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102-414: It has received international attention, as it was featured in the young adult novel series Twilight by Stephenie Meyer . The current campus was built in two phases with a total cost of $ 25.3 million: one in 2000 and one in 2012. 47°56′57″N 124°23′01″W  /  47.94917°N 124.38361°W  / 47.94917; -124.38361 This Washington (state) school-related article

204-505: A "literary phenomenon", and Matt Arado of Daily Herald noted that the Twilight books have become the "hottest publishing phenomenon since a certain bespectacled wizard cast his spell on the world." The large and diverse online fan community of the series are often noted, sometimes even being called "cult-like". Despite this, the series is often considered to have a wider appeal; Crystal Mack of Daily Herald said, "While teenage girls are

306-501: A 104-year-old vampire named Edward Cullen . The series is told primarily from Bella's point of view, with the epilogue of Eclipse and the second part of Breaking Dawn being told from the viewpoint of character Jacob Black , a werewolf . A novella, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner , which tells the story of a newborn vampire who appeared in Eclipse , was published on 2010. The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide ,

408-466: A big influence on her writing. The Cullens were inspired by Meyer's own family as well as characters from X-Men: The Animated Series . Other influences on the series which Meyer has acknowledged include the 1847 novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë , HGTV , and the films Iron Man (2008), Somewhere in Time (1980), Stranger than Fiction (2006), and Baby Mama (2008). Other major themes of

510-536: A blood sample and runs some tests on it. Carlisle discovers that Jacob has 24 pairs of chromosomes, one more than a human. A distinction is made in Breaking Dawn between the "old-world" Children of the Moon ("true werewolves") and the shape-shifting Quileute tribe. The former are held to be a more ferocious and territorial type, with a transformative venomous bite, who involuntarily phase as do traditional werewolves on

612-454: A completed novel. After writing and editing the novel, she signed a three-book deal with Little, Brown and Company for $ 750,000, an unusually high amount for a first time author. Meyer's literary agent, Jodi Reamer of Writers House, discovered her only because the inexperienced assistant who received Meyer's original letter did not know that young adult books are supposed to be 40,000 to 60,000 words in length, not 130,000 words. Megan Tingley,

714-401: A definitive encyclopedic reference with nearly 100 full color illustrations, was released in bookstores in 2011. In 2015, Meyer published a new novel in honor of the 10th anniversary of the book series, Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined , with the genders of the original protagonists switched. Midnight Sun , a retelling of the first book, Twilight , from Edward Cullen's point of view,

816-450: A different path." Meyer, a Mormon , acknowledges that her faith has influenced her work. In particular, she says that her characters "tend to think more about where they came from, and where they are going, than might be typical." The Twilight series analyzes the Christian moral dilemma of mortal temptation. As a vampire, Edward experiences strong carnal temptations that would result in

918-442: A disgusted and annoyed look and walks off. The night before the battle, Edward and Jacob are alone with Bella on the top of a mountain. They are there, in a secluded spot, to protect her from Victoria and her blood-hungry army. It is night, and a blizzard beats at their tent. Bella is freezing to death, huddled in a blanket hold and shivering violently. Edward watches on with despair, as he can do nothing to help because his vampire skin

1020-408: A human's body should be, reaching about 108.9 °F (42.7 °C), which allows him to withstand very cold weather. In human form, his body heals within seconds, he possesses superhuman strength and speed, has a high durability rate, sharp senses and free running abilities. In wolf form he can communicate with his wolf pack telepathically , has enhanced superhuman strength and speed and

1122-452: A lot more persuasive as an argument that an 'amazing heart' counts for more than appearances if it didn't harp so incessantly on Edward's superficial splendors." Elizabeth Hand of The Washington Post wrote, "Meyer's prose seldom rises above the serviceable, and the plotting is leaden." The article, featured on the Yahoo! website Shine, also criticized the books and the author's final word on

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1224-425: A lot of light in my stories." Stephenie Meyer says that the idea for Twilight came to her in a dream on June 2, 2003. The dream was about a human girl, and a vampire who was in love with her but thirsted for her blood. Based on this dream, Meyer wrote the transcript of what is now chapter 13 of the book. Despite having very little writing experience, in a matter of three months she had transformed that dream into

1326-447: A minor league baseball player. After moving to Forks, Bella finds herself involuntarily drawn to a mysterious, handsome boy, Edward Cullen and eventually learns that he is a member of a vampire family which drinks animal blood rather than human blood. Edward and Bella fall in love, while James, a sadistic vampire from another coven, is drawn to hunt down Bella. Edward and the other Cullens defend Bella. She escapes to Phoenix, where she

1428-408: A more conclusive ending, seemingly precluding its continuation through the remaining three Twilight novels. Midnight Sun is a 2020 companion novel to the 2005 book Twilight by author Stephenie Meyer . The work retells the events of Twilight from the perspective of Edward Cullen instead of that of the series' usual narrating character Bella Swan . Meyer stated that Twilight was to be

