Kem 1 Kem Kem Caruso English 1102 July 30, 2012 The Allure of Twilight and Harry Potter

It is no doubt that two of the biggest book series turned highly successful movies, the Harry Potter by J.K Rowlings and Twilight by Stephanie Meyers franchises has achieved global widespread fame with a growing fan base. These series are extremely popular within the general youth so much so it is considered a phenomenon. That notion makes one curious as to why it has acclaimed such attention and how it has appealed to our generations youth. The Twilight series revolves around a clumsy, serene, fragile girl named Bella Swan. Bella moves from sunny Arizona to the always wet town of Forks, Washington. There she meets a mysterious boy, Edward Cullen, and falls madly in love with him only to find out that he is a vampire who craves her blood. The whole series revolves around the relationship between Bella and Edward and their journey to be together with a modern fantastic element. The financial success is evident since the first films, Twilight, premiered in novermber 2008. The first book of the series, Twilight has grossed $408.9 million worldwide. The DVD was released on March 21, 2009 and grossed an additional $201 million from sales. (Wikipedia1). The series second book, New Moon grossed in June 2010 $72.7 million on its opening day domestically, $709 Million Worldwide and becoming the biggest single-day opening in domestic history. (Wikipedia1). The third part of the series, Eclipse grossed $653 millions (Wikipedia1) and the first part of the fourth and final part of the series, Breaking Dawn Part 1 internationally grossed $703 millions (Wikipedia1), with part 2 much anticipated release
Beth Caruso 8/1/12 8:03 AM Comment [3]: Remember our discussion. Dont use Wikipedia as a source for facts. Only use it as a source to analyze popular beliefs. Beth Caruso 8/1/12 8:01 AM Comment [2]: What is the reason you found? Beth Caruso 8/1/12 8:01 AM Comment [1]: Separate this sentence into two.

Kem 2 this upcoming November 2012. The numbers are just examples to try to grasp an understanding of the success of the series. Twilights almost entirely female fan base is not surprising and has influenced the success of the franchises. Why does this story appeal so well for its masses of devoted young fans and not to mention their equally immersed mothers? A film critic, Stephan Greydanus, argues in his blog that Meyers vampires are high schools aristocracy, the coolest kids on campus, the clique that everyone wants to get into. (Greydanus1). He sees Twilight as the 21st centurys version of the humble governess who captures the heart of the lord of the manor, (Greydanus1), accommodating to the traditional feminine fantasy of being delivered from obscurity by a dazzling, powerful man. (Greydanus1). The idea of the story written by Meyers sells in modern society because it has the ideal common theme with a modern fantastic twist. The production company Summit Entertainment keeping in mind the prominent female based fans tries to shifts marketing strategies with its third film, Twilight Saga: Eclipse to attract a male audience to widen the audience gap and from a cultural point of view, the media industry doesnt confer cultural legitimacy on texts until they are embraced by men, not just women. (Jackson1). With the latest Twilight film, the marketing of Eclipse highlights a subplot of Stephenie Meyers book that is dark and violent, a ploy to draw male moviegoers. The trailer for Eclipse movie promotes the film prominently as an action movie more so than focusing on the love triangle that is established in the third book of the Twilight series. The Twilight franchise also keeps in mind that the fans want to live in the Twilight universe, (Jackson1). In order to capitalize on another aspect of the series and to draw in more fans while providing some kind of fulfillment for the fans by providing merchandise that supports this fantasy. (Jackson1). For example, fans can purchase soundtracks from the movies
Beth Caruso 8/1/12 8:06 AM Comment [5]: Does this work in something that is already established as having a predominately female audience? Beth Caruso 8/1/12 8:04 AM Comment [4]: Show your reader what this means. You may want to compare it to other sales.

Kem 3 and clothes and jewelry worn by the main character, Bella Swan, and other major characters in the film and books. The characters written by Stephanie Meyer are adored in the book series and the actors that were casted in movies brings those imaginations to life. The book is mostly through the main characters eyes Bella. The reader lives vicariously through her and she is depicted as an average teenage girl a plain jane, which adds a relatable element to the female fans. She is like a vessel that carries the readers throughout the story. The casting choices for Bella Swan are the actress Kristen Stewart and Edward Cullen is Robert Pattinson. The success of the franchise has largely been built on the celebrity of the actors who play the main characters.. (Jackson1). The actor, Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen is an up and coming attractive young actor who has captured the hearts of young girls and their mothers around the world (Wilson56). The masses of female fans have another incentive to invest in the series and fans have an embodiment of the beloved characters (Jackson1). Harry Potter on the other hand is about a boy whose parents died when he was just a baby. Left to live with his cruel Uncle, Aunt and cousin, Harry thinks he is nothing special. But on his eleventh birthday he is informed that he is wizard and sets off for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Once at school he learns that he is the boy who lived (J.K Rowlings) that meaning he is the only person to have survived the killing curse by the antagonist, Lord Voldemort, in the entire world. He also divulges on a quest to defeat the most evil, powerful, and dark wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort, all while trying to fit in at a school where everyone knows his name, and everyone knows everything about him. The financial overview of the success of Harry Potter is relatively comparable to the
Beth Caruso 8/1/12 8:09 AM Comment [10]: This paragraph could have much more weight behind it if you slow down and explain your ideas. Beth Caruso 8/1/12 8:07 AM Comment [6]: They can also apparently go on location and see props from the movie and feel lik they are in the movie.

