Books I Loathed discussion
Loathed Authors
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Stephenie Meyer
I read all four of the twilight books, and i honestly dont even know why i did anymore. Thinking back on it, the only good thing she had going was a decent idea. Her writing was terrible. The characters were undeveloped, and annoying. Bella's character is an idiot. When she finds out that Edward was watching while she slept every night, her only worries is that she said something embarrassing in her sleep. are you kidding me?? He's stalking her, and she just thinks thats the cutest thing ever!ugh. Oh and another thing i dont get, why are all these girls obsessed with Edward?? hes creepy, and a TOTAL emo. All he does is complain and cry, and talk about how much he hates himself. Geez, he either needed to grow a pair or start wearing skirts, because he had a lower self esteem than bella, and thats saying ALOT.
Also, i really dont get what some of you mean by it being a "bad influence". The problems i had with this book were the characters and the writing, but i dont think thats a bad influence on people. Yes, i know some pathetic chicks will read this and want to be JUST like bella, but thats not really the books fault, in my opinion. If some teenage girl reads this and decides that its anything more than fiction, the problem isnt the writer; its the girl. And honestly im sick of parents talking about how the wont let their kids read books like this because it might "badly influence" them. Its a BOOK. and if they cant separate fiction from non fiction, than thats just bad parenting on your part. Let your kids read what they want, stop controlling them so much, geez.
Oh, and one last thing. About the Steven King thing, after he said that, i respected him even more. He said that she couldn't write well, and i agree with him. I think Steven King knows ALOT more on how to write a good book, considering Meyers writes like a 15 year old girl.
I would just like to point out that, while Bella does think of herself as a "plain Jane", she does not want to become a vampire because of the beauty. She wants to be a vampire so she can be with the one she loves for all eternity, rather than growing old and dying.
Another point to be made here is the fact that Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series is extremely original. Thats just one of the reasons its so popular, she takes the general idea of vampires and she reforms it and makes it her own. There are no other vamps like Stephenie's. Anthor reason the series is so popular is because it has a heart-wrenching romance to it and very exciting characters.
The host, however, was a huge and complete disappointment.
I don't know why all the girls are 'freaking' out about this book. It's just a book about a vampire, and a girl being in love with a vampire; what's so special about that? I think the only reason why they like this book is because they want a 'romance' just like it. Seriously? Why read a book when you can go out and have some romance yourself.
This isn't even a sad romance book.
Well Quyen, this book is soo much more then just a girl being in love with a vampire. It's also about the struggles that a couple goes through in order to set their extreme differences apart and be together.sometimes people read to escape from reality for a little while. In the real world you can't have a romance like the one Bella and Edward share, for obvious reasons (vamps don't really exist.)
And I have to tell you that your wrong this book has some really sad parts.
well yeah, but people setting their differences apart to be together isn't exactly an original story line, is it?That's why i don't understand all the hype. These books are a crappy rip off of old love stories that weren't even good in the first place.
In real life I wouldn't want to have a romance like that, it's dysfunctional and scary. I'll leave that kind of "love" (read obsession) for all the teenage girls to read about. I'd rather read something with substance.Also, I don't buy the excuse that it's an escape book. There are books that can be an escape without throwing away all artistic integrity, plot, and character development. Try Tolkien, Terry Pratchett, or some good Sci-Fi like Ursula Le Guin.
If you had a romance like that in real-life, it's called stalking and there are laws against that.
For me, it has nothing to do with a cheesy romance story line. It is simply some of the worst writing I have ever had the displeasure of reading!! I really am not a literature snob, but truly this is some of the most vapid, annoying writing I have come across. I remember thinking while I was reading, "Bella, get over yourself! Be quiet! Enough already!". I get the jibblies just thinking about it...
I find it interesting that some of the most loved authors will also be some of the most loathed authors... and definitely some of the authors that people are most passionate about.Take Stephenie Meyer and J.K. Rowling for instance. Nobody can dispute their success, yet people can practically get up in arms about whether or not they deserve that success.
Similarly with Tolkien and Terry Pratchett. Some hail them as literary kings; others find them extremely overrated and won't touch their books with a ten-foot pole.
