Quote:
Originally Posted by Dimwit
Then Meyer hit gold by going for the tween market.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze
Vampires have gotten wearisome because the Twilight books sanitized them.
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Vampires haven't become "sanitized;" the original threat of STDs (and a lack of understanding about disease and death) that spawned them has been replaced by a purely social trope, the Social Outcast-slash-Bad Boy who must be brought into the popular social circles, or used as a vehicle to escape the selfsame social circles.
This, as has become obvious, was a perfect vehicle to catch the eye of YA, a traditionally socially-troubled group that struggles to find their place in the world as they mature. And as love is often seen as a reward for finding that place and maturity, the romantic angle of vampires, the prospect of "taming the Bad Boy" and surviving the unhealthy love (back to STDs, which are now considered "conquered" or at least "under control" by New World youth), was icing on the cake.
This suggests that this trope can be transferred to other characters/caricatures, something less fantasy and more grounded in the elements of life that will become important to YA as they mature into collegiates, workers and spouses. (With the current economy as it is, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Drifter, the Unrealistic Entrepreneur or the Con Man capturing the interests of maturing YA down the line.)