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Laura Owen
Taught at McNeil for 10 years Sponsored Book Club Co-Organizer of Breaking Dawn book
release party at Borders Read Breaking Dawn 4 times (and, yes, it’s annotated) Have read everything Ms. Meyer’s has
written Moderator for TwilightMoms.com
Fairy Tale – The Magic Circleby Donna Jo Napoli
Fractured Fairytales –Traditional story with twists.
Hansel and Gretel- two lost childrenThe candy cottage – built in memory
of her daughterEnchanted Mice and Spiders, WitchesGood vs. Evil, right vs. wrong
Myth: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Center of Conflict: Gods’ affairs with mortals
Plot: Hero’s Quest to save world, but also to find himself along the way
Setting:Best Modern American rendezvous with
Aphrodite? Lotus eaters—Las Vegas casino arcadeMyth to explain the Los Angeles earthquakes &
riots Characters:
Perseus is hero, has helpers on questHow would Medusa or Ares best blend in
modern society?
Classics/Shakespeare —The Twilight Saga
by Stephenie Meyer
Twilight = Pride and PrejudiceNew Moon = Romeo & JulietEclipse = Wuthering HeightsBreaking Dawn = Merchants of
Venice & A Midsummer’s Night Dream
The Saga = Jane Eyre
In Breaking Dawn, the much anticipated finale to the best
selling Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer continues toexplore her themes of love and free will, as Bella
andEdward’s love story matures toward matrimony and
Bella isinducted deeper into the secretive vampire world.
Bella’slife continues to be threatened in the Cullen’s on-
goingfeuds with the Quileute tribe werewolves and the
vampireroyalty Volturi. Set in the fairy tale forests of
today’s Forks,Washington, this modern fantasy’s surprising twists
explorethe meaning of the modern family with scenes
whichinclude honeymoon innuendos, birthing scenes, and
averbal battle of wits (symbolized by the chess board
jacketart).
The humor provided by Jacob, Emmett, and Rose balances the
tension and drama, keeping the book from becoming dark.
Divided into three books, each told from a different perspective,
the plot, pacing and voice are different from the previous novels.
Bella’s heightened senses are reflected with the author’s use of
greater imagery. The book is full of allusions to the previous
books in the series, bringing many threads together. Furthermore,
the book is loosely based on Shakespeare’s plays A Midsummer
Night’s Dream and Merchant of Venice. Each book starts with a
quote focused on the theme and a short suspenseful scene based
on the book’s main conflict. The first and third books contain a
table of contents, while the middle book exists as a book within a
book.
Respect is given to the Native American tribes andtolerance for differences is appreciated. Questions of
justice areexplored as Edward and Jacob grow into their roles as
men andleaders. A burgeoning list of characters (vampires andwerewolves) appears in the appendix to help readers
keep trackof the players. As Bella tackles more mature issues in
this novel,the appropriate reading level should be older teens and
adults. Overall, the reader gets many series questions answered
and, with Edward and Jacob at her side, Bella awakens to her
trueself as she finds her place in this world.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Misdirection: which couples are going to wind up together at the end?
Power couples: all the major players are matched up
Hermia and her lover Lysander By choosing Lysander over Demetrius (her
father’s choice), she chooses deathMust fight against the natural order to be
together Demetrius chooses Hermia’s second,
Helena by magical means
MSND, cont’dHyppolyta – Queen of the AmazonsSetting – mythical woodlandComedic Twin to Tragedy Romeo
and JulietBottums’ Play-within-the-Play,
Pyramus and Thisbe
Play within the Play Pack is torn apart by
injustice Monster Baby is root Unlikely pairing: Leah
and Jacob Jacob rises to alpha Jacob uses loopholes Jacob doesn’t deny
Sam’s right Rosalie shields Bella Leah’s grand speech 17 Werewolves New Love: Jacob/Nessie
• Covens’ Volturi loyalty is torn apart by injustice • Immortal Child is root• Unlikely pairing: Rosalie and Bella• Edward rises to Alpha• Edward uses wordplay/wit• Edward doesn’t deny Aro’s right• Bella shields Cullens• Garrett’s grand speech• 19 Cullen Supporters• New Love: Garrett/Kate
Merchant of VenicePortia-Bella connection
Female EmpowermentIn cognito
Motifs: Greed/Lawyers: Moneylender and J.
JenksPower: Shylock’s “Pound of Flesh” and
Aro’s JewelsWord Play wins the day
Questions/Comments
What type of book do you like?Fairy tales, Mythical Quests, Classics
Questions about the book?I cannot understand…I noticed/realized…I wonder why….I liked/disliked when….I would change….
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