Those enraptured by Twilight mania may not react well as the new Nightlight parody takes a vicious bite out of their beloved series.
While fans of the series will understand the spoof’s references, they probably won’t enjoy them.
The Harvard Lampoon, who is behind the parody, misses the point entirely. With repetitive humour and jokes that run stale quickly, it is surprising the undergraduate comedy publication based at Harvard University could write such unoriginal and boorish material. One only wonders why honorary members like Jon Stewart and Robin Williams would associate themselves with such a group.
Nightlight follows Belle Goose as the awkward and inquisitive Bella Swan of the original book. She meets Edwart (yes, with a “t,” how imaginative) Mullen. Belle quickly assumes that he is a vampire based on all sorts of characteristics she believes underworld creatures possess. Edwart tries to get her to see that he’s not a vampire, just a typically lanky computer nerd.
As a once loyal fan myself, I was excited and very skeptical when I sat down to read Nightlight.
The first few pages of the story give the impression that the spoof will be hilarious. The humour, however, quickly gets old because every sentence is a punch line, resulting in a very unnerving read.
The biggest fault with the structure of the book is the fact that it jumps so quickly between plot elements that it can be quite confusing. On several occasions, I had to go back a few pages because I could not remember how the characters had ended up in the current scene. But it is understandable that the scenes would be cut short or jumpy seeing as how the original book’s nearly five hundred pages have been summarized into one hundred pages.
The authors wrote Nightlight in a tongue and cheek manner, even referencing the actors who portray Edward and Ella in the films. When Belle Googles “vampire” the results she gets are: “Kristen Stewart’s On-set Romance” and “Robert Pattinson Excellent Blues Singer.” In this manner, the parody extends beyond the storyline and into the gossip pages.
Nightlight has difficulty finding an audience. Most Twilight fans (or Twi-hards, as they prefer to be called) are far too overprotective of the series to appreciate a parody, and someone who is not a fan simply wont get the allusions to the novels.
While Nightlight did provide some comic relief, the Harvard Lampoon managed to suck the life out of the popular series.
