In my Multi-Modal Literacies class, I read Susan Carpenter's "'Twilight' has a strong Internet connection." The article describes how Twilight's author, Stephenie Meyer, created a strong fan base by keeping a blog. By being responsive and amiable with her online fans through her blog, Meyer established a loyal following that helped spread the word of her now popular book series.
A couple friends have recommended the books to me, so I decided to pick up the first one. I have just started, and I have to say the characters seem interesting and the plot is going somewhere. I can see why people have been going crazy over the whole series. I'm not sure if I will end up falling in love with the books too, but I am going to give it a try!
In addition, my multi-modal class has made me think seriously about possibly teaching a Young Adult Fiction class. So far, I have concentrated solely on classical literature, but I think that most students would enjoy taking a class that focused on "reading for fun." Since most students are not going to have careers in literature anyways, they may as well learn to enjoy reading instead of hating it. I think that the first Twilight book would be great for an Young Adult Fiction class because it is so big right now in pop culture. With both a book and movie, I could make it a strong part of my curriculum. Plus, if I fall in love with the book, I will be able to share my enthusiasm with my students.
I think that is a great idea. So many students simply do not read for fun! In the last class I observed, the teacher allowed "fun" books to be read, and encouraged her students to read as many of them as possible. At the beginning of the year there were not a lot of books that were being read, but as time progressed there were a few students that went above and beyond their goal within a few days. I think many of those students developed a love of literature, even if they did not always read classical literature. Their vocabulary was improving and they found it fun. They even like to talk about that books they read. I think this is an idea we all should check into.
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