Twilight and Philosophy: Vampires, Vegetarians, and the Pursuit of Immortality

What can vampires tell us about the meaning of life? Is Edward a romantic hero or a dangerous stalker? Is Bella a feminist? Is Stephenie Meyer? How does Stephenie Meyer′s Mormonism fit into the fantastical world of Twilight? Is Jacob "better" for Bella than Edward? The answers to these philosophical questions and more can be found inside Twilight and Philosophy: Vampires, Vegetarians, and the Pursuit of Immortality . With everything from Taoism to mind reading to the place of God in a world of vampires, this book offers some very tasty philosophy for both the living and the undead to sink their teeth into. Whether you′re on Team Edward or Team Jacob, whether you loved or hated Breaking Dawn, this book is for you!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Supernatural Humans We Can’t Live Without. Introduction: Undead Wisdom. PART ONE TWILIGHT. 1 You Look Good Enough to Eat: Love, Madness, and the Food Analogy (George A. Dunn). 2 Dying to Eat: The Vegetarian Ethics of Twilight (Jean Kazez). 3 Can a Vampire Be a Person? (Nicolas Michaud). 4 Carlisle: More Compassionate Than a Speeding Bullet? (Andrew Terjesen and Jenny Terjesen). PART TWO NEW MOON. 5 Vampire–Dämmerung: What Can Twilight Tell Us about God? (Peter S. Fosl and Eli Fosl). 6 To Bite or Not to Bite: Twilight , Immortality, and the Meaning of Life (Brendan Shea). 7 Mind Reading and Morality: The Moral Hazards of Being Edward (Eric Silverman). 8 Love and Authority among Wolves (Sara Worley). PART THREE ECLIPSE. 9 Bella Swan and Sarah Palin: All the Old Myths Are Not True (Naomi Zack). 10 Vampire Love: The Second Sex Negotiates the Twenty–first Century (Bonnie Mann). 11 Edward Cullen and Bella Swan: Byronic and Feminist Heroes . . . or Not (Abigail E. Myers). 12 Undead Patriarchy and the Possibility of Love (Leah McClimans and J. Jeremy Wisnewski). 13 The “Real” Danger: Fact vs. Fiction for the Girl Audience (Rebecca Housel). PART FOUR BREAKING DAWN. 14 Twilight of an Idol: Our Fatal Attraction to Vampires (Jennifer L. McMahon). 15 Bella’s Vampire Semiotics (Dennis Knepp). 16 Space, Time, and Vampire Ontology (Philip Puszczalowski). 17 For the Strength of Bella? Meyer, Vampires, and Mormonism (Marc E. Shaw). 18 The Tao of Jacob (Rebecca Housel). CONTRIBUTORS: Ladies and Gentlemen, Introducing the Stars of Our Show, Humans, Vampires, and Shape–Shifters Alike. INDEX: For Those Who Can’t Read Minds.

Rebecca Housel coedited X–Men and Philosophy. A former professor of English and popular culture in western New York, she now serves on editorial advisory boards for the Journal of Popular Culture and the Journal of American Culture. Also an author of middle–grade fiction, she is currently working on a new young adult novel. J. Jeremy Wisnewski is an assistant professor of philosophy at Hartwick College, the coeditor of X–Men and Philosophy, and the editor of Family Guy and Philosophy and The Office and Philosophy. William Irwin is a professor of philosophy at King′s College. He originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books as coeditor of the bestselling The Simpsons and Philosophy and has overseen recent titles, including Batman and Philosophy, House and Philosophy, and Watchmen and Philosophy.