(UNDATED) Stories about love, lust and the undead may not seem like the best vehicle for teaching teens about faith and morality. But for Stephenie Meyer, who has been called “the Mormon Anne Rice,” her best-selling “Twilight” books and upcoming movie contain plenty of teachable moments.
Meyer, a wife and mother of three from Phoenix, who is a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and graduate of Brigham Young University, says she has become accustomed to people asking her, “What’s a nice Mormon girl like you doing writing about vampires?”
But as she told one Mormon-themed Web site, “Unconsciously, I put a lot of my basic beliefs into the story.”
“Twilight,” published in 2005, was the debut vampire novel in the series of books that has now sold nearly 10 million copies, generating the kind of frenzy among tweens and teens that rivals Harry Potter.
The film version opens in theaters nationwide on Nov. 21.
On the surface, “Twilight” is little more than the latest incarnation of vampire legends that have circulated in many cultures for centuries, and which have been popularized in novels like Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” (1897) and Anne Rice’s “Vampire Chronicles” series (1976-2003).
Yet Meyer’s religious and moral values clearly shine through, even though Mormonism is never mentioned.
Heroine Bella Swan has the same insecurities and anxieties as any 17-year-old girl. But when she falls for Edward Cullen, a handsome fellow student who happens to be a vampire, she confronts the kinds of existential questions that religion addresses.
“The most obvious Mormon influences can be seen in the ways that Meyer has her teenage heroine stand up for marriage and, ultimately, motherhood,” says Jana Riess, author of “What Would Buffy Do: The Vampire Slayer as Spiritual Guide” and co-author of “Mormonism for Dummies.”
“But anyone who is familiar with the Book of Mormon can also discern deeper theological themes, from the Mormon reinterpretation of the Fall of humankind — which inspired the apple on the `Twilight’ book cover — to the theme of overcoming the natural man, which we can see when Bella wrestles with her desires and decides whether or not to become a vampire.”
The concept for the “Twilight Saga” series of books came in a vision, says Meyer, who is 34 and had never published a word before pitching her idea to an agent who got her a $750,000, three-book deal.
She doesn’t read vampire books or watch R-rated movies like “Interview with the Vampire.”
And the sexual tension that pervades the stories is a natural byproduct of Meyer’s strict Mormon upbringing. Growing up as a good Mormon girl among other good Mormon girls and boys, she met her future husband as a child but the two did not associate outside of church activities until they began dating when she was 20. They married nine months later.
Unlike many other young adult novels, there’s no sex in “Twilight,”
even though Meyer’s editor suggested otherwise. None of the characters drink alcohol or indulge in profanity, but there is plenty of heavy breathing and sexual tension.
Meyer’s treatment of sexuality is a hot topic on Mormon-themed Web sites like normalmormons.com and motleyvision.org that make up the online “bloggernacle.”
A writer on motleyvision.org, which explores Mormon art and culture, says Meyer’s books show “how abstinence leads to a heavily charged play of small gestures among Mormon teenagers and young adults.”
And in a post on normalmormons.com (“It’s true. We’re out there.”), a relative of Meyer’s writes:
“Edward and Bella could barely touch or kiss for fear that Edward might get carried away and suck her blood in a fit of passion. Very similar to that of two young BYU/high school students who aren’t yet married and can’t touch each other for fear it will lead to sex. I’m sure it was easy for Stephenie to describe with firsthand experiences.”
By STEVE RABEY
c. 2008 Religion News Service
Copyright 2008 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.
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posted November 14, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Uh . . . Stephenie was not inspired to write Twilight because of a “vision.” She had a dream. There’s a big difference!
posted November 14, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Not into vampires, so won’t be buying her Mormon influenced vampire stories. $750.000 isn’t bad to write 3 books. She obviously is talented, or no one would have given her the contract.
posted November 15, 2008 at 8:50 am
As a fellow BYU alum, active blogger, aspiring writer and a dedicated father, I highly admire the success of Ms. Meyer. I also applaud her efforts to deal with strong themes in her literature.
True art contains real conflict whether they are of fiction, fantasy or otherwise. I believe that Stephanie is very talented at tapping a powerful resonance with so many people, dealing with the conflict of battling evil; I hope that someday I could have the possibility of doing so with only a portion of her numbers.
I hope the best for her, her fans and her art in the future.
God is good, and the world is healthy where normal people who strive to be good and decent can become so iconically successful.
Monsters usually reflect true impulses in the human and animal world. We need to learn how to overcome the “natural man”. Great artists, and even preachers, achieve that. Bravo.