Beth Caruso 8/1/12 8:07 AM

Comment [7]: This idea and the previous sentence dont seem to connect. Work to connext them, or give these ideas in two different paragraphs.

Beth Caruso 8/1/12 8:08 AM Comment [8]: Try rephrasing this for clarity. Beth Caruso 8/1/12 8:08 AM
Comment [9]: This seems out of place.

Kem 4 Twilight series as evident in the fact that There are 325 million copies of the seven Harry Potter books in print around the world, in 65 languages. The final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," sold 8.3 million copies the first day it was on sale, a publishing record. (Hoover1). The Harry Potter franchise has accrued $21 billion for Warner Bros (Hoover1). The Harry Potter phenomenon finds its profits from a couple of different angles worldwide, from cinematic releases ($3.9 billion), DVD sales ($6.5 billion) and to merchandise sales ($7 billion). The success of the franchise is showed through the numbers of sales thus further clarifying the notion of the series being considered a phenomenon. The novels of Harry Potter draw the readers in, transporting them to a whole new world with its descriptive and fluent writing. JK Rowling, the author of the novels, created a place full of wonders, new languages, new creatures, and thousands of fascinating spells (Robinson1). It is evident that the author has put forth large amounts of details into the setting. The Harry Potter books are fascinating because of their twisting plot, with a great deal of subplots along the way. (Robinson1). Many of the earlier books contain details that may seem insignificant, but really tie into the future plots of the later books. For example before Harry discovers he is a wizard, he has a conversation with a snake at the reptile house while readers believed this to be a normal part of being a wizard. However, in the second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, readers discover that Harry Potter is special among other witches and wizards because it is not common for all wizards to have the ability to talk to snakes. At the same time in the series, some details so subtle, that most readers don't recognize them, for example like the fact that the way to get into the Ministry of Magic is pressing 62442, which spells "magic" on a phone. (Robinson1). A fan from the series interviewed by The New York Times Jacob Kogan, who is going
Beth Caruso 8/1/12 8:12 AM Comment [14]: Show your reader why these ideas matter and end the paragraph with a reference back to your main idea. Beth Caruso 8/1/12 8:12 AM
Comment [15]: See comment 8.

Beth Caruso 8/1/12 8:09 AM Comment [11]: Italicize book titles.

Beth Caruso 8/1/12 8:10 AM Comment [12]: Try varying your sentence structure or giving transitions in this paragraph to make your sentences more cluid and less choppy.

Beth Caruso 8/1/12 8:11 AM Comment [13]: Why does this matter to an audience?

Kem 5 into the seventh grade in New York City, plays the main character in the movie Joshua (Editors of The New York Times1). Kogan claims, It's not just that Harry's world is so intricately woven and strewn with perfect details. It's more than pertinent politics, universal themes and modern morals. I think we love "Harry Potter" because Harry's universe is filled with the heavy, strong and close relationships that we genetically crave, but find it quite difficult to actually participate in these days. (Kogan). Those relationships appeal to our society and our children. Rowling's divulges on a popular theme in the story not only the battle of good vs. evil but explaining the theme of friends, love and community (Kogan). The author of the books sells a story that is envious and relatable with an element of fantasy to its young readers. In a general sense, the vast majority of children, anybody in those prepubescent years, have a limited literary sensibility due to age and lack of experience. In that respect, not only children and readers of the Harry Potter and Twilight franchises will flock to the pop culture mainstream pool to test the waters. That notion is evident in the overview of the success of Stephenie Meyer and J.K Rowling. Some would argue, The Twilight series is cack-handed in execution, bereft of originality, ludicrous in its plots and yet lapped up by hordes and made into box-office-breaking films. (Womack1) And that The later Harry Potter novels are overlong and have a misguided attachment to adverbs, but they fill every shelf in the country. (Womack1). These are opinions of other a writer, who offer a less than admirable perspective on the franchises, but one still cant ignore the global success the franchises has achieved. However, either with a book geared toward children or adults the author needs to make the domestic and normal come under threat (Womack1). J.K Rowling and Meyers instruments the idea of taking normal everyday life into something more interesting and enthralling and sometimes dangerous in a skillful manner. For example, Suburbia becomes haunted by spectral,

Beth Caruso 8/1/12 8:13 AM Comment [16]: Why does this matter and why is it quoted?

