Wednesday, October 3, 2012
I must be getting old...
In class today, while we were discussing "Younger Women" by Karen Joy Fowler, a funny thing occurred to me. We talked about how this story made us think of Twilight and the way the vampires, despite their immortality and awesomeness, choose to lurk around high school and date young, vulnerable teenage girls. I thought about the way I was in high school and how it never occurred to me when I first read the Twilight series that it was completely weird for a vampire who had been around for almost a century to want to date a junior in high school. Now, in my early twenties and much more mature (I like to think) than a teenager, I found myself hoping the vampire would go for the mom, instead. While reading "Younger Women", it did seem strange for him to date the daughter. As "old" as he was, you wouldn't think he would be able to put up with the girl's brattiness and immaturity. I wonder if I had read this story back in high school, if I would have felt the same way or found myself siding with the teenage girl, instead.
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The story made me worry about how I'm going to deal with my eventual hypothetical teenage children. I KNOW I'm getting old.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it had to do with the way that the stories were set up, also. Twilight never questions the age disparity, whereas the story directly asks why the vampire would want to date a teenage girl. I'm sure the age difference helps. But sometimes I'll accept or question things if the story does.
ReplyDeleteI remember thinking that the whole "immortal vampire in high school" situation was bizarre when I read Twilight, and this story brought up the same thought. I hate the idea of going back to my high school to visit, let alone repeating it for all eternity. What I found most strange about "Younger Women" and Twilight- honestly, with most stories involving vampires- is that none of the characters run away screaming when they find out someone is a vampire. Traditionally, vampires are absolutely terrifying, and yet that doesn't seem to be a deterrent. Hello, people, they survive by drinking human blood! Seriously, though, if it ever came down to it, I'd rather have to deal with vampires a la Buffy the Vampire Slayer than the ones from "Younger Women" and Twilight. Real vampires don't sparkle or go to high school.
ReplyDeleteI always find myself assuming that the stories that include vampires where people are totally fine with inviting vampires over for dinner and such are set in a reality where vampires have been uncovered and have convinced people that they aren't horrible creatures and just want to fit in. Personally, the love stories about vampires are not giving vampires the credit they deserve as scary halloween monsters. I think it's more entertaining for them to be fear-invoking monsters rather than potential boyfriends, haha.
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