Clinch
posted November 15, 2008 at 9:36 am
Here you have a guy named Edward, a vampire, who desires to have Bella’s blood every time they meet. So he has to fight that desire so very hard. Isn’t that a lot like life?
There’s something we desire but we know that we should not have it. It’s like resisting sin. Sin can be so tempting, so attractive, so desirable but we choose not to partake. I like that underlying conflict in her book and I’m looking forward to seeing the movie.
There is nothing wrong with an author writing about what he/she beliefs. It also makes it that much easier to write about. Great job Stephenie! I wish you much success.
posted November 16, 2008 at 3:49 am
Um, there is sex in Twilight. It’s not described, true, but how else would one explain how Bella gets knocked up?
Bella and Edward talk a fair bit about it afterwards, too.
posted November 16, 2008 at 9:39 pm
I really enjoyed all four books. I’m not a teen or tween either. I work at a school and all of us ‘old school marms’ have really enjoyed the books. It has been fun to see the high school students reading these books. For many of them
posted November 17, 2008 at 6:58 am
In response to one poster above, no there is no sex in “Twilight”. There is sex in “Breaking Dawn”, the 4th book in the series and that is only after Edward and Bella get married. That is when she gets pregnant. Perhaps people should actually read the books before commenting on the subject. Stephenie Meyer does a beautiful job reflecting her moral views in her books. Also, I am 29 years old and enjoyed these books meant for young adults immensely. As a convert to the Church without growing up with the morals and beliefs of the Church I find it refreshing that there is a series out there that reflects good morals to the youth of the world.
posted November 17, 2008 at 9:11 am
I loved these books. So much of the anxiety that Bella and Edward feel in these books, has been present in my life, as I grew up in the Church. Thank you, Stephenie, for writing such great books.
posted November 17, 2008 at 10:40 am
I am 68 years old and enjoyed these books immensely. They have an appeal for all ages. I also did not grow up in the LDS church but did join in 1973. It is great to have books that have the appeal without the graphic sex that so many have. The story line shows great insight into human desires and behavior. I recommend them to all of those who want to read an intriguing series.
posted November 17, 2008 at 11:51 am
Does anyone not LDS have a comment?
posted November 17, 2008 at 11:59 am
If you want romance without blantant sex look for the old movies of the 30′s and the 4o’s. There was inference, only, and good always won out. It doesn’t have to be sanctioned by the Mormon Church or any Church to teach good morals. Read Grimms Fairy Tales, and other older books. Our tastes in movies runs to no taste, but it could change if enough people stopped buying tickets. I belong to the Literary Guild, and the books for the most part are violent, and negative stories as they describe them. I never buy them, but there are enough interesting books besides them to read. If this author gives a good story with romance between a man and woman that is good, and she brings a good thing from her Morman background to the public. If she were to desecrate GLBT children with her beliefs in a story that would not be a good thing.
posted November 17, 2008 at 2:49 pm
I’m a 30-something LDS woman who enjoyed the Twilight series immensely (as well as The Host) and didn’t even know the author was LDS until right before the 4th book came out! I think Ms. Meyer did a great job of creating a clean series of books without being at all “preachy” or pushy about her religious beliefs. If I hadn’t found out she was Mormon I never would have guessed.
posted November 18, 2008 at 12:49 am
I’m a 69 year old who read the first two volumes to see what my wife, daughters and granddaughters were reading. I can’t read the last two, because they keep stealing my copies to read them themselves.
Keep up the good work.
posted November 18, 2008 at 8:47 am
I read all 4 books and enjoyed the story but do not think it sends the same moral message as described in the article. From my LDS perpective, I think this book allows other young readers to think they too can get in the same situation as Bella and get too close to the sexual line without going over. This is not true…Edward is over a hundred years old and a vampire…most boys today are in their teens and cannot control their passions as Edward does. I think this sets teenagers up for trouble!
posted November 18, 2008 at 5:36 pm
I could’ve guessed she’d never written before this series of books, they’re horrible. I understand they’re teen lit, but they could stand a few more complex sentences and heavy intervention with a thesaurus.
I couldn’t even finish the series. I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of sex though, much of the vampire lit out there tends to end up reading like erotica….
posted November 20, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Greetings Fellow Twilighters!!!!
