When Stephenie Meyer's first novel, Twilight, was published in 2005, it had an astounding reception, selling millions of copies. The three sequels that followed-New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn-became international bestsellers as well. The worldwide success of the movie adaptations further cemented the series as a cultural force on par with other popular franchises such as Harry Potter. But why is this? What is it about Twilight that makes it so appealing to people? And what does Twilight's success reveal about transnational cultural trends?In The Twilight Saga: Exploring the Global Phenomenon, Claudia Bucciferro has assembled a collection of essays that examine the series from a variety of perspectives. The essays in this volume consider both the books and the movies, emphasizing the relationships among the texts, the audience, the entertainment industry, and other aspects of the multimillion-dollar franchise. Organized into five sections, the chapters offer a contextualization of the series' appeal, explore different types of Twilight audiences, analyze the cultural referents associated with the main characters, and present new ideas regarding representations of gender, sex, class, and race. Concluding essays examine the saga's influence, unveiling its links to newer works such as The Hunger Games, True Blood, and Fifty Shades of Grey.Making sense of how the popular franchise fits within larger contexts, this collection addresses Twilight from an interdisciplinary framework, including insights from history, philosophy, literature, sociology, fan studies, intercultural communication, film studies, and more. Featuring contributions by scholars from the United States, France, Spain, Chile, and Australia, this book emphasizes the international and intercultural relevance of the Twilight phenomenon. The collection is aimed at scholars and students of media and popular culture, but it will also appeal to general readers who are familiar with the series.

AcknowledgmentsIntroductionClaudia Bucciferro, EditorI. Contextualizing Twilight's Appeal1. Mythic Themes, Archetypes, and Metaphors: The Foundations of Twilight's Cross-Cultural AppealClaudia Bucciferro2. Manifest Destiny Forever: The Twilight Saga, History, and a Vampire's American DreamMichelle Maloney-Mangold3. Reading Twilight: Fandom, Romance, and Gender in the Age of BellaBarbara Chambers and Robert PeasleeII. Twilight Audiences4. "Twilight Moms" and the "Female Midlife Crisis": Life Transitions, Fantasy, and FandomLaura K. Dorsey-Elson5. Twilight and Twitter: An Ethnographic StudyMichelle Groover6. Twilight Anti-fans: "Real" Fans and "Real" VampiresVictoria GodwinIII. Characters and Their Cultural Referents7. Renesmee as (R)omantic Child: A Glimpse into Bella and Edward's Fairy Tale CottageLisa Nevárez8. Isabella Swan: A Twenty-First Century Victorian Heroine?Gaïane Hanser9. "Doesn't He Own a Shirt?": Rivalry and Masculine Embodiment in TwilightNicole WillmsIV. Issues of Gender, Sex, Class, and Race in Twilight10. Chastity, Power, and Delayed Gratification: The Lure of Sex in the Twilight SagaBrynn Buskirk11. Alice, Bella, and Economics: Financial Security and Class Mobility in TwilightPaul Lucas12. "I Know What You Are": A Philosophical Look at Race, Identity, and Mixed-Blood in the Twilight UniverseMichelle BernardV. Beyond the Twilight Universe13. Mainstream Monsters: The Otherness of Humans in Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, and True BloodEmma Somogyi and Mark David Ryan14. Individuality and Collectivity in The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and TwilightLisa Weckerle15. From Twilight to Fifty Shades of Grey: Fan Fiction, Commercial Culture, and Grassroots CreativitySonia Baelo-AlluéClosing ThoughtsClaudia BucciferroIndexAbout the Editor and Contributors