When analyzing strengths and weaknesses of literary works, it is important to consider the aesthetics of each work. It helps you see beyond the superficial aspects of a work, to consider what makes it unique and valuable.

Twilight, a novel by Stephanie Meyers, divides critics and readers. It seems to be caught between two extremes: good and bad. The book’s reception is perfectly described by the words popularity and criticism. This essay examines the source material in order to determine if it meets the aesthetic requirements of a typical reader.

Twilight tells the story of a high school girl named Bella Swan falling madly in love and becoming a vampire with Edward Cullen. The novel received mixed reviews, but many people believe it to be a poor literary piece. Elizabeth Spires, in her New York Times review, stated that the book’s premise is captivating and compelling, but the writing style of the author is amateurish. This is a fair assessment of the book given its nature. The book’s greatest flaw lies in its plot. This is what you would expect of an amateur writer. Twilight’s story lacks the basic elements of storytelling. Spires gives this book more credibility. There are only a few connections between the two parts of the book. The first story is about Bella’s love life with Edward, while the second is about the conflict between evil and good vampires. Because there is no connection between them, the reader is forced to take two separate journeys. Bella and Edward’s love story takes up three-quarters the book. James and all the other villains don’t appear until the end. It would have been better to provide a more detailed introduction to the villains early in the book. This would have added weight to the action subplot. Meyers fails to solve the problem of plot in the book. This is a big problem since readers feel they want more. Meyer’s inexperience as an author is evident in this novel. It is apparent that Meyer has a tendency to tell more than show. Twilight is filled with many examples of sentences that are used to convey emotions and feelings rather than explaining characters’ mental state through dialogue or action. Edward tells Bell many times in Twilight that Edward is dangerous. Bella should have confronted Edward about the dangers of the man she loves. Meyers must tell the story, not show it. This is evident in Meyers’ use of lengthy sentences that have no meaning and serve only to fill page numbers. Meyers describes Edward as “vampires shimmering in the sunshine” in her description of his appearance. It can affect the intensity and complexity, but not the story’s vitality. This also affects plot and pacing. Twilight isn’t a great piece of English literature in terms of aesthetics. It lacks identity, complexity, unity, and a sense of intensity. The whole vampire subplot is stripped away. It’s a story about a girl who falls for a boy who seems perfect. The vampire boy is the protagonist in this story. His flaws are only there to make the story more interesting. Edward Cullen’s best description can be found in the term Byronic, taken from Lord Byron’s works. The term for a male classified figure. Usually depicted in the role of a hero, it has all the characteristics you’d want in a man. Lori Perkins writes about the Byronic figure in Fifty Shades of Grey. This book shares many similarities with Twilight.

Another flaw in the book is this: The Byronic character isn’t a novel idea. This character predates the Cinderella story. This character’s presence does not define the beauty of a tale, but it does make us question its originality. Edward is admired throughout the book for his flawlessness in all aspects.

A love that is too Byronic, to a point where it becomes intense for the sake it. This adds to the intensity and lack of unity. I can’t prove it, but it’s something that I would describe as living on soy and tofu. Our little joke is that we are vegetarians. Edward speaks these words. This is how Edward imagines himself to be a vampire. Drinking blood of other people is an imperfection. Despite its shortcomings and lack of aesthetics, I sympathize with Stephanie Meyer. The author did not intend to publish the book professionally when she wrote it. The book was her fanfiction about what might happen if a human fell in love and became a vampire. This shows her determination to create a literary universe that readers could relate and interpret as they pleased. Twilight can also be described as a novel telling the story of a young girl’s love affair with her boyfriend. Meyers may not have cared about the story’s complexity, intensity, or synergy, but she might have just wanted to entertain her own fantasies. The story was a huge success and was loved more by those who love fantasy and perfection than the artistic quality. The book lacks both aesthetics and writing, regardless of author’s intentions. You could explain this further by saying that Stephanie Meyers may have created her story from scratch because she was her audience. It is true that the book has been criticized. However, this does not mean the book is bad. It just means that the book might not be enjoyable.