It seems to me that it's the passion of one side (or them being so vocal about it anyway) that spurs the passion of the other. If everybody just quietly loved/hated "Twilight" or "Lord of the Rings", nobody would feel the need to attack/defend the books.
Sorry, a bit off topic, but Emily's suggestion that people should read Tolkien instead of Stephenie Meyer just got me thinking.
What you guys are forgetting is that Twilight is FICTION its not real-life. Bella and Edward belong to an entirely different place. So people should really stop trying to put it down by comparing it to the real world.
Well yes, but shouldn't the characters be at least a little realistic with their actions? Like Edward actually sneaking into her house and watching her sleep, just because it's fiction doesn't make it any less creepy.
Or Bella in general, all she ever does is talk about how average she is, or how amazingly gorgeous Edward is. Oh my god, she is supposed to be 18; not 12.
I think the point is that it doesn't matter whether or not it is fiction, but that it is poorly written.
Edward is not human. He is an entirely different creature, something...other. Yes, it is a little creepy that he sneaks into her room but its completely realistic for him to want to know more about the girl he's falling in love with. Not to mention he's a vampire, for crying out loud, sneaking into her room is at the bottom of the list of creepy things he could be doing.
Yes, Bella does get on my nerves with her constant whining and 'Damsel in distress' nature, but she's self-conscious like a lot of teenage girls out there. Edward is seemingly perfect and its completely realistic of her to think that she pales in comparison to him.
I am forced to disagree about Twilight being poorly written. I have read ALOT of vampire books and Stephenie Meyer's vamps are the most original I have ever come across. It brought me back around to vampires at a time in my life when I was tired of reading about them.
So the fact that he is a vampire explains why he is stalking this girl? No, he is a vampire. So be strong, drinking blood, being extremely pale; hell even the SPARKLING in the freaking sunlight are realistic things for his character. Stalking people does NOT fall under the vampire category.No, that is not realistic. It is stupid. Yes, teenage girls are self conscious, but bella's is beyond normal. She never says ONE good thing about herself. Her self- consciousness sounds like a 40 year old badly trying to relate to a teenager and failing to do so, which it is.
The most original! Are you kidding me? How is anything in these books even remotely original??
All Stephanie Meyers does is rip off ideas from other writers better than herself, and then passes them off as her own.
Bella never says one good thing about herself because of her odd background. Edward is the glue that she needs to hold herself together and also to remind herself that life is good even though VERY BAD things may exist within it. Plus, you're wrong, vampires have always stalked thier prey - Have you never heard of Bram Stoker? Have you ever heard of a vampire that sparkled and walks during the day? OMG!! Vampires are night creatures. Stephenie enables beauty in her vamps by making them sparkle like a diamond in the sun, when historically vampires are viewed as evil creatures.
Her background really isn't that odd. Her parents are divorced, but that can be said about many families today. Also, she never even really talks about her parents so her background obviously doesn't really bother her very much.Yes, that is another problem with the book. She is way too dependent on Edward. It's beyond pathetic, like in the second book when he leaves and she becomes catatonic. What the hell?! Really? She knows some guy for about a year, and when he leaves her WHOLE life is suddenly over? Pathetic.
Yes, they have stalked their PREY. Bella is not SUPPOSED to be his prey, she is supposedly the love of his life! No wait, your right. The fact that he is stalking her is romantic and cute! As long as he is like, totally hot!
Had i ever heard of vampires sparkling in the sun? no, and for a reason. I'm sure many other (better) writers thought of it, and then realized how bad of an idea it was.
Oh and about them normally being viewed as evil creatures, wasn't that the whole point of vampires? Come on, the suck peoples blood. That's not exactly beautiful.
Yep. Edward is creepy. Thing is, though, he's SUPPOSED to be creepy because he's a vampire, and that's not the case - his creepiness comes from being controlling, intrusive, and emotionally manipulative. For all that he's a vampire, he doesn't seem to be the least bit dangerous to humans. Do we ever see him tear into a regular person? He's constantly
Well, she kind of has to be dependent on Edward. She is literally like a soap bubble in the world of vampires, and when you're surrounded by creatures so superior to you, your forced to rely on someone elses protection. You have to understand that Bella is in love with Edward and him leaving her is all her worst fears coming true. She's in pain, serious pain, and the only way she knows to deal with it is to close herself off. Unless you've ever been seriously in love and then had the guy dump you, and basicly tell you your not good enough for him, you really have no right to judge her.
