Abstract
Over the last five years, the Twilight franchise has sold one hundred million books, generated nearly $1.8 billion in ticket sales, and engrossed millions of readers. Amongst these readers: adult feminist women. Yet these texts promote regressive understandings of romance, sexuality, and the place of patriarchy, forming what Elena Levine has termed a “postfeminist fantasy.” Indeed, the stunning success of the texts form one of the most striking manifestations of postfeminist culture in recent years. This article thus questions: exactly what sort of pleasures are feminist women deriving from Twilight? Instead of simply theorizing feminists' relation to Twilight, I sought out two dozen self-identified adult feminists for their own thoughts on their attraction to, submersion within, and problems with the text. Organizing responses around Elizabeth Cowie's theorization of fantasy, the pleasures of “girl reading,” ambivalence, and affirmation of the feminist project, the article elucidates the distinct pleasures proffered by a postfeminist text. At the same time, it argues that the range of feminist responses to Twilight—from those who decry the text to those who enjoy it—underscores the difficulties and divisions confronting feminism today.
Published Version
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