Palimpsest

Just like a superhero fantasy in which a man gets to kick the villains out of existence, Bella gets to will the monstrous consequences of patriarchy into the ether.

And here’s why that’s such a hard lure to resist for readers. All the potential horrors that Meyer conjures up are actual fears women face: being shamed or hurt because of our own desires, being raped, death and deformity in childbirth, our bodies and their needs leaving us vulnerable. The greatest magic of Twilight is that for the duration of its pages, Meyer makes those fears seem groundless.

Twilight creates a world where women yearn for the oppression of patriarchs. The changes in the world created by the introduction of fantastical elements, makes patriarchal values seem logical and practical.