Have you read Midnight Sun? If you have then you'll know that Bella was very much Edward's prey in the beginning. You should know that just by reading Twilight. Edward thinks of himself as a gaurdian angel of sorts. He watches over her to make sure that she doesn't come to any harm, and he just likes to be close to her. Of course he can't read her mind and she talks in her sleep, those thoughts (the chance to learn more about her) is what draws him into her room.
It has NOTHING TO DO with him "being hot".
Oh, and thats my whole point, Meyer turns normally evil creatures, to things of beauty. Which is original and for the record we never see Edward tearing into a human because he fights so hard against that impulse- which is like the whole point of the story.
No. She doesn't. She is a pathetic human being that resembles so many idiotic girls in high school these days. And it's already annoying enough in real life, why idolize a book about it? Oh i get it, she got her FEELINGS hurt. Oh cry me a freaking river. And honestly if her worst fears are that her boyfriend just doesn't like her anymore she has NOTHING to complain about. No, i have not. For a reason.
If bella is his prey than how can this pass for a love story?!?! And then you said he thinks he's a guardian angel. Oh so he's guarding his prey so nothing bad happens to her? even though he wants to kill her, and drink her blood. Great romance.
It is still creepy. There are no excuses.
hahaha nothing to do with him being hot??
All together these books would be about 100 pages long if Stephanie Meyer didn't endlessly write about how gorgeous he is. Oh and Bella wouldn't have given him a second thought if he looked like a regular high school kid.
I don't see the beauty in that. He is still over controlling, and manipulative. They don't even have a healthy relationship.
So you're saying that if Edward hadn't been there James wouldn't have killed her? Or the Volturi would have just let her walk away? Wrong. So, like I said, she needs Edwards protection in order to stay alive. Therefore, she has to be dependent on him.
Her relationship with Edward is not a high school fling. It's the real deal, so it goes beyond just 'getting her feelings hurt'. He's not just her boyfriend, he means more to her then that. Also like I said before, you really can't judge unless you've been in the same situation.
I said he was her prey in the BEGINNING. The fact that he supresses his deepest and darkest need in order to be with her, is what truly make this a romance.
Stephenie Meyer(btw, you spelled her name wrong)writes about a paragraph per book on how he looks. Except in Twilight which is the first one so of course he needs to be described in slightly more detail. Bella falls in love with Edward as a person, not on looks. All vampires are beautiful but Bella sees Edward, not anyone else.
Yes, he is overprotective, but Bella draws danger like a magnet, so he kind of has to be.
No, if Edward hadn't of been there neither James nor the Volturi would have given her a second thought. Dude she went CATATONIC when he left. She knew him for a freaking YEAR. Look, you can think it's sad or romantic or whatever but i still think that it's beyond pathtic. She needs to grow up and stop letting him control her life.
Yeah, great romance. All those times he's talking about how much he wants to rip her open and suck her blood, and they said chivalry was dead.
please tell me you are trying to be funny.
All she does is describe how good looking he is! and honestly, if it was just the first book that did that then it wouldn't be such an overload, but she repeats the SAME thing in every single book! No, she does not. She started dreaming about him before they even started talking to each other. Even after all he did was growl at her during school. Unless she loves the personality of a rabid chihuahua looks had EVERYTHING to do with why she liked him.
you forgot manipulative too, and no. Her danger without him consists of her falling down or running into walls. really not that bad, i do it on a daily basis and i'm fine without a creepy over controlling freak watching my every move.
You know, every time I hear about Edward's golden/amber/whatever eyes, it reminds me of Scott Farkus, from A Christmas Story.Adult Ralph vo: He had yellow eyes - so help me God, yellow eyes!
hahaha! Your right, they are kinda similar. I think A Christmas story did it much better though. lol
Brittany wrote: "No, if Edward hadn't of been there neither James nor the Volturi would have given her a second thought. Dude she went CATATONIC when he left. She knew him for a freaking YEAR. Look, you can think..."
This whole post is fabulous.
