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Eclipse
First edition cover of Eclipse
Author	Stephenie Meyer
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Twilight series
Genre(s)	Young adult, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher	Little, Brown
Publication date	August 7, 2007
Media type	Print (Hardcover, Paperback)
Pages	629
ISBN	978-0316160209
OCLC Number	124031725
LC Classification	PZ7.M5717515 Ec 2007
Preceded by	New Moon
Followed by	Breaking Dawn

Eclipse is the third book in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. It continues the story of 18-year-old Bella Swan and her vampire love, Edward Cullen. Eclipse is preceded by New Moon and followed by Breaking Dawn. The book was released on August 7, 2007 with an initial print run of 1 million copies,^[1] and sold more than 150,000 copies in the first 24 hours alone.^[2]

Eclipse was the fourth bestselling book of 2008, only behind Twilight, New Moon, and Breaking Dawn,^[3] and was also ranked #1 on Publishers Weekly's list of "Bestselling Hardcover Backlist Children's Books" in 2008 with over 4.5 million copies sold.^[4]

Plot summary

The story opens with the revelation that Seattle, Washington is being plagued by a string of unsolved murders, which Edward suspects is caused by a new vampire that is unable to control its thirst for human blood. As Edward and Bella apply to colleges, Bella explains to Edward her desire to see her friend, Jacob Black, a werewolf. Although Edward fears for her safety, Bella insists that neither Jacob nor his wolf pack would ever harm her, and she begins visiting him occasionally. Meanwhile, Alice Cullen has a vision that Victoria, a vampire who is hunting Bella for revenge, has returned to Forks. A few days later, Edward proposes to Bella and, despite harboring an aversion to marriage, she accepts.

Bella and the Cullens soon realize that the Seattle murders are being committed by an "army" of newborn vampires, controlled by Victoria. The Cullens join forces with the wolf pack to combat this threat. As everyone else prepares for battle, Edward, Bella, and Jacob camp in the mountains, hidden during the battle, where they are later joined by Seth Clearwater, a young wolf pack member, to wait out the fight.

In the morning, Jacob becomes upset when he overhears Edward and Bella discussing their engagement and threatens to join the fight and get himself killed. To stop him, Bella kisses Jacob and comes to realize that she is in love with him as well. During the battle, Victoria tracks Edward's scent to Bella's forest hiding place, and Edward is forced to fight. After Victoria and her army are successfully destroyed, Bella explains to Jacob that while she loves him, her love for Edward is greater. After receiving a wedding invitation from Edward, Jacob runs away in his wolf form to escape his pain, angry and heartbroken at Bella's decision to become a vampire.

Marketing campaigns

A few months prior to the release of Eclipse, Meyer hosted an "Eclipse Prom" event at Arizona State University with the help of a local bookstore and ASU's English department. The tickets sold out in seven hours, resulting in Meyer holding a second prom on the same day for which tickets sold out within four hours.^[5] At the event, Meyer read the first chapter of Eclipse, which was released in the special edition of New Moon that same day. In addition, Meyer embarked on a 15-city tour to promote the book.^[6] She also released the first chapter on her website and posted a "quote of the day" from the novel on each of the 37 days leading up to its release.^[7]

Prior to the book's release, Meyer also made an appearance on Good Morning America.^[8]

Cover

The book jacket features a torn red ribbon. Although it was supposed to be disclosed to the public in May 2007 at the Eclipse Prom, Barnes & Noble and Stephenie Meyer's official website premiered the newly released cover in March 2007, along with a preview summary of the book's plot.^[9] The broken ribbon represents choice, as in the book Bella must choose between her love for the vampire Edward Cullen, and her friendship with the werewolf Jacob Black. Meyer also stated that the ribbon represents the idea that Bella is unable to completely break away from her human life.^[10]

Early release

On July 25, an incident similar to the early release of the seventh Harry Potter book occurred with shipments of Eclipse. Barnes & Noble Booksellers accidentally shipped advance copies of Eclipse to some of the customers who had pre-ordered. Barnes & Noble said that it was a computer error, as their entire online store is computerized.

To prevent any spoilers from popping up online, many fansite forums for the Twilight series were shut down, such as the Twilight Lexicon. Stephenie Meyer also locked her MySpace comments in an attempt to avoid spoilers. In an open letter to the fansite the Twilight Lexicon, Stephenie Meyer pleaded with these "lucky readers" to please keep the ending to themselves until the rest of the Twilight fans had the chance to read and enjoy Eclipse as well.

An early book release also occurred with Stephenie Meyer's release of the Eclipse special edition, which included the first chapter and cover art of the subsequent novel Breaking Dawn. The special edition was to hit store shelves on May 31, 2008, but multiple copies were released up to a whole week early. Meyer knew that some copies had been leaked, and released the following quote:

"There is a lot of speculation on the internet about possible covers, content and text of Breaking Dawn. I hope everybody knows that you shouldn't believe everything you see on the internet. The only way you will know what is real is when you have the book in your hands. Until then, people should really take everything they see with a grain of salt."^[11]

Publication and reception

Publication

Eclipse was published with an initial run of 1 million copies.^[8] The book replaced J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on the top of bestseller lists around the globe, including the New York Times', even though Deathly Hallows had been released only two and a half weeks earlier.^[12] Eclipse peaked at #1 on USA Today's top 150 best sellers list and has gone on to spend over 100 weeks on the list,^[13] and was later ranked #45 on their list of "Bestselling Books of Last 15 Years" in October 2008.^[14]