1530-457: A newborn is and what the difference is between them and the newborn. He tells them that the newborns are a fresh breed of vampires that were humans forcibly turned with a combination of both human and vampire strength with most of their human element relying on intelligence. Carlisle tells them that they should never let a single one get their arms around them as they are strong enough to crush their bodies. He also says that they should never go for

1632-438: A phenomenon that's not gonna happen again", however noting that "you can compare my fans to her fans more easily [than me to her]. I do think that we both have people who are just really really enthusiastic, and will come miles to see you and be involved, and everybody really cares about our characters." Economically, the town of Forks, Washington , the setting for the Twilight series, has improved due to tourism from fans of

1734-440: A regular basis. On one of these visits, Jacob tells Bella that he is in love with her and that he wants her to choose him over Edward. Bella is caught off guard by his confession and tells him she only thinks of him as a friend. He forcibly kisses her, and she reacts by punching him in the face. This breaks her hand, though it does not affect Jacob because he is a werewolf and doesn't get hurt easily. This act later enrages Edward, and

1836-544: A rescue for Bella and a foil to Edward on multiple occasions in the narrative. When Bella, who has taken increasingly dangerous risks to feel closer to Edward, impulsively jumps off a cliff and almost drowns, Jacob rescues her. After Edward mistakenly believes she has died and plans to kill himself, Bella and Alice Cullen , rush to Italy to prevent his suicide, leaving Jacob heartbroken. Jacob is disgusted by Edward's return and by Bella's willingness to take Edward back after he left her. Jacob reminds Edward of his tribe's treaty with

1938-780: A substantial size increase. While in wolf form, his teeth can cut through the "granite-hard" body of a vampire with ease. Members of the Quileute wolf-pack do age if they do not phase for a long time ; Jacob's body has physically grown to the equivalent of a 25-year-old in Breaking Dawn but stops aging after that. Jacob is the largest and strongest of the pack. Once they begin phasing, a Quileute shape-shifter may "imprint"—a method of finding one's soulmate—on someone, and will act as whatever that person wants or needs, whether it be an older brother, friend, protector, or lover. Jacob imprints on Edward and Bella's newborn daughter Renesmee in Breaking Dawn . While treating Jacob in Eclipse , Carlisle takes

2040-557: A tremendous crush on her and her being his best and closest friend, decides to accept her wish, but he is feeling hurt by her decision which causes him to run away. In Eclipse , Jacob, enraged that Bella plans to become a vampire, attempts to distance himself by not returning her phone calls and refusing to see her. Later, during the scene when Jacob visits Bella and Edward to discuss the vampire Victoria's return, he tells Bella that he misses her and wishes that they could remain friends. With Edward's approval, Bella begins to visit Jacob on

2142-469: A vampire alongside her husband and daughter. Meyer also steers her work from subjects such as sex, despite the romantic nature of the novels. Meyer says that she does not consciously intend her novels to be Mormon-influenced, or to promote the virtues of sexual abstinence and spiritual purity, but admits that her writing is shaped by her values, saying, "I don't think my books are going to be really graphic or dark, because of who I am. There's always going to be

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2244-535: A vampire seeking to avenge the death of her mate James. Due to a misunderstanding, Edward believes Bella is dead. Edward decides to commit suicide in Volterra , Italy , but is stopped by Bella, who is accompanied by Edward's sister, Alice. They meet with the Volturi , a powerful vampire coven, and are released only on the condition that Bella be turned into a vampire in the near future. Bella and Edward are reunited, and she and

2346-527: A vampire. He runs away in his wolf form to escape his pain. Jacob returns after an absence of several weeks to attend Bella and Edward's wedding in Breaking Dawn . Though described as being still visibly pained by her decision, he tells Bella that he wants her to be happy. Bella tells him that she and Edward plan to have a normal honeymoon before she becomes a vampire. Jacob becomes enraged, because he knows that Edward's vampire strength could kill her. Sam and

2448-519: A wolf finds his soulmate - on her. Afterward, Jacob is completely over Bella, and they remain close friends. The relationship between Jacob and the Cullens is also dispelled, and he and Edward come to view each other as friends after Jacob emotionally bonds with Renesmee. Wolf form: Jacob's wolf form is that of a large russet brown wolf. He has equivalent abilities to his brothers. He is shown to be very intelligent in both reasoning and coordinating others. He

2550-425: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Twilight (novel series) Twilight is a series of four fantasy romance novels , two companion novels, and one novella written by American author Stephenie Meyer . Released annually from 2005 through 2008, the four novels chart the later teen years of Bella Swan , a girl who moves to Forks, Washington , from Phoenix, Arizona and falls in love with