Stephenie meyer obviously wants bella to be completly unable to protect herself, if she wanted bella to have a chance, she would have made normal vampires. You know, stakes, beheading, sunlight-turns-to-dust. I just don't get why the vamps don't just take over the world. What annoyed me about twilight was that Bella gets everything, Edward, a kid, Jacob as her best friend, and she's a vampire. I would have perfered it if it hadn't ended so incredibly happily, maybe if someone important had died in the "battle".
Buffy and Angel were madly in love, but that didn't work out at all well, and they were mature enough to let it go and move on... which Edward and Bella should have at least tried. Sulking in a corner for several months really isn't trying.
I agree. Joss Whedon had a much better grip on the pathos of loving a vampire. I know that it is hard to be let down by, let go of, or lose a person you love, but to shut down as completely as Bella did, to go to the extremes of "trying to feel anything, so I'll just go cliff diving", was not a smart move for anyone. (I am not saying that you will have a surge of cliff diving teenagers.) I would have liked to have had her so called problems of guys wanting to date me in high school, personally, I would have liked to have dated in high school. Jacob was the better choice, the better guy, and all around better character. Bella is flat, whinny, and yes I know she's a teenager, but I do NOT remember being a teenage girl like that.....
I would have liked to have had her so called problems of guys wanting to date me in high schoolOh me too. If that's your only problem, then you've got it good.
I did read the Twilight series and enjoyed them. Not my favorite but, it was okay. But, I hate how since I am a younger person- everyone assumes Twilight is ALL I read. Which is TOTALLY not true. I read a lot and I am hating the stereotype I am receiving lately.
Thank You! I completely agree with Laynster, just because I'm younger and liked the Twilight saga does not mean I'm an obsessed fan girl. I defend Stephenie Meyer because I think some people are just looking for a reason to critcize her and her books. 
i like Stephenie, but i agree that she's not as good as some of the writers such as Markus Zusak.. but let's not judge by her Twilights books only. She also has The Host, which is a good read too..
What blows me away, is that people I know I consider to be intelligent people just fawn over this book. I read it because my friend wanted me to, and I cringed and laughed the entire time. I can't fathom how someone can read this and not roll their eyes.
To Robin: Ahh, but the laughing is part of the fun!To Faye Ann and Laynster: I totally agree with both of those!
Anna, you're the first person I've heard say that they didn't like the New Moon movie. Did you like the book? Most Edward fans hate New Moon more then Jacob himself. So I'm just wondering if it's the book that bothered you originally and if so, did that contribute to your complete dislike of the movie. About this whole thread in general: the fact is the Twilight series isn't a literary masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination. It never will be. Is it a good story. Yeah. Sort of... -ish. Is it original? Not so much.
So she made her vampires glittery. Ooooooh, so inventive! Its not like she came up with the whole concept of vampires or anything. Read any other vampire series and you'll find she used a lot of the same old vampire cliches. And no, I'm not talking about vampire books that came out after Twilight. There are plenty of vampire books that came out before Twilight. Like The Vampire Diaries series. Yeah, that series came out in, like, 1991.
And as far as the storyline goes, plot and all that, she didn't invent love triangles or vampires falling in love with humans. Nor did she invent shape-shifting. Hell, she didn't even invent imprinting. And she certainly isn't the first person to write about supernatural creatures imprinting. Though yeah, she managed to gross me out--not to mention, infuriate me--with her jacked-up version of imprinting. So no, I wouldn't call her an inventive genius when it comes to telling stories.
The fact is Stephenie isn't a super talented author. So she got 5 books published. Based on the last 10 books I've read, by various new authors, just about anyone can be published so long as they write a semi-legible novel about a supernatural something falling in love with an insipid teenage girl for reasons that aren't entirely clear.
I will admit that The Host is pretty good once you get past the first 100 pages. Because of The Host I'm willing to give Stephenie another chance so long as she doesn't write another Twilight book, ever.
I just hope that all the hardcore Twilight fans are willing to branch out and read books that are written by other authors, understanding that not all vampires sparkle. And really, they're more exciting, sexy--and less gay--when they don't.
