Midnight Sun
Midnight Sun (2020) is a fantasy literature novel by the American author Stephenie Meyer, creator of the popular tetralogy Twilight. Although this title was published more than a decade after the last launch of the saga (Amanecer, 2008), could well be read in second order if the chronology of the series is considered.
The reason? Well, Midnight Sun —Original name in English— reviews the events of the first installment, Twilight (2005), from the perspective of Edward Cullen, the co-star. In this sense, it should be remembered that the four main books of the series are related from the point of view of Bella Swan, the protagonist.
Midnight Sun
Background
Stephenie Meyer knew how to make a name for herself outside the youthful vampire universe with two publications whose themes were quite different from each other. The first was The host (2008), a science fiction novel about an alien invasion. Also, The Host (in English) led the best-selling ranking of the New York Times for 26 weeks and was successfully taken to the cinema in 2013.
In 2016 appeared Chemistry, a thriller with good editorial numbers (albeit with mixed reviews). Nevertheless, Midnight Sun was always present in Meyer's mind, despite having given up publishing it after the leak of the first chapters in 2008. But, in the words of the connected author, her followers "did not let her give up" until its release.
Differences between Twilight y Midnight Sun
According to Sarabeth Pollock (2020) of the portal Fansided, Midnight Sun corrected some argumentative doubts left by Twilight. This is because Meyer was a debuting writer in 2005. Instead, in this book she demonstrates the growth of 15 years of literary experience.
Therefore, Midnight Sun is a more interesting book, despite its many dialogues and scenes similar to those of Twilight. In fact, in most reviews they state that Midnight Sun it is even more exciting, even though it is more extensive. That is, its 658 pages represent 160 more pages compared to the text narrated by Bella.
The other side of the story
With Midnight Sun, avid Meyer fans were finally able to see Edward Cullen's perspective as he fell in love with Bella Swan. Therefore, the book presents some news regarding coexistence within the Cullen family. Similarly, the text describes in detail the way of thinking and the decision-making process of the bloodsucking protagonist.
While the vampire's appearance is equally that of an 18-year-old, his thinking shows a very deep level of maturity. Actually, Edward's mentality is a logical consequence of his true age (104). Accordingly, the American writer took the opportunity to provide the story with more complex, sophisticated and less innocent lines than those narrated by Bella.
A legion of satisfied fans
Edward's way of thinking — explicit and incisive — quickly catches his readers, regardless of whether they already know the ending beforehand. On the other hand, one of the obvious dissimilarities is the presence of quite bloody images. Therefore, unlike Twilight, Midnight Sun It is not a juvenile literature degree; It is a full-blown adult book.
About the author
Childhood and studies
Stephenie Morgan, known on the literary scene as Stephenie Meyer, was born on December 24, 1973 in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. She lived most of her childhood together with her parents and five siblings in Phoenix, Arizona. Already as a teenager, stood out for his grades (he even won a national award) at Scottsdale's Chaparral High School.
In subsequent interviews, Meyer stated that her upbringing was heavily marked by the Puritan influence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After graduating from high school, she entered Brigham Young University in Utah, where she graduated in 1997 with a degree in English Philology.
Marriage and the beginning of his literary career
After obtaining her bachelor's degree, the future writer considered becoming a lawyer, but changed her mind after giving birth to the first of her three children, Gabe. All of them have been the result of his marriage (1994) with Christian Meyer. That way, influenced by literati like Charlotte Brontë, LM Montgomery and Shakespeare, Meyer began his journey into letters (for personal enjoyment only).
The Twilight Saga
According to Stephenie Meyer, the story between thirsty vampire of blood that falls in love with a human had its genesis in mid-2003. When she — persuaded by her sister — sent the manuscript of Twilight to fifteen publishing houses. In principle, it was ignored by five of them and rejected by nine. But one person did respond: Jodi Reamer, Writers House rep.
Impact on pop culture
The publishing rights of Twilight they were auctioned among eight publishers. Eventually, Meyer settled with Little, Brown, and Company in exchange for $ 750.000 for the release of the first three volumes. The rest is history: a franchise with more than one hundred million copies sold and translated into 37 languages.
Main books of the saga
- Twilight (2005)
- New Moon (2006)
- Eclipse (2007)
- Amanecer (2008)
Other titles linked to tetralogy
- The second life of Bree Tanner (2010)
- Twilight Saga: Official Illustrated Guide (2011)
- Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined (2015)
- Midnight Sun (2020)
Movies
The five successful film adaptations - starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson - based on the four main books in the series, have produced stratospheric profits. Just the first movie (2008) grossed $ 407 million in the US alone., With a budget of US $ 37 million!
Twilight and the massification of adolescent paranormal romance
In fact, the "paranormal romance" is a contemporary version of the gothic novel. It is a type of narrative founded by the works of Gautier (Death in love, 1836), Poe (Ligeia, 1838) and Stoker (Dracula, 1898). In the XNUMXth century, Gaston Leroux (The Phantom of the Opera, 1910) and Anne Rice (Interview with the Vampire, 1976), are probably its most prominent representatives.
Later, authors such as Alice Norton, Christine Feehan or JR Ward, among others, began to use young protagonists within this type of narrative. However, the irruption of Twilight turned teenage paranormal romance into a pop phenomenon, with legions of fans around the world. It has also influenced some emerging writers. Between them:
- Maggie Stiefvater, creator of the saga Tremor
- Cate Tiernan, series author Sweep and Balefire