2652-455: Is able to hit him before he has a chance to attack. A scene shows him tackling Paul causing him to crash into a boat rack. He and Paul later arrive at Emily Young's house and Paul apologizes to Bella. Soon, he becomes busy patrolling the forest with his pack, searching for vampires in the area. When Bella is caught by the vampire Laurent alone in a clearing, she is saved by Jacob and the wolf pack, who chase and kill Laurent. Sam first emerges from

2754-507: Is cut short when Bella discovers that she is pregnant. Her pregnancy progresses rapidly, severely weakening her. She nearly dies giving birth to her and Edward's daughter, Renesmee , a dhampir . Edward injects Bella with his venom to save her life and makes her a vampire. A vampire from another coven sees Renesmee and mistakes her for an "immortal child". She informs the Volturi , as the existence of such beings violates vampire law. The Cullens gather vampire witnesses who can verify that Renesmee

2856-542: Is described as an attractive Native American of the Quileute tribe in La Push , near Forks, Washington . In the second book of the series, New Moon , he discovers that he is a therianthrope who can shapeshift into a wolf. For the majority of the series, Jacob competes with Edward Cullen for Bella Swan 's love. In The Twilight Saga film series , Jacob is played by Taylor Lautner . According to Stephenie Meyer , Jacob

2958-686: Is featured in Breaking Dawn when Jacob tries to escape his love for Bella, and when Bella tries to locate a man named J. Jenks. It is also the location of a series of murders committed by newborn vampires in Eclipse . In Breaking Dawn , Bella and Edward spend their honeymoon on a fictional "Isle Esme", purportedly off the coast of Brazil. The Twilight series falls under the genre of young adult , fantasy , and romance , though Meyer categorized her first book, Twilight , as "suspense romance horror comedy". However, she states that she considers her books as "romance more than anything else". The series explores

3060-417: Is full of guilt and shame, and insists that she "had him" [the vampire]. Sam tells her to be quiet. Sam suggested that they bring Jacob back to Billy's house so he start helping Jacob. Then, they haul Jacob off the ground and carry him off. At Jacob's house, Bella overhears Jacob screaming in pain as Carlisle re-aligns him. One of the pack tells Bella that Carlisle is doing this to speed up Jacobs healing. He

3162-553: Is ice-cold. Jacob, being a werewolf, is never cold and has very a warm body. Because of his enhanced senses he can hear Bella's teeth chattering as he claims that he "can't sleep with all that teeth chattering going on." He moves forward to lay down with Bella, knowing his body heat would keep her warm. Edward shoves him away, outraged, and says he will not go near her. Jacob demands that Edward lets him go. Bella, hardly conscious, pleads for them not to fight. Jacob insists that Bella needs his warmth, and reluctantly Edward lets him crawl into

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3264-429: Is in bed with a high fever. Bella is worried and apologizes to him, wishing he'll get better soon. She also admits that it was a mistake to kiss him, and tries to tell him that even if she does love him, he has to accept that it is Edward who truly lies in her heart. Then she leaves, and Jacob is angered and deeply hurt. The epilogue is written from Jacob's point of view; angry and heartbroken at Bella's decision to become

3366-422: Is in response to Paul, one of the wolf pack members who becomes enraged when he was slapped by Bella, causing him to phase and attempt to attack her. Jacob rushes outside to defend Bella, and he jumps high over her and phases in midair. Jacob rushes at Paul first and bites and pushes him. Jacob is shown in this scene to be very talented even when this was his first transformation at attacking and countering Paul as he

3468-460: Is never okay to hit a woman...Today, the hidden message in the entertainment consumed by many impressionable teens is that if he hits you, it is out of love – which is absolutely wrong. Many entertainment and media outlets have made similar comments on the abusive nature of Bella and Edward's relationship, including Entertainment Weekly , Movieline , and Mediabistro.com . Meyer has dismissed such criticisms, arguing both that

3570-598: Is not an immortal child. After an intense confrontation, the Cullens and their witnesses convince the Volturi that the child poses no danger to vampires or their secret, and they are left in peace by the Volturi. On October 6, 2015, Little, Brown and Company released the Twilight Tenth Anniversary/Life and Death Dual Edition , which includes a nearly-400 page reimagining of the novel with Edward and Bella gender-swapped as Edythe and Beau. The reimagined novel has

3672-655: Is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer, and Stephenie Meyer can't write worth a darn. She's not very good." However, King understood the appeal of the series, adding, "People are attracted by the stories, by the pace and in the case of Stephenie Meyer, it's very clear that she's writing to a whole generation of girls and opening up kind of a safe joining of love and sex in those books. It's exciting and it's thrilling and it's not particularly threatening because it's not overtly sexual." A quote from Robin Browne (though frequently misattributed to King or Andrew Futral) negatively compares

