(Just to sorta break the chain on people saying they hadn't read Twilight :P)

That being said it's been a While since I did. I do remember book Edward being a bit more clear about how he'd stop if Bella told him to stop. (It's interesting because I've also read Fifty Shades, and book Christian is worse about explicating the boundaries for BDSM than the movie one, but that's a different, not worksafe can of worms.) That being said, he does have his moments where his impulse for "chivalry" harms Bella psychologically, notably when he tries breaking up with her in New Moon because something something he's ~too dangerous~ for her. This causes her to do some pretty drastic stuff in order to hear his voice in her head again, which most well-adjusted people would probably realise is actually a sign that he's bad for her, but a lot of teenagers don't necessarily share that same understanding.

I do think I know where the appeal in an Edward-type character lies, though. The stock 'silent brooding protector' is like catnip for romance. It's just that not everyone knows where to draw the line between protective and smothering, or protective and possessive. A non-abusive person would be understanding of those boundaries, and respect their partner's space. Edward claims he would leave if Bella asked him to, but Bella being bad at setting boundaries isn't a free ticket to be creepily possessive. I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting a strong silent protector-type character -- heck, LSY has some of those characteristics! It's just that he's interacting with people who know when to put their foot down about his brooding mother hen instincts :P -- but when that type of character is written wrong, they quickly become abusive. (See: the Dark F*** Prince characterisation of Thorin and Lan Wangji in fanfic.)

Honestly, for me, Twilight has more pressing issues like its depiction of Native American culture and (BL10, 11). Writing-wise the side characters are more interesting than the main characters, and the final "battle" in Breaking Dawn really was anticlimactic. Bella has no particularly interesting character traits because she's a meant to be a reader-insert. And the fact that her having babies and becoming a vampire is the way in which she really gets some agency for herself is... kind of a disturbing message to send to young readers. Edward's characterisation is definitely part and parcel with that disturbing message, but I do find that a lot of people focus too much on him and not on the other themes in the book that are subtler yet no less problematic.

I also Haven't Read the Thing, though I did see the first movie. Regardless, when it comes to analyses of Edward's behavior, I choose to trust a licensed relationship counselor over a random article-writer. {= )

The article-writer does have a point that what's attractive is subjective, and what a person finds attractive in fiction doesn't necessarily reflect what they find attractive IRL. People like the Phantom of the Opera for similar reasons: yeah, he's a dangerous monster, but if he love me, he'll be my dangerous monster, and only dangerous to people who would hurt me. It's fine for a fantasy.

But, I think the writer doing exactly what scares a lot of us by ignoring or excusing Edward's negative qualities to paint him in a positive light, which is exactly what people trapped in abusive relationships do. It's self-defense: We aren't wrong to love this person, we didn't make a mistake, because look, there's XYZ. That makes up for ABCDEFG, because that's not who they really are. We can see the truth and that actually makes us special. If we're just patient enough, we can help them overcome those negative things, and then everything will be fine. Right?

Except, no, real-life abusers will not stop being abusers just because someone loves them hard enough. They have to make the choice and do the work to change, and if they're getting everything they want by being abusive, why in the world would they do that?

TL;DR it's fine to like Edward as a fictional fantasy, but it's very dangerous if you get mixed up with his ilk IRL.

~Neshomeh

Probably a repost for visablity.

Personal opnion: I still find it stalking, but I probably also shouldn't really say anything because I haven't read Twilight and the entire series is banned in my house (alongside Stephen King novels) and I've tried reading it but had to stop after... some point. Maybe when Chief Charlie got introduced (is there a chief Charlie? I remember there being one and I couldn't get the image of Chief Burns stuck in the rain and wet outta my head). I don't exactly recall. Then again, romance isn't my genre, so...

-kA, who's trying to say that they can't have an opnion because they haven't Read The Thing.