Try the Vampire Academy series (good stuff). The Blue Bloods series is okay and so is the House of Night series. For you older Twilight readers, try reading anything by Karen Chance (her Cassandra Palmer series is fan-friggin'-tastic). Or the Sookie Stackhouse series is good (the series True Blood is sort of based on). Oh, and the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews is AWESOME--though the vampires in this series are so the opposite of sexy and this series is what I would consider more hard-core (violent) but still quite good. And of course, the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare is super good and super original.
Penny, I find it incredibly amusing and somewhat ironic that you'd praise Cassandra Claire for being "super original", considering all the accusations of plagiarism against her work ;)I disagree with the House of Night series recommendation. The main character there is even more Mary Sue'ish than Bella, and the plot a lot more superficial and a lot less structured. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it - I just wouldn't consider it an "improvement" over Twilight.
Stay far, far away from "Vampire Diaries" and "Evermore" though. They have all of Twilight's faults, and none of its redeeming factors.
I hate that whenever I say that I dont like Twilight, somebody always says 'oh don't you like love stories?' And then I list off some romance authors who I love, and they respond with a vacant stare. I like love stories, but I dont consider Twilight to be a love story. I find Edward to be really abusive and rude, and Bella is so bland that the books might as well have been written in 2nd person. I think that if Edward weren't a vampire, these young girls would never let him get away with all his abusive bullshit, and wouldnt be claiming 'oh it's because he loves her'. -_-
Kiwiria wrote: "Stay far, far away from "Vampire Diaries" and "Evermore" though. They have all of Twilight's faults, and none of its redeeming factors."I hated Vampire Diaries -_- to this day I can't understand why the author would make such a despicable girl the centre of that drawn out love triangle. I could go on all day about the series' faults, but that's another thread topic entirely :P
I wish more girls my age would read Blue Bloods and Black Dagger Brotherhood. =/
I am reading the "Vampire Academy" books right now, and I agree that are excellent. To me, they are what "Twilight" books could have been if they had been in more capeable hands. I have read Richelle Meads 2 other series', and I highly recomend her Georgina Kincaid "Succubus" series. I too, have said that if I had a daughter I am not sure I would like her to absorb some of the themes in the books either. I seem to be the only person who thought that Bella was obsessed with being beautiful and hoping that she would be after being turned. I also felt that her attempts at dealing with her feelings after Edward left her were overly exagerated.
I agree that the romance is forced. She made it obvious who she should be with, but then forces it between 2 characters who really shouldn't be together. He stalks her for cripes sake and it's called love. That happens in real life, it's called a restraining order.
I will now publicly brand myself as hopelessly over the hill, but for a more interesting, well-written, and totally creepy take on vampires, try the first two, and only the firtst two, Anne Rice vampire stories. Or jut read "Interview with the Vampire" and let it go at that. A great book that should satisfy anyone's interest/obsession in vampires.
@ Kiwiria:I never said Cassandra Clare was a super original author overall. I said her Mortal Instruments series is great and super original (though, yeah, she didn't invent Faeries, Vampires, Werewolves or any of the other supernatural creatures in her books but the Mortal Instruments storyline is quite good and original). And yeah, she plagiarized something while she was writing Harry Potter fanfiction, years ago. For that her stories and account were deleted. Not that it matters anymore, she's been published three times and working on a whole new series in the Mortal Instruments universe.
Do I think its okay that she plagiarized someonelse's work? No. Definitely not. Was she already punished for doing it? Yeah. Apparently she'll always be punished since no one is able to forget what she did. Besides she was writing friggin' fanfiction at the time, it's not like she made any money off of what she posted on fanfiction.net. But yeah, she is quite talented and more worthy of being published then Stephenie Meyer. Is she the best author in the world? Heck no. But her series is quite good.
I haven't read the Vampire Diaries series because the one book I've read by L.J. Smith was full of fail and I won't touch anything she wrote ever again. I just brought up her series to remind twi-hards Stephenie Meyer isn't the first person to write YA vampire novels
And the House of Night series, in my opinion, is just okay. I can't stand the characters all that much, nor can I stand the out-of-control usage of slang, but I feel the series has more going for it then the Twilight series. The protagonist isn't such an irritating whiny victim. Overall, I'd say the series is better developed then Twilight and it is a lot more interesting. Though, yeah, the whole wiccan vampyre thing is sort of silly.
