Add together a clan of vampires, a slightly annoying protagonist and a complicated love story and what do you get?

A bestselling novel and movie, of course!

The Twilight series is one of the most popular set of novels for teenage and college age girls, as well as a movie sensation, having grossed over $70 million in ticket sales.

But what makes these tales so popular? Why do readers get such a kick out of these books?

Being an avid fan of Twilight myself, I can’t really be objective about this, but I think I can pinpoint a certain reason.

The novel’s leading man, Edward Cullen, is essentially the perfect man. And no matter what anyone says, guys as chivalrous as Edward simply don’t exist anymore. Chivalry is dead, my friends.

As pessimistic as it sounds, the majority of college age guys just aren’t into the dating scene. Compared to your average, noncommittal, fratty guy, Edward looks like an angel.

I think girls our age read these books to not only escape into a fantasy world for a little while, but also to chase after the dream that a guy such as Edward can exist.

Edward is an entrancing male protagonist. He always knows the right things to say and is completely devoted to the novel’s female protagonist Bella. Edward is everything a girl could want… and then some.

This is appealing to readers because…let’s face it: dating is so much more treacherous than it used to be.

Especially with the quick advancement of technology, it is easier for guys to be jerks than before. Back when our mothers were dating, there wasn’t text messaging or AIM, just landline telephones.

Girls in this day and age have to worry all the time: “Why isn’t he texting me back?” “Why did he just sign off on AIM without saying goodbye?” “Why didn’t he write back on my Facebook?”

Bella never has to worry about any of this because she has the most perfect guy ever… even if he is a vampire.

Girls our age get sick of playing dating games and dealing with jerks. Reading about a guy like Edward gives girls the hope that there are actually nice guys out there.

Though I do not think Edward’s equivalent could never exist, I think reading about Edward helps girls set the bar higher for relationships. If they can’t have the real thing, at least their current or future relationships will be a little bit better.