3774-400: Is the better match for Bella. Both sides of the debate have coalesced around informal "teams" of followers, whether "Team Jacob" or " Team Edward ". In a poll done by Novel Novice Twilight and appearing on NNT News in 2008, Team Jacob got 2,641 votes and Team Edward got 5,130 votes. A poll done by Top 7 with over 43,000 votes had Jacob trailing Edward by around 3,000 votes. Lautner portrayed

3876-419: Is the largest and strongest wolf in the pack. Human form: In the first film, Jacob has a very skinny physique that undergoes major physical changes by the second film. Being a werewolf, Jacob develops a massive physique. He is able to lift heavy objects that no human is capable of picking up, such as a dirt bike he easily picked up from his father's truck. After becoming a wolf, he cuts off his long hair and gets

3978-427: Is tricked into confronting James, who tries to kill her. She is seriously wounded, but Edward rescues her and they return to Forks. Edward and his family leave Forks because he believes he is endangering Bella's life. Bella goes into a depression until she develops a strong friendship with Jacob Black , who she discovers can shape-shift into a wolf. Jacob and the other wolves in his tribe must protect her from Victoria,

4080-421: Is writhing on the ground naked and in extreme agony. Carlisle, the doctor vampire, announces that the bones in the right half of his body are crushed. The other wolves, now back in their human form too, stare in horror as Carlisle continues to inspect him. He tells the others that Jacob is healing from but at an extremely low rate and says that he needs to re-align Jacob's bones in order to speed up his healing. Leah

4182-449: The BBC News listed The Twilight Series on its list of the 100 most influential novels . The series has garnered some notoriety both over its literary substance and over the type of relationship portrayed in the books. Many have derided the series as poor writing. While comparing Stephenie Meyer to J. K. Rowling , Stephen King said, "the real difference [between Rowling and Meyer]

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4284-594: The National Domestic Violence Hotline for being in an abusive relationship. L. Lee Butler of Young Adult Library Services Association commented how he was unusually hesitant to stock the Twilight books in his library because he felt the books were "robbing [teen girls] of agency and normalizing stalking and abusive behavior." Many female-oriented and feminist media outlets, like Jezebel , The Frisky, and Salon.com have decried Twilight as promoting an anti-woman message. Bitch magazine stated

4386-435: The Twilight and Harry Potter book series: " Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity ... Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend". Laura Miller of Salon.com wrote that "the characters, such as they are, are stripped down to a minimum, lacking the texture and idiosyncrasies of actual people", and said that " Twilight would be

4488-617: The Twilight series has been a visible presence in many conventions such as ComicCon , there have also been many conventions whose main focus has been on the Twilight series (books and films). Some notable conventions have been TwiCon in 2009 and a series of "Official Twilight Conventions" that are being held by Creation Entertainment . Forever Twilight in Forks Festival is held in Forks, Washington , every year around September 13, Bella Swan's birthday. Originally called Stephenie Meyer's Day,

4590-428: The Twilight series on March 16, called Forks: Bitten by Twilight . The third installment in the series, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse , was released on June 30, 2010. The fourth installment, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 was released November 18, 2011. The fifth and last installment, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 was released November 16, 2012. While

4692-491: The Twilight series, Breaking Dawn , was released with an initial print run of 3.7 million copies. Over 1.3 million copies were sold on the first day alone, setting a record in first-day sales performance for the Hachette Book Group USA . Upon the completion of the fourth entry in the series, Meyer indicated that Breaking Dawn would be the final novel to be told from Bella Swan 's perspective. In 2008 and 2009,

4794-532: The "obvious" kill as they can get outnumbered easily and lose most of the pack. As the Cullen's demonstrate their tactics to the wolves on how they deal with newborns, Jacob also in his wolf form comes up to Bella. He nudges close to her as he still has a crush on her. She tells Jacob that if they join this attack many of them could get hurt or even killed. In response Jacob places his head in front of her and she pets him. Suddenly Edwards sees this and Jacob looks at him with

4896-431: The Cullen family join forces to defeat Victoria and the army of newborn vampires she has created. The wolf pack have agreed to meet at their house. They are in their wolf form as they don't trust the Cullen's enough to be in their human form as they possibly believe this to be a plot to destroy the pack. Carlisle greets them and tells how they should accurately and successfully attack a newborn. Sam telepathically asks what

4998-626: The Cullen family, which states that the Cullens are not allowed to bite humans. Bella interrupts and points out to Jacob that she wants to become a vampire, and it's her own decision. This angers Jacob, and he attempts to start a fight with Edward. Edward decides to leave with Bella, but Jacob grabs him and says: "You don't speak for her." causing Edward to uppercut punch him into the air, causing him to transform. Edward and Jacob are stopped immediately by Bella as she says: "You can't harm each other without harming me." Jacob, now feeling full of guilt and knowing that he would not harm her due to his still having

