“Twilight” fan Rebecca Neris thinks the vampire book series will live long after the movie versions are finished.
The Lane Tech junior believes teens from this generation will show the books to their grandchildren. In the meantime, she isn’t embarrassed to show her appreciation for author Stephenie Meyer and everything “Twilight.”
“I’ve had hoodies made, I’ve had T-shirts made, buttons custom-made … I have posters in my room,” she said. “I have pillowcases. I’ve memorized quotes from the book. It’s really easy to be obsessed with it.”
Neris hopes to be one of the first to see “New Moon,” the second film in the series, when it hits theaters Friday. With all the excitement surrounding Meyer’s saga, both teens and literary experts have shown interest in comparing “Twilight” to the other legendary series of this generation, “Harry Potter.”
Though the “Harry Potter” book series ended with the release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows” in 2007, J.K. Rowling fans are still as passionate about the happenings at Hogwarts as they were during Harry’s 1997 debut. However, with the release of “New Moon,” more teens may be overlooking Harry, “the boy who lived,” to explore the world of Edward, “the boy who sparkles.”
While many fans defend their positions, consensus has yet to be reached on which series is better and which will withstand the test of time.
Many agree that the greatest difference between the two series is the writing of the authors.
According to Jim Blasingame, 2010’s president of the Assembly of Literature for Adolescents, one of Rowling’s strengths is her ability to create an entirely new world.
“I think she knows how to spin a good tale.” he said. “Our own schools are boring. We get tater tots for lunch, and Mrs. McGillicuddy puts up the vocabulary words for the week. Hogwarts is a school, but instead of getting a wax tray with an embalmed frog on it, they get wands and cast spells.”
On the other hand, Blasingame said what makes “Twilight’s” vampire love story stand out is Meyer’s ability to identify with young adults.
“Everyone has high school crushes, and it feels like that person has supernatural power over you,” he said. “She [Meyer] understands how to articulate young love in a modern setting.”
While there are many views on which series is better, numbers favor “Harry Potter.” While 8.3 million copies of the final “Potter” novel were sold within 24 hours of its release, 1.3 million copies of the final “Twilight” novel sold on its first day, according to USA Today. Meanwhile, the first “Potter” movie grossed $317 million domestically in 2001. The first “Twilight” movie, released last year, earned $191 million in the U.S., according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Web site.
Meanwhile, Andrew Medlar, a youth materials specialist at the Chicago Public Library, said “Twilight” has a better chance of feeling outdated over time.
“[Rowling] was pretty good at not having a lot of pop culture references,” he said, “She’s not talking about iPods or cell phones, something that in 20 years people will think of as an antique.”
When it comes to teens, loyalties are divided. Edessa David, a Northside junior, feels Rowling’s tales of wizardry are better and that in the future, nobody will remember “Twilight.”
“Everyone who hasn’t been living under a rock all their life knows what ‘Harry Potter’ is,” she said.
” ‘Twilight,’ however, is just another passing phase. We are all caught up in the hype of the movies and the icons [such as] Robert Pattinson, that we don’t realize this story isn’t really as good as we keep saying it is.”
Others disagree. Aside from the attractive actors and excessive media coverage, Mary Cardenas, a sophomore at Von Steuben, believes “Twilight” captures readers attention and never loosens its grip.
“I have never been a ‘Harry Potter’ fan,” Cardenas said. “I tried reading the first chapter, but it was just so long and boring. ‘Twilight’ was so straight and to-the-point. There’s no sugar-coating.”
However, some experts are taking sides. Amanda Cockrell, director of graduate programs in children’s literature at Virginia’s Hollins University, read “Twilight” but won’t pick up the sequels.
“Nothing except gunpoint would get me to read the rest of them,” she said.
Cockrell said Meyer wrote standard romance novels with predictable plots. She prefers the excitement of learning how Rowling’s wizards interact while making our modern world their own.
” ‘Twilight’ is simplistic,” she said. “That plot with the dangerous hero who doesn’t want to fall in love with her because he knows she’ll get hurt, and she somehow bravely wins him over — it doesn’t go on. It’s been done … and it’s been done better.”
Even though both series have ended, movie versions are still being released. The final “Potter” movies are set for release in November 2010 and July 2011. The third “Twilight” movie is scheduled to hit theaters on June 30.
Rob Vaux, a California-based film critic, said while people may have been satisfied with the “Twilight” film, it will take more for the movies to make a lasting impact.
” ‘Twilight’ speaks more specifically to young adults … who have never seen vampires before. It’s a little hipper and cooler,” he said. “To stand the test of time, a movie has to have more than that. It has to look at things in a larger context.”
Sean Dolan, a Homewood-Flossmoor sophomore, feels the Potter films do that.
“The movies pay good homage to the books,” he said.
Meanwhile, “Twilight” fan Neris was disappointed with the first film. She said trailers for “New Moon” make her hopeful that it will be better.
“The quality’s better, it looks more real and it’s faster-paced,” she said.
Only time may tell whether “Twilight” and “Harry Potter” will stand beside “The Lord of the Rings” and “Star Wars” as pop-culture classics. In the meantime, many are eager to take sides in the rivalry.
“I can’t be mean about the whole ‘Harry Potter’ thing because I respect the fact that they love ‘Harry Potter’ as much as we love ‘Twilight,’ ” Cardenas said. “Let them [wave] their wands and have their capes. I just wish they would join the ‘Twilight’ tribe.”
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Who is the queen of teens?
“Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer and “Harry Potter” author J. K. Rowling seem to captivate teens. Both have sold millions of books and flooded theaters, but who has a lock on fans? — TheMash
STEPHENIE MEYER
Born: Dec. 24, 1973 (age 35)
Status: Married, three children
Hometown: Hartford, Conn.
How she invented it: She had a dream about a girl who met a vampire in the woods, according to the Hartford Courant. The vampire loved her, but wanted her blood, too.
Books in the series: Four
Total books sold: More than 70 million copies
Earnings: $50 million in 2008, according to Forbes.
Source: Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Hartford Courant, New York Times, Forbes, USA Today
J.K. ROWLING
Born: July 31, 1965 (age 44)
Status: Married, three children
Hometown: Chipping Sodbury, England
How she invented it: The idea popped into her head during a delayed train ride to London. “Harry appeared utterly, fully formed — like he walked into my head,” Rowling said, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Books in the series: 7
Total books sold: More than 400 million copies
Earnings: $300 million in 2007, according to Forbes, which reported in March that she was worth $1 billion.