@ Jerry:
Edward is really abusive and creepy. I can't stand the series because their whole relationship is manipulative and creepy. I hate that there is a whole generation of teenage girls who are more then willing to eat that sh*t up. So, so sad.
@ Anna:
I agree with everything you just said, except about the New Moon movie being better then the Twilight movie. I laughed hysterically when I watched Twilight, but only during the parts that weren't meant to be funny--so like, the whole movie. The New Moon movie was less ridiculous, I think. But yeah, I don't think it was anything special, by any stretch of the imagination. It was just better, IMHO.
@ Kim:
Richelle Mead is really good, isn't she? I also read the Dark Swan series and the Georgia Kincaid series--which, by the way, I totally love.
I do have daughters--though all of them are quite young--and I hope, as their mother, I'll do a good job raising them so when they get to their teenage years they'll read Twilight and think, "what the hell is this stupid sh*t? Edward is creepy and Bella is a stupid b*tch.", or better yet, never read it (because, honestly, had I a time machine I'd go back in time to stop myself from ever picking up any of the books from the Twilight series).
@ Gail:
I've been told that I need to read some of Ann Rice's earlier work. I think I will, and soon since I'm running out of ridiculous vampire novels to read.
I'll give Twilight credit for ONE THING: It's the first fantasy book I had the guts to pick up and thanks to it I was introduced to a whole new genre. A genre I wouldn't have gotten into otherwise, which would be quite sad as fantasy/paranormal/sci-fi is all quite good.
Oh! I forgot to mention the Wicked Lovely series. So good if you're into faeries, which, when I picked it up I wasn't but now I'm hooked. I also liked the Great and Terrible Beauty series.
Penny, actually I couldn't care less that/if she plagiarized somebody else's work in her fanfics. They're fanfics! Who cares! Fanfics are by definition borderline plagiarism or copy-right violations anyway - that doesn't stop me from enjoying a well-written fanfic anyway.However, the accusations I've heard is that she also plagiarized somebody in her original fiction, and if that is true, then that's beyond the pale, and not something I'd want to support. But mind you, I don't know whether or not it's true, I just know that the accusations are there, and that's why I found your comment about her being "super original" amusing/ironic.
Personally I have no interest in reading her books - not because of the plagiarism accusations (again, I have no clue whether or not they're valid), but because I tried to read her fanfiction and discovered I really don't like her writing style. Besides, I've read too many bad reviews from people whose taste in books I share for me to be interested. Life's too short for bad books ;)
Wow, I haven't heard there were new claims of plagiarism. I read her series, all three books, when the third one came out the beginning of this year. You'd think her publisher would be on top of her about it, considering her past.
Hey everyone. Just a heads up, this whole post is one long tangent. I apologize ahead of time. Sorry.Kiwiria, I appreciate you bringing up the alleged plagiarism because I don't want to go around recommending books that may have been plagiarized. So I did a little research. Okay, I just wasted far too much time reading up on it, but I needed to know. Like I said, I knew about the plagiarism in her fanfic days but not about the newest claims against her published works.
Also, I want to admit that I was wrong in saying that Cassandra Claire is original. Because she is not. I just found this out. Anyway, I'm just admitting, publicly, that I was wrong.
Before I go into into the more serious claims about Cassandra Claire, I feel it is necessary to point out that there quite a few ridiculous claims that are--at best--a stretch. Even with "proof" I cannot possibly take them seriously.
Example:
Spiderman
In the first Spiderman movie, Peter Parker has been in love with Mary Jane Watson since he first saw her, when they were five. In City of Bones, Simon tells Clary that he's been in love with her since they met, when they were five.
Seriously?! I've read a lot of books, seen a lot of movies, where one character fell in love with another character upon first meeting, when they were five. Is that plagiarism? No. Not possible. The writers of Spiderman cannot possibly claim they were the first to ever think up the idea. Is this original? Not-so-much. So I'm willing to admit that, no, Cassandra Claire isn't terribly original. But seriously the plagiarism claim, in this case, is just ridiculous.
There are quite a few independent sites/pages full of claims against Cassandra Claire's series that are just as ill-founded.