5100-470: The Cullens in order to kill Bella and her unborn child because of the threat he believes the child presents. Jacob, who feels that the Cullens are innocent, fights back against Sam and leaves the pack. Fulfilling his birthright as Alpha wolf, he is joined in a new pack by Seth and Leah Clearwater , who aid Jacob in protecting the Cullens. After the birth of Renesmee Carlie Cullen , Edward and Bella's daughter, Jacob "imprints" - an involuntary response in which

5202-509: The Cullens return to Forks. Victoria has created an army of "newborn" vampires to battle the Cullen family and murder Bella for revenge. Meanwhile, Bella is compelled to choose between her relationship with Edward and her friendship with Jacob. Edward's vampire family and Jacob's werewolf pack join forces to successfully destroy Victoria and her vampire army. In the end, Bella chooses Edward's love over Jacob's friendship and agrees to marry Edward. Bella and Edward are married, but their honeymoon

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5304-462: The Little, Brown editor who signed Meyer, said that halfway through the reading of the Twilight manuscript, she realized that she had a future bestseller in her hands. The book was released in 2005. Following the success of Twilight , Meyer expanded the story into a series with three more books: New Moon (2006), Eclipse (2007), and Breaking Dawn (2008). In its first week after publication,

5406-518: The Mormon emphasis on family. Various psychology experts have come out in agreement with the assessment of the relationship as abusive. Melissa Henson, Director of communication and public education for the Parents Television Council , stated: To impressionable teens, domestic violence is almost romanticized. We've made great strides in recent years in clearly communicating the message that

5508-457: The Quileute tattoo on his upper right arm. Bella describes Jacob as a "happy person" who extends his happiness to the people around him. As Jacob's character emerges in New Moon , he is shown to be cheery, passionate, and adventurous, but hot-headed. Jacob is also able to shape-shift at will into a giant wolf, and sometimes when angered he will involuntarily phase. His body temperature is warmer than

5610-436: The battle and Bella feels relieved to know that he no longer wants to be killed while fighting. After he is gone, she comes to the realization that she does love Jacob. In the battle, Jacob fights ferociously and savagely. He is in his wolf form as is the rest of the pack. He kills many vampires and together, with the Cullens, they defeat Victoria's newborn army. The battle is over, but one newborn vampire who had remained hidden

5712-437: The blankets with her. She cuddles into his warmth, still hardly conscious. Bella stops shaking and chattering. She falls asleep in his arms. While she is sleeping, Edward and Jacob begin to talk quietly. As the night wears on, their private conversation softens and the two become closer. Right before the battle the next morning, Jacob overhears Edward and Bella discussing their engagement. He did not know about this, because Bella

5814-410: The book was made available free from her web site, as well as in bookstores. In October 2010, Little, Brown and Company announced that The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide , a definitive encyclopedic reference for the saga including character profiles, outtakes, a conversation with Meyer, genealogical charts, maps and extensive cross-references with nearly 100 full color illustrations,

5916-438: The books center around Bella's choice, which she perceives as the foundation of modern feminism , and that Bella's damsel in distress persona is due only to her humanity. Meyer also added, "Just because [Bella] doesn't do kung fu and she cooks for her father doesn't make her worthy of that criticism". Shannon Simcox of The Daily Collegian has similarly dismissed the criticism surrounding Bella, commenting, "While Bella plays

6018-511: The books. Forks is visited by an average of 8,000 tourists per month, and has been described as a "mecca for Twilighters". In response to plans for the aging Forks High School to be renovated, Twilight fans have teamed up with Infinite Jewelry Co. and the West Olympic Peninsula Betterment Association to collect donations in an attempt to save the brick appearance or the building altogether. On November 5, 2019,

6120-482: The canon vampires. She did not consider the way her vampires differed from established literature until Twilight was close to being published. By that time, it was too late to make drastic changes and Meyer kept her vampires sans "fang and coffins and so forth" not as an act of separation from vampire canon, but as staying true to the way the characters appeared in her mind. According to the author, her books are "about life, not death" and "love, not lust". Each book in

6222-419: The case Smith v. Summit Entertainment LLC . Smith's song "Eternal Knight" was posted on several websites accompanied by cover art which Summit claimed used its "Twilight" typeface mark. Smith won four of the seven causes of action, including his right to continue distribution of his copyrighted song, under the terms that he remove any reference to "Twilight" or the "Twilight Saga". The Twilight series made

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6324-400: The corruption of his sense of self. Overcoming these temptations illustrates a common Christian principles of "overcoming the natural man". Mormon tenets of immortality and eternal life are also explored in the series. The vampires have perfected, immortal bodies, but the Cullens long for satisfying relationships. Bella achieves both immortality and the Mormon concept of eternal life by becoming

6426-432: The epilogue of the third book and a part of the fourth book being from Jacob's point of view . When asked about the structure of the novel, Meyer described her difficulty in pinpointing the premise of the novels to any specific category. The novels involve vampires, but they are not the typical tragic or bloodthirsty kind. The main characters are high schoolers, but according to some, that description also unfairly stereotypes

