Midnight Sun

Another post about Twilight? I know what you're thinking....enough already! I never meant to post one blog entry about the books, and am a little chargrined that this makes number two. The thing is, I don't consider myself an above-average fan of the Twilight series. I don't have a passionate crush on Edward Cullen, I do not wish I were Bella Swan (Elizabeth Bennett, most definitely; Bella Swan, no thanks), and I most certainly have never dreamed of being a vampire or being in love with a vampire or meeting a nice vampire in a darkened alley. I've read the books, and despite some of my literary critiques of writing, plot, and characters, I've enjoyed them a great deal. I have not read the books a dozen times nor do I spend a lot of time obsessing about the Meyer universe (which is fabulous, by the way). I do, however, have a lot respect for Stephenie Meyer as an author, person, and (whether she likes it or not) ambassador of "the Mormons are normal people" club. Plus, she is very generous with her fans and truly is grateful for them, even when they threw hissy fits and called her a bad fanfic writer after the release of Breaking Dawn. (For the record, I liked Breaking Dawn. I won't go into more detail, but suffice it to say, I found it to be a very satisfying conclusion.) I am not embarrassed to admit that I often visit Stephenie's website (www.stepheniemeyer.com) because she posts a lot of extra tidbits and answers common questions with astounding detail and consideration.

Meyer started working on on a fifth book in the Twilight series, this time from Edward's perspective, which she calls Midnight Sun, some time ago. She even posted the first chapter on her website and I have to admit, I was very excited by the idea of the book. Although I like Edward as much as you are supposed to like an incredibly handsome, rich and talented man, I never really understood him and didn't feel the same literary lust for him as I do for the likes of someone fictional like Mr. Darcy. But I was excited for the prospect of getting to read the finished product sometime and to see the story from a different angle. Recently, however, the first twelve chapters of the manuscripted were leaked on the internet. Meyer decided to post the draft on her website for her fans, but unfortunately, she has also suspended her work on the book. She explains it so much better than I do. You can read about it and access the link to the draft here: http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/midnightsun.html I have a few reasons for commenting on this:

• I have great respect for how Stephenie Meyer responded to this violation of her copyright and that she made a very difficult decision to consider her fans and to still post the draft for them. Though she was understandably upset to do it, I felt that it showed tremendous character and intergrity to respond in the way she did.
• She taught her fans a huge lesson about respecting the rights of artists, writers, and musicians and their copyrights, but also about dipolmacy, tact, and fairness.
• I debated whether or not I wanted to read the manuscript, since I knew SM felt that it was poorly edited and it was, more importantly, unfinished. I hate not knowing the ending to a book. (Even though in this case, we all know how it ends.) But my curiosity got the better of me so I read it. And I'm glad I did, mostly because it allowed me a chance to understand Edward better. I'd never understood the attraction between Edward and Bella, and hearing Edward's side of things, I finally got it. Not only that, but I discovered that Edward is a far more noble creature than I had ever expected. I'm not jumping on the Team Edward bandwagon just yet, but I appreciate the chance to understand the character more. Perhaps if, and when, I decide to re-read the Twilight series, I can do so with a little bit more love in my heart for Edward, a better understanding of the nature of his and Bella's relationship, and more respect for the characters Stephenie Meyer has created.

Sorry for those who don't care about Twilight, but for those who do, check out Midnight Sun if you are interested. You might have a few revelations, just like I did. I can only hope that in time, Stephenie will return to her draft and finish it. I for one, enjoyed being inside Edward's head instead of Bella's.