Kem 6 cloaked Death Eaters, while London hides hidden horrors and wonders (Womack1). Meyer, in Twilight, creates the dreary towns of eastern America into places throbbing with epic battles between vampire clans. (Womack1). One could understand the concept of how children and adults can become allured on the idea of living dangerously and excitingly with the removal of protective layers. The appeal of the two franchises conveys the similar conflict between good and evil with a fantastic element. In Harry Potter, how it is patently clear that Harry is the hero, Voldemort is the villain, and the on-going struggle between them is the main focus of the plot throughout the entire series. While in Twilight, Bella Swan is the heroine and she is in a constant battle between fantastic creatures, who wants to kill her. It is appealing for adolescents looking for some quality fantastic entertainment because the simple good versus evil conflict is apparent and straightforward. Not only is the clash between good and evil central to many works of literature, but it is arguably a fundamental aspect of human culture in general (Robinson1). Every conflict contains elements of good and evil because otherwise it wouldnt be considered a conflict. From religion to war to politics, everything people believe and do comes down to our concept and definition of what is good and what isnt (Robinson1). It seems only obvious in that conclusion that we are naturally drawn towards stories of Harry Potter and Twilight because they are a simple model of the recurrent conflict between good and evil. The Harry Potter by J.K Rowlings and Twilight by Stephanie Meyers franchises has achieved global widespread fame. These series are extremely popular within the general youth so much so it is considered a phenomenon. Both series contain an exciting fantastic element which and conveys the theme of removing a protective layer from ones lives and a prominent

Kem 7 solid idea of good versus evil. They offer a new form of entertainment and developed into a new world of its own created by the authors and phenomenon, from Harry Potters wizarding magical world to Meyers love story involving beautiful vampires in Forks, Washington. Either the series are highly acclaimed or ridicule, the success and fame achieved over the years are record breaking thus it is considered a phenomenon in our current pop culture.
Beth Caruso 8/1/12 8:19 AM Comment [17]: Kem,
You have a strong paper here, and you certainly have a great deal of information to back up your ideas. However, as you work to revise, Id like you to use your sources, not as a crutch, but as a gateway to the larger conversation you are working with. When you do give your ideas about the quotes you use, they are very short and to the point without showing the reader exactly how you arrived at that point. Work to tease out these conversations so your reader can see the path, not just the final determination. Also, you mentioned in your memo that you were having trouble in your conclusion. If you read back through your paper and come to the conclusion, you will find that the rest of the paper has a very different tone, since you are more specific. Try bringing in some of those specifics to recount your points for your reader, rather than just giving a general ending. Let me know if youd like help on that. Conclusions can be very difficult to manage sometimes. Im looking forward to seeing what youll revise in the portfolio! -Ms. C

MLA: Be sure to look over the MLA handout for the date format, spacing between paragraphs, and the format for the Works Cited page itself. Also, you do not need to include the urls for your websites. 2 days late

Kem 8 Citations: "A Round Table on Harry Potter." THE NEW YORK TIMES. Ed. New York Times. THE NEW YORK TIMES, 12 Aug. 2007. Web. Greydanus, Steven D. "Twilight Appeal: The Cult of Edward Cullen and Vampire Love in Stephenie Meyers Novels and the New Film." Twilight Appeal: The Cult of Edward Cullen and Vampire Love. N.p., n.d. Web. July 2012. <http://www.decentfilms.com/articles/twilight>. Hoover, Bob. "Harry Potter a Classic? Successful? No Doubt." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 July 2012. <http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/ae/books/harry-potter-aclassic-successful-no-doubt-493393/>. Jackson, Kelsey. "News Bureau." MU. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2012. <http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2010/0624-the-twilight-saga-mu-researchersrelease-book-on-twilight/>. Pearson, Amanda. "Behind the Twilight Phenomenon." - Social Media in PR. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2012. <http://blog.iup.edu/socialmediapr/2010/05/behind-the-twilightphenomenon.html>. Robinson, Lizzy. "Why Is Harry Potter So Popular?" : The Academy Road. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 July 2012. <http://www.theacademyroad.com/arts-entertainment/2010/11/19/why-isharry-potter-so-popular/>. Wilson, Natalie. Seduced By Twilight: The Allure And Contradictory Messages Of The Popular Saga. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2011. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 13 July 2012.

Kem 9 "The Twilight Saga (film Series)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, July 2012. Web. July 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twilight_Saga_%28film_series%29>. Womach, Phillip. "Twilight Saga: How to Write a Children's Best-seller." The Telegraph. N.p., 24 June 2010. Web. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/twilight/7852308/TwilightSaga-how-to-write-a-childrens-best-seller.html>.