6528-551: The festival was created by the Forks City Council, and has led to an increase in tourism to the town. The festival attracts fans to visit famous sites from the movies, including Forks High School, Bella's house, the Cullens' house, Newton hardware store, and La Push Beach. Fans often dress up as their favorite book characters. Jacob Black Jacob Black is a character in the Twilight book series by Stephenie Meyer . He

6630-564: The first sequel, New Moon , debuted at #5 on the New York Times Best Seller List for Children's Chapter Books, and in its second week rose to the #1 position, where it remained for the next eleven weeks. In total, it spent over 50 weeks on the list. After the release of Eclipse , the first three "Twilight" books spent a combined 143 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List. The fourth installment of

6732-424: The first three novels were released in 2008, 2009, and 2010, respectively. The fourth novel was adapted into two films, the first film being released in 2011 and the second film in 2012. An animated television series based on Midnight Sun is also in development at Netflix . Bella Swan moves from Phoenix, Arizona to live with her father in Forks, Washington to allow her mother to travel with her new husband,

6834-599: The four books of the series claimed the top four spots on USA Today 's year-end bestseller list, making Meyer the first author to ever achieve this feat. The series then won the 2009 Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Book, where it competed against the Harry Potter series . The response to Twilight has been mixed. While the books have become immensely popular, they have also generated much controversy. Twilight has gathered acclaim for its popularity with its target readers. The Times lauded it for capturing "perfectly

6936-488: The full moon. The latter are implied to possess the supernatural ability to shapeshift into other giant animals or "spirits of nature". Taylor Lautner played the part of Jacob Black in the film adaptation of Twilight . Due to major physical changes in the character of Jacob between Twilight and New Moon , director Chris Weitz considered replacing Lautner in the sequel with an actor who could more accurately portray "the new, larger Jacob Black." In an attempt to keep

7038-474: The gothic genre, and Meyer's main inspiration for Twilight came from a dream. Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein , a classic in gothic literature, was also inspired by a dream. Twilight moves away from the classical gothic however, through Bella's sympathy toward Edward. Rather than feeling disgust for the vampire, the dangerous intrigue she takes in him moves the plot forward. The books are written in first-person narrative , primarily through Bella's eyes with

7140-496: The idea that Bella is powerless, an object, a fact that is highlighted when we get to the sex scenes in Breaking Dawn ." Ms. declared that Twilight promotes a physically abusive relationship and an anti-abortion message. However, writer Angela Aleiss of Religion News Service said that contrary to popular opinion, Mormons do permit abortion when the mother's life is in danger. Bella's refusal to abort her fetus, along with her quick marriage and pregnancy, instead underscore

7242-467: The leading roles of Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen , respectively. The movie was released in the United States on November 21, 2008. Twilight: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion , written by Mark Cotta Vaz , was released October 28. On November 22, 2008, following the box office success of Twilight , Summit Entertainment confirmed a sequel, called The Twilight Saga: New Moon , based on

7344-548: The main audience, young boys and adults of both genders have also been swept up in the phenomenon." The author and the series' popularity are often compared with J. K. Rowling and Harry Potter . Describing the fan following of the books, the Phoenix New Times wrote, "Meyer's fandom is reminiscent of Harry Potter mania." The Daily Telegraph described Twilight as the "spiritual successor to Harry Potter ". Rebekah Bradford of The Post and Courier stated that

7446-407: The novels "had created a new, popular genre of "abstinence porn", concluding that, "In reality, the abstinence message—wrapped in the genre of abstinence porn—objectifies Bella in the same ways that 'real' porn might. The Twilight books conflate Bella losing her virginity with the loss of other things, including her sense of self and her very life. Such a high-stakes treatment of abstinence reinforces

7548-590: The number five spot on the American Library Association 's (ALA) Top Ten List of the Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2009, for being "Sexually Explicit", "Unsuited to Age Group", and having a "Religious Viewpoint". A screenplay for Twilight was written by Melissa Rosenberg and has been adapted into a film by Summit Entertainment . The film was directed by Catherine Hardwicke , with Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in

7650-428: The only book from the series that she planned to rewrite from Edward's perspective. To give them a better feel of Edward's character, Meyer allowed Catherine Hardwicke , the director of the film adaptation of Twilight , and Robert Pattinson , the actor playing Edward, to read some completed chapters of the novel while they shot the film. It was released on August 4, 2020. In August 2020, Meyer revealed that she

7752-456: The perfect damsel in distress that gets herself into sticky situations, she is also very in control of herself. She chose to move to Forks and be in a new place; she constantly faces a bunch of people who want to suck the life right out of her, and she is constantly pleading to become a vampire, too, so she can take care of herself and Edward." In December 2010, professional singer Matthew Smith, known as Matt Heart, sued Summit Entertainment in

