The aesthetic quality of any literary work is a factor that cannot be overlooked when it comes to analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of a work. It helps to set aside not just what is good or important, but what makes the literary piece intrinsically good or bad. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Twilight (2005) by Stephanie Meyers, is a novel that divides the opinion of readers and critics. He seems to have fallen into the abyss of good and not good. Popularity and criticism are two words that perfectly describe the reception of the book. This essay requires an academic evaluation of the source material to see whether it maintains its aesthetic values or, in other words, meets the demands of an average reader. Twilight is a novel about a young high school girl named Bella Swan, who falls madly in love with a fellow student named Edward Cullen, and who by the way of the world is a vampire. Although the novel's general reception has been mixed, much of the reception has been geared towards it being a poor literary work. In her New York Times review of the novel, Elizabeth Spiers said, "Although the entire premise of the book is fascinating and captivating, the entire book suffers from the inexperience of an amateur writer." This interpretation of the book is something I agree with, given the entire nature of the book. The book's biggest flaw comes from something you'd expect from an amateur writer rather than an expert one, and this flaw is essential to any written work, and that's the plot. We are taught that for every story there must be a starting point, a middle, and an ending, but Twilight doesn't get these basics right, and it's safe to say that the author isn't clear on these basics of writing. This lends even more credence to Spiers' assessment of the book. The book is divided into two distinct parts, with only a few connecting points. The first plot of the book is entirely about the love story between Bella and Edward, and the second plot is the conflict between good and bad vampires. This lack of connection between the two parts takes the reader on two different journeys. Case in point, the romance between Bella and Edward takes center stage for three-quarters of the book, and we don't see James and the rest of the villains until the latter part of the book. It would have been much better to give a proper introduction to the villains at the beginning of the book, thus adding more weight to the action subplot. Meyers doesn't solve the plot problem throughout the book, and this is a significant problem as readers want more from the plot and pacing of the book. An obvious flaw in the novel and a sign of Meyer's inexperience as a writer is the constant need to tell rather than show. Twilight is filled with many instances where sentences are written to convey the characters' emotions and feelings rather than indirectly explaining the character's state of mind using dialogue and action. There are several instances in the book where Edward simply tells Bell that he is really dangerous. A better approach would have had Bella face the fact that the person she's in love with is dangerous. The need for Meyers to tell rather than show is evident in her meaningless use of complicated sentences that add nothing to the plot and are only there to pad the page number. Case in point where Meyers describes Edward's appearance as "vampires glittering in the sun." A basic problem is that this affects the intensity and complexity of the work, without adding vitality to the story. This further affects the issue.
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