Lampert-Weissig, Lisa. "A Latter Day Eve: Reading Twilight through Paradise Lost." Journal of Religion and
Popular Culture, vol. 23, no. 3, 22 Sept. 2011, p. 330. Gale In Context: High School.
Lampert-Weissig draws comparisons between Milton’s Eve and Stephanie Meyer’s protagonist, Bella, from her Twilight series, claiming that Bella symbolizes a “New Eve '' born out of the Mormon Church of Latter Day Saints tradition (331). Lampert-Weissig acknowledges the many problematic aspects of both Paradise Lost and Twilight in their representations of women and traditional gender roles, but argues that both present a case for women’s empowerment in a traditional religious context. Lampert-Weissig elaborates on this point, writing that Twilight is viewed as anti-feminist among progressive feminist critics; however, she contends that it should be included in the rich women’s literary tradition of women’s literary responses to Milton’s Eve in the vein of Mary Shelley, Virginia Wolff, and the Bronte sisters. Milton wrote Eve with a level of nuance and “interiority” uncommon for the era, which set in motion other nuanced depictions of women in literature, claims Lampert-Weissig. This depiction happens to work well with the LDS interpretation of The Fall, especially its focus on Adam and Eve’s venerable sacrifice that brought about the offspring to populate the earth — The LDS Church actually praises Eve for her sin instead of viewing it negatively. Lampert-Weissig then turns to Meyer’s Twilight, noting the LDS influence on the author. She conducts close readings of both texts, focusing on the interiorty of both Milton’s Eve and Meyer’s Bella, concluding that their own free wills, not their obedience to men or higher powers, motivate their decisions to strive for something better and make sacrifices that end in the redemption of motherhood.
-Ted Conover
