I've been reading a lot of comments from people who seem to loathe everything about the Twilight series and its fans, and I have to say I'm having a little difficulty understanding why. While I'm not a possessed fangirl, I did love the books and have yet to hear a strong argument as to why they're so terrible. There are plenty of negative comments ranging from "Edward is a pedophile" to "Stephenie Meyer can't write", but nothing I've heard or read has rung true to me. There are so many vicious remarks circulating, I doubt I will be able to remember, and thus respond to, all of them, but I'd like to address at least a few of them here.
Firstly, Edward is a pedophile. While technically this could be considered a truth due to his chronological age, I have to disagree; Edward was bitten at seventeen and thus frozen, mentally and physically, in the state in which he was turned. He may have more knowledge and experience than most seventeen year olds, but he's really just as he was when Carlisle bit him.
Stephenie Meyer can't write. Aside from the phenomenal success that says she is at least able to put a sentence together, I think the idea that someone "can" or "can't" write is a matter of opinion. You may like certain styles of writing that another person doesn't particularly care for, and that's fine, but you have to respect that. Nobody has the same taste in music, food, books, or even other people; if you're going to put someone down for being drawn to something you happen to hate, it only looks bad on you.
It wasn't love, it was lust. I'll admit, Bella definitely showed interest in Edward physically, but you skipped large sections of the book if you think it was that simple. When Bella first became involved with Edward she actually told her "friend" Jessica that, as amazing as Edward was to look at, behind the face he was even more amazing, and over the course of the story Bella put herself in considerable danger to keep him safe. Would you die for lust? I didn't think so. Now, if you want to argue that she didn't know him well enough to be in love, I can understand that, but once again disagree. While I don't believe in love at first sight (that would be considered lust) I do believe in the possibility of a connection or sense of magnetism that makes you want to know the other person and care about them. Bella and Edward both felt that for each other, and, you have to remember, everything is supposed to be heightened by a supernatural element. We don't have vampires in reality, so we can't really compare what they're feeling to normal relationships.
Edward stalked her. Once again, a supernatural story can't be compared to the real world. Yes, in real life if your boyfriend watches you sleep or secretly follows you everywhere, something is seriously wrong, but Edward is a vampire and all the characters are living in a significantly different place. If any haters have read Midnight Sun, they would see some of the thoughts behind Edward's actions and know he wasn't a delusional head-case. Part of the reason he kept an eye on her, while sleeping for example, was he never slept and was fascinated by her dreaming. He wanted to know everything about her and loved her to an extent that made it painful for him to be away from her. He never peeped at her getting dressed (in his own words he would "never treat her so crassly") and if anything became a sort of guardian for her, laying extra blankets over her when she shivered and protecting her from other supernatural beings.
Edward cut Bella off from her best friend (Jacob). In real life this is a sign of an unhealthy relationship, but in this scenario Edward actually has a reason. Bella is the most important person in his life, and as such he wants to do everything in his power to keep her from harm. Werewolves are notorious for having hot tempers, and this fact is proven at least a few times throughout the book. Emily's scar is an excellent example of a werewolf not wanting to, but causing, physical harm due to loss of control. Of course Edward felt jealousy for Jacob, it's only natural, but his reason for keeping Bella away was slightly more noble. On a side note, he does eventually reunite them and despite having the capacity to rip a pup like Jacob to shreds, he doesn't, knowing that would only cause Bella emotional pain. Pretty selfless.
Edward wanted to force Bella into an abortion. Four words: to save her life. Having no previous records of vampire/human offspring ending well, and Bella being biased as the mother (not to mention self-sacrificing), of course he wanted to push her towards an abortion. Any medical doctor, or father, in today's world would recommend aborting a pregnancy if it meant the mother wouldn't die and that's as it should be. Bella could have had more children, but nothing would have been able to bring her back from the dead. Of course it was her right to say no, but if everyone remembers, she did and Renesmee was in fact born.
Edward blackmails Bella into marriage. This is true, but it's not that simple. Edward wanted to marry Bella, but he also knew that she was opposed to marriage. What she wanted was to be turned into a vampire, and, perhaps more importantly, for him to do it. What he wanted was for her to remain herself, as unaffected as possible by the monster he felt he was, for as long as possible. Using the only bargaining tool he had, he told her that he would turn her, but only if she married him. This was supposed to buy her more time as a human; there was absolutely nothing ill-intending about it.
Lastly, Edward threatened suicide. True, but not to make her do anything, like stay with him, which is an unfortunate reality for many couples in an abusive relationship. The only reason he would kill himself, or find a way to be killed, would be if she was dead. He didn't want to be in a world where she didn't exist, and neither would she if the roles were reversed. Maybe this seems extreme; in our reality it certainly would be, but for the final time, this is a story. Twilight is about a supernatural love above and beyond what normally happens in our everyday lives, which is why we like it so much, and at the end of the day it's here for our entertainment.
Enjoy the action, plot twists and romance or don't, I don't really care, but please don't bash me for finding enjoyment in them or make unresearched arguments because you're sick of a popular obsession. All the fandom would really appreciate it.