And so it would appear that Twilight has made its way onto required reading lists for UQ Arts students this year. I suspect it is for the course MORM1000: Contemporary Mormonism & Vampires.
It’s actually required reading for the Gothic Literature class I was thinking of taking. Way to go UQ! Aim for the stars!
You have GOT to be kidding me…
I have to say I’m pretty bemused by some of the unearned and ignorant snark on display here. In what way is Twilight NOT an extremely culturally significant development of the Gothic mode in contemporary literature? Gothic literature has always been treated as trash by the elite. It’s frequently had perplexing connections to particular religious movements (Catholicism, originally, and now Mormonism). It’s always had problematic attitudes towards sexuality and gender relations.
So what if it’s rubbish? Lots of stuff that’s worth researching and talking about is bad in some way. Do you think nutritionists who study saturated fat-heavy diets are really in it to eat a lot of MacDonalds? Well, some probably are.
Signed, an ex-cultural studies postgraduate who knows quite a few of the people who have taught this course.