7854-507: The quality Twilight and Harry Potter (and The Lord of the Rings ) share, but you know it when you see it: their worlds have a freestanding internal integrity that makes you feel as if you should be able to buy real estate there. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer called the book a "hot new teen novel", Entertainment Weekly called Meyer "the world's most popular vampire novelist since Anne Rice", The New York Times described Twilight as

7956-414: The rest of the pack stop him before he phases into wolf form and gets into a fight with Edward. When Bella and Edward return from their honeymoon, Jacob becomes the narrator of the story for several chapters, during which he learns that she is pregnant with Edward's half-human, half-vampire baby and is extremely ill. When Jacob informs the pack of Bella's pregnancy, their leader Sam Uley plans an attack on

8058-561: The role, Lautner stated, "I have been working out. I've been working out since the day we finished filming Twilight . I just weighed myself today; I've put on 19 pounds ... [and] I'm guaranteeing Weitz 11 more [pounds] by filming." Lautner continued to play the role of Jacob in New Moon and all the subsequent films. He also performed his own stunts. Many fans of the Twilight franchise, particularly teenagers, have debated whether Edward or Jacob

8160-473: The second book in the series, New Moon . The film was released on November 20, 2009. The Twilight Saga: New Moon was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 20, 2010, through midnight release parties. That same day, Summit Entertainment released Twilight in Forks , a documentary about the primary setting of the Twilight series, Forks, Washington . Topics Entertainment released its own documentary about Forks and

8262-602: The series had sold over 160 million copies worldwide with translations into 49 different languages. The four Twilight books have consecutively set records as the biggest-selling novels of 2008 on the USA Today Best-Selling Books list and have spent over 235 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list for Children's Series Books. The novels have been adapted into The Twilight Saga film series by Summit Entertainment . The film adaptations of

8364-661: The series has a "huge crossover appeal much like the Harry Potter books before them." According to the Daily Telegraph , "Stephenie Meyer, in particular, has achieved incredible success across all the English-speaking nations and Europe and many will say that her Twilight series has filled the hole left by Harry Potter ." Meyer has responded to such comparisons, saying, "It's terribly flattering to be compared to her, but there's never going to be another J. K. Rowling; that's

8466-416: The series include choice and free will. Meyer says that the books are centered around Bella's choice to choose her life on her own, and the Cullens' choices to abstain from killing rather than follow their temptations: "I really think that's the underlying metaphor of my vampires. It doesn't matter where you're stuck in life or what you think you have to do; you can always choose something else. There's always

8568-543: The series or are mentioned, such as Port Angeles , Olympia , Seattle and La Push . Some events in Twilight take place in Phoenix, Arizona , where Bella was raised. Volterra , Italy , is featured in New Moon , when Edward travels there to commit suicide and Bella rushes to save him. Jacksonville, Florida , is mentioned first in Twilight and second in Eclipse , when Edward and Bella visit Bella's mother, who has moved there with her new husband. Seattle, Washington ,

8670-457: The series was inspired by and loosely based on a different literary classic: Twilight on Jane Austen 's 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice , New Moon on William Shakespeare 's play Romeo and Juliet , Eclipse on Emily Brontë 's 1847 novel Wuthering Heights , and Breaking Dawn on a second Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night's Dream . Meyer also states that Orson Scott Card and L. M. Montgomery 's Anne of Green Gables series are

8772-662: The series was, "Good books deal with themes of longing and loneliness, sexual passion and human frailty, alienation and fear just as the Twilight books do. But they do so by engaging us with complexities of feeling and subtleties of character, expressed in language that rises above banal mediocrity. Their reward is something more than just an escape into banal mediocrity. We deserve something better to get hooked on." The books have also been widely critiqued as promoting, normalizing, and idealizing an emotionally and physically abusive relationship. Sci-fi website io9 noted that Bella and Edward's relationship meets all fifteen criteria set by

8874-428: The series. The books are based on the vampire myth, but Twilight vampires differ in a number of particulars from the general vampire lore. For instance, Twilight vampires have strong piercing teeth rather than fangs; they glitter in sunlight rather than burn; and they can drink animal as well as human blood. Meyer comments that her vampire mythology differs from that of other authors because she wasn't informed about

8976-485: The son of Billy Black , an old Swan family friend. When Bella uses him to get information on Edward Cullen and his family, Jacob tells her superstitious Quileute legends and introduces her to the idea that Edward is a vampire . Bella comes to like Jacob, and he develops a secret crush on her. In New Moon , Jacob's character is used as a device to help Bella emerge from her months-long depression, brought on by her distress over Edward's departure. The friendship between

9078-507: The teenage feeling of sexual tension and alienation." Other reviews described Twilight as an "exquisite fantasy", and a "gripping blend of romance and horror". Lev Grossman of Time wrote that the books have a "pillowy quality distinctly reminiscent of Internet fan fiction ", but still praised the series, comparing it to The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter : People do not want to just read Meyer's books; they want to climb inside them and live there... There's no literary term for

