Paul Lucas
12. “I Know What You Are”: A Philosophical Look at Race, Identity, and Mixed-Blood in the Twilight Universe
Michelle Bernard
V. Beyond the Twilight Universe
13. Mainstream Monsters: The Otherness of Humans in Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, and True Blood
Emma Somogyi and Mark David Ryan
14. Individuality and Collectivity in The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and Twilight
Lisa Weckerle
15. From Twilight to Fifty Shades of Grey: Fan Fiction, Commercial Culture, and Grassroots Creativity
Sonia Baelo-Allué

Closing Thoughts
Claudia Bucciferro
Index
About the Editor and Contributors

About the Author

Claudia Bucciferro is assistant professor of communication at Gonzaga University. Her work focuses on international/intercultural communication and media studies. She is the author of FOR-GET: Identity, Media, and Democracy in Chile (2012).

Reviews

Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, a dark romantic fantasy saga between mortals, vampires, and werewolves, had an astounding reception when it hit the shelves in 2005. Since that time the books have gone on to be international bestsellers and the movies adaptations have been just as well received. The fact that this series has been an international success makes it worthwhile to examine what it is about the characters, the storyline, and the genre that make it appeal to such a wide audience. In this volume the editor has compiled 15 essays, written by contributors from the United States, France, Spain, Chile, and Australia, that examine the intercultural relevance of the Twilight series. The book is arranged into five parts: Contextualizing Twilight’s Appeal; Twilight Audiences; Characters and Their Cultural Referents; Issues of Gender, Sex, Class, and Race in Twilight; and Beyond the Twilight Universe. Many of the essays look at how the series fits within larger contexts including historical, philosophical, and sociological studies. Designed for scholars and students of media, this work will be a valuable addition to larger university collections.
*American Reference Books Annual*