“…can be seen in the ways that Meyer has her teenage heroine stand up for marriage and, ultimately, motherhood,” says Jana Riess…,
posted November 24, 2008 at 1:52 am
You have to understand that poorly written or not she has set herself up for so much better and brighter. Having her very first article published and do so well is incredible! Your Name 2 you have to realize that this is not a pornovel. It is a break for those of us who are looking for one. One where the characters aren’t making stupid life decisions and not seeing or portraying the real outcome of STD’s and teen pregnancy. Being Mormon herself, yes she may have gone a little far but the characters, not LDS themselves, show a great deal of self control, something that everyone in this world needs to learn more about.
posted November 24, 2008 at 1:05 pm
I agree with what Kristin wrote: “Edward is over a hundred years old and a vampire…most boys today are in their teens and cannot control their passions as Edward does. I think this sets teenagers up for trouble!” My husband and I are youth leaders at our church. I read these books as the gals in our YG were all aflutter about them. I read some parts to my husband and his response was, “great, another book setting up teenage guys to fail. No teenage boy will be able to compete with the suave, mature, decidedly devoted Edward.” Which is a sad commentary on teenagers today. Though at times I inwardly winced over the “predator” like qualities of Edward toward Bella, I found the books sometimes refreshing and a fun read! With so much junk lit out there today, these books offer something different. The movie was great and did not disappoint.
posted November 25, 2008 at 7:33 pm
“…can be seen in the ways that Meyer has her teenage heroine stand up for marriage and, ultimately, motherhood,” says Jana Riess…
As an avid twilighter I just wanted to say that Bella doesn’t stand up for marriage OR motherhood. Bella, due to her mother’s beliefs about marriage, didn’t want to get married at first. However, Edward (knowing that Bella didn’t want to get married) said that he would change her into a vampire if they got married first, believing that she would say no. Bella did hesitate, and took some time before saying yes.
So I don’t understand how this person can believe that Meyer has Bella stand up for marriage. This person must not have read the series, or paid any attention.
posted November 26, 2008 at 3:35 am
This is all just ridiculous! Who honestly cares?! The majority of Twilight fans could care less about how the series relates to mormonism! It is what it is, an amazing story! Leave it at that and stop trying to pick it apart at the seams. Bella is a normal neurotic character that most teenage girls can relate to. I’m soo overly sick of people trying to pin Twilight down to religion, and criticizing Stephenie for writing about vampires, werewolves, and oh no, not sex too!! Yes, God forbid, a mormon write a book with “sexual tension” and passionate, crazy, headboard-breaking, sex scenes. Seriously people. Give it a rest. Congratulate her on her success and if you have problems with the Twilight series, take them elsewhere, or better yet, keep them to yourselves.
posted December 2, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Twilight has sunk its proverbial teeth into pop culture since the film’s release on Nov. 21. By now, your tweens and teens have probably seen the box-office winner multiple times – and maybe you have, too!
The wildly popular vampire romance is as big a hit with the adult set as it is with kids, and Common Sense Media has plenty of content to help you enjoy Twilight right alongside your kids, including an exclusive, one-on-one video interview with your daughter’s newest crush, Twilight star Robert Pattinson at http://www.commonsensemedia.org
posted December 17, 2008 at 10:16 am
There is a great blog that explores the LDS connection in Twilight. “Twilight Preaches Mormonism”
http://writetools.wordpress.com/2008/11/22/twilight-preaches-mormonism/
posted December 27, 2008 at 8:06 pm
I liked this i guess because i am an lds member as well
posted February 25, 2012 at 6:47 pm
This is exactly why Twilight’s lime light will never shine as bright as Harry Potter’s or Buffy. For this article to even have the nerve to mention those titles, shows the lack of understanding, education and grasp of not only what makes a good film, novel but also the already bullet proof methology behind the vampire genre as is. All Stephanie Myer has done is made a self obbessed bible, that preaches unrealistic relationships, makes woman ffeel ashamed of embraching their sexuality. Not to mention compelety misses the point of a VAMPIRE based film. This film and novel is nothing but a sexist, homophobic and bible bashing film and novel. Even the actors seem ashamed to be in it, all wanting to leave for better and bigger things that actually challenge them. When a novel condomes a woman or girl as Stephanie seems to enjoy refering to herself as, encourges girls who have been heartbroken to jump off a cliff so that her mann will save her, you really have to wonder if she has her morals in the right place. All those teenbobs who like twlight only like it for one reason, which is eye candy, they’re too uneducated to understand the hurtful, dangerous messages that are filling their already impressionable heads. Twlight should be banned, as it sets woman back 100 years, it encourages women to like rough, violent and dangerous men. To become what ever your man is, to confirm to his lifestyle. This is not a book that should be celebrated. It’s something that our sociiety should be ashamed that it’s been even allowed to go this far. She congrad’s herself on being a “good morman girl” the truth of the matter, she has no experience about life, everything she knows comes from a cult and one book. That’s her choice to live that lifestyle but it has no right in the minds and hearts of innocent children.