9180-454: The two characters grows strong, but Jacob also develops romantic feelings for Bella that she does not reciprocate. It is revealed that, as a member of the Quileute tribe, Jacob is descended from an ancient line of " shapeshifters " that assume wolf form. In their backstory, the Quileutes and vampires are mortal enemies. When Jacob undergoes his first transformation into a wolf in front of Bella, it

9282-494: The two get into a heated argument in front of Bella's house. They come extremely close to a physical fight, until Bella pushes Edward away and pleads for them to stop. Edward, still fuming with rage, tells Jacob that if Bella gives him the word, he will harm him. Bella's father comes outside at that moment, and demands to know what's going on. Jacob admits that he kissed Bella, and she broke her hand punching him. Jacob apologizes and leaves. Later on, Jacob's shapeshifter wolf pack and

9384-408: The unorthodox romance between human Bella and vampire Edward, as well as the love triangle between Bella, Edward, and Jacob, a werewolf. The books avoid delving into provocative sex, drugs, and harsh swearing because, according to Meyer, "I don't think teens need to read about gratuitous sex." To some, Meyer's novels fall into the category of gothic literature as well. Meyer's use of monsters and

9486-494: The unsettling circumstances of Edward and Bella's relationship are key components to the gothic. Gothic literature allows readers to analyze abstract concepts through dark or disturbing analogies. The disturbing nature of the gothic is a result of "repressed familiarity," according to neurologist Sigmund Freud , and we are meant to see ourselves in Meyer's monsters. It is also interesting to note that dreams are an important theme in

9588-412: The whole time, emerges from hiding. Leah, one of the wolves, immediately attacks. The enemy vampire wraps his arms around her neck and tries to strangle her, but Jacob lunges forward and knocks him off. They engage in a brief but vicious fight. Jacob falls and the vampire crushes his body with violent force. At once the vampire is pulled off by the other wolves and killed. Jacob is now back in human form. He

9690-464: The woods, Laurent noticing more emerge runs away. Sam closes in on him but is struck back by Laurent just before he was about to tackle him. He later claims that Laurent was nothing but a simple kill. During the chase, Laurent is cornered by part of the pack while Jacob goes for the kill. Jacob and his friends are able to cover a range of 1.67 miles in just 1 minute meaning they are able to run at nearly or close to 100 mph at full run. Jacob serves as

9792-404: Was my first experience with a character taking over—a minor character developing such roundness and life that I couldn't keep him locked inside a tiny role. ... From the very beginning, even when Jacob only appeared in chapter six of Twilight , he was so alive . I liked him. More than I should for such a small part. Jacob is given a small role in the first book of the series. He is introduced as

9894-431: Was originally meant to be a device through which Bella could learn Edward's secret in Twilight , which was apparently because she couldn't see Edward actually admitting this to Bella. Meyer, her agent, and her editor all liked the character so much that they decided to give him a larger role in the following book, New Moon , with Meyer referring to the character as, "my favorite gift that New Moon gave to me." Jacob

9996-504: Was published in 2020. Since the release of the first novel, Twilight , in 2005, the books have gained immense popularity and commercial success around the world. The series is most popular among young adults ; the four books have won multiple awards, most notably the 2008 British Book Award for Children's Book of the Year for Breaking Dawn , while the series as a whole won the 2009 Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Book. As of August 2020,

10098-427: Was released on October 11, 2011, and followed Volume 1 in topping The New York Times Best Seller list for Hardcover Graphic Books in its first week. In March 2010, Meyer revealed on her official website that she will be releasing a new novella in the series, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner , which tells the story of a newborn vampire who appeared in Eclipse , on June 5, 2010. An electronic version of

10200-515: Was to be released on April 12, 2011, after many publication delays since 2008. It debuted at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list , where it stayed for three consecutive weeks, and at #4 on the USA Today Best Seller list. The story is set primarily in the town of Forks, Washington , where Bella and her father, Charlie Swan , live. Other cities in Washington briefly appear in

10302-464: Was trying to keep it a secret until the battle was over, for she knew he'd be reckless with his anger. Jacob is outraged, and refuses to believe that Bella truly loves Edward more than him. He threatens suicide by hoping he'd be killed in the battle. He is about to run off to join the soon-to-be-battle. Bella, in an attempt to stop him from getting killed, demands to be kissed by him. Jacob doesn't hesitate, and he kisses her passionately. Then, he leaves for

10404-435: Was working on two additional Twilight novels. The author intended to continue writing stories set in the universe, after completing an original novel first. On March 16, 2010, Yen Press released Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1 , by artist Young Kim based on the first book in the series. In February 2011, the graphic novel won the 2010 Gem Awards Best Manga of the Year. The sequel, Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 2

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