That being said, I will admit that, yes, in other cases there is solid evidence that she likely borrowed ideas, even from her old fanfics (though, I'm not sure how using her very own ideas is a problem. Is it plagiarism if its taken from your own work? Particularly if that work wasn't ever published?).
But here's my question: at what point does borrowing ideas become plagiarism? And no, I'm not talking about taking whole lines of someone else's dialogue and making bastardized versions of it in an attempt to pass it off as one's own. I'm talking about borrowing an idea or concept and slapping a twist to it. Is that really plagiarism? I'm honestly curious, and I want to know. Is this a gray area I was not aware of? Honestly, I just don't know and was hoping I could get further clarification on the matter.
I still don't like Stephenie Meyer.
Penny, I deeply respect you for this post. That takes amazing integrity. And I completely agree that some of the plagiarism accusations are just plain ridiculous. I've read the one you quoted as well, and was appalled. Whoever wrote that was obviously on a personal vendetta rather than genuinely concerned about legit plagiarisms.I've been wondering where the line between plagiarism and inspiration goes as well, and unfortunately have no answers there.
I've been wondering where the line between plagiarism and inspiration goes as well, and unfortunately have no answers there...."
Exactly what I've been wondering for the past 12 years! I've read maybe ten books by Victoria Holt with nearly the exact story line/plot as Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Poor girl meets very rich very handsome mysterious man and marrys him in a whirlwind fashion in a few days, goes to his large frightening palace which she soon finds harbours many secrets and ghosts. She becomes haunted by her husband's ex-wife/lover and things go on to near murder until suddenly all is clear and she finds out that her husband has always loved only her and hated his ex!
Now if that isn't plagiarism I really don't know what is! I mean even for one book it has virtually the same story, but for TEN books or more?? I don't get it.
That had nothing to do with this thread! Sorry but had to say it!
Exactly what I've been wondering for the past 12 years! I've read maybe ten books by Victoria Holt with nearly the exact story line/plot as Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Poor girl meets very rich very handsome mysterious man and marrys him in a whirlwind fashion in a few days, goes to his large frightening palace which she soon finds harbours many secrets and ghosts. She becomes haunted by her husband's ex-wife/lover and things go on to near murder until suddenly all is clear and she finds out that her husband has always loved only her and hated his ex!
Now if that isn't plagiarism I really don't know what is! I mean even for one book it has virtually the same story, but for TEN books or more?? I don't get it.
That had nothing to do with this thread! Sorry but had to say it!
No, I wasn't criticizing. I honestly didn't know and have been wondering for some years. Thanks for your detailed explanations. I never thought of genre fiction in such a fixed style. Now I can see exactly what you mean.
Yes, I understand perfectly. Or if she had written one ending with the bitter house-keeper burning down the house. I get it now. Thanks.
Still! Glad I'm over the age for those books! So boring! Ok, Enough! I'm totally misusing this thread.
Yes, I understand perfectly. Or if she had written one ending with the bitter house-keeper burning down the house. I get it now. Thanks.
Still! Glad I'm over the age for those books! So boring! Ok, Enough! I'm totally misusing this thread.
I cant believe I read the whole twilight series, I havent even read Harry potter! Waste of time!
Anna wrote: "I don't know if anyone has seen this blog. The blogger is editing and commenting on coherence, syntax and general idiocy of the entire Twilight series. It's wonderful.
http://reasoningwithvampires..."
And the traditional publishers decided that it was good for publication. She is successful and makes a damn good living. People complain about indie writers and their messy work. Sigh!
http://reasoningwithvampires..."
And the traditional publishers decided that it was good for publication. She is successful and makes a damn good living. People complain about indie writers and their messy work. Sigh!
Books I Loathed
Books mentioned in this topic
Rebecca (other topics)Beloved (other topics)
And as for the role model thing, I agree. You don't need good role models all the time. That would be boring as hell. But falling in love with someone as possessive and creepy and manipulative as Edward? And then having people agree that he is the perfect guy? I think that's a little disturbing. She is perfectly free to write that kind of character, and people are perfectly free to read it, but I don't see why everyone is willing to fall in love with such flat characters whose only qualities aren't even favorable.