Reception

Anne Rouyer of School Library Journal said that, "Meyer knows what her fans want: thrills, chills, and a lot of romance, and she delivers on all counts."^[15] Selby Gibson-Boyce of Tulsa World wrote, "I read without stopping until I finished. Meyer's book would not detach itself from my hand. Exactly the same thing happened with Twilight and New Moon."^[16] Publishers Weekly wrote, "The legions of readers who are hooked on the romantic struggles of Bella and the vampire Edward will ecstatically devour this third installment of the story", while noting that, "it's unlikely to win over any newcomers."^[17]

Film adaptation

A film adaptation of Eclipse is tentatively scheduled for release on June 30, 2010.^[18] It will be the third installment of the Twilight film series, following 2008's Twilight and 2009's New Moon. Summit Entertainment greenlit the film in February 2009.^[18] Since New Moon director Chris Weitz was in post-production for New Moon when Eclipse began shooting, he is not directing the third film.^[19][20] Instead, Eclipse is being helmed by director David Slade, with Melissa Rosenberg returning as screenwriter.^[21] Filming ran between August 17 and October 29, 2009 at Vancouver Film Studios.^[22][23] It is the first Twilight film to be shot in IMAX 3D.^[24]

References

External links

Twilight portal

• Stephenie Meyer's Official Website
• The Twilight Series' Official website
• Eclipse on the Twilight Saga Wiki

From Wikiquote

Eclipse is the third novel in the young adult vampire Twilight series, written by Stephenie Meyer. It was originally published in hardcover in 2007.

1. Ultimatum

• "Honestly though, why do you read [Wuthering Heights] over and over?" [...]
  "I think it's something about the inevitability. How nothing can keep them apart — not her selfishness, or his evil, or even death, in the end..."
  • Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, p. 29
• "If we could bottle your luck, we'd have a weapon of mass destruction on our hands."
  • Edward Cullen to Bella Swan, p. 31
• "Do you really have any idea how important you are to me? Any concept at all of how much I love you?" [...]
  "I know how much I love you," I answered.
  "You compare one small tree to the entire forest."
  • Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, p. 34

3. Motives

• "Yeah, I'll stop by your crypt after school."
  • Jacob Black to Edward Cullen, p. 77
• "I don't have any leeches on my speed dial."
  • Jacob Black to Edward Cullen, p. 77

4. Nature

• "I'm really glad Edward didn't kill you. Everything's so much more fun with you around."
  • Emmett Cullen to Bella Swan, p. 93

• "Look after my heart — I've left it with you."
  • Edward Cullen to Bella Swan, in a letter, p. 95

5. Imprint

• "Did you seriously just stamp your foot? I thought girls only did that on TV."
  • Jacob Black to Bella Swan, p. 119

6. Switzerland

• "I am a neutral country. I am Switzerland. I refuse to be affected by territorial disputes between mythical creatures."
  • Bella Swan to Edward Cullen, p. 143
• "You don't seem to grasp how dangerous a young werewolf can be. [...] You shouldn't be so reckless."
  My voice turned acidic. "Yes, because a vampire slumber party is the pinnacle of safety conscious behavior."
  • Alice Cullen and Bella Swan, p. 146
• "You are in trouble," I said slowly, emphasizing each word. "Enormous trouble. Angry grizzly bears are going to look tame next to what is waiting for you at home."
  • Bella Swan to Edward Cullen, phone call, p. 149

7. Unhappy Ending

• "Would you like to hear my story, Bella? It doesn't have a happy ending — but which of ours does? If we had happy endings, we'd all be under gravestones now."
  • Rosalie Hale, p. 154

8. Temper

• "This is nice," I commented when he pulled the warm sodas from the grocery bag. "I've missed this place."
  He smiled, looking around at the plastic sheds bolted together over our heads. "Yeah, I can understand that. All the splendor of the Taj Mahal, without the inconvenience and expense of traveling to India."
  • Bella Swan and Jacob Black, p. 179

• "You'd be better off dead. I'd rather you were."
  • Jacob Black to Bella Swan, p. 183

• "You can hold me hostage any time you want."
  • Bella Swan to Edward Cullen, p. 189

• "You're quite adorable when you're jealous. It's surprisingly enjoyable."
  • Edward Cullen to Bella Swan, p. 194

10. Scent

• "Does my being half-naked bother you?"
  • Jacob Black to Bella Swan, p. 216
• "You look...sexy."
  I laughed out loud. "Right."
  "Very sexy, really."
  • Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, p. 235

11. Legends

• Hanging out with no one but extremely dexterous people all the time was going to give me a complex.
  • Bella Swan, p. 240

12. Time

• "I have foreseen...," Alice began in an ominous tone.
  • Alice Cullen to Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, p. 267

• "If there were any way for me to become human for you — no matter what the price was, I would pay it."
  • Edward Cullen to Bella Swan, p. 273

• "I'm not that girl, Edward. The one who gets married right out of high school like some small-town hick who got knocked up by her boyfriend! Do you know what people would think? Do you realize what century this is? People don't just get married at eighteen! Not smart people, not responsible, mature people! I wasn't going to be that girl! That's not who I am...."
  • Bella Swan, pp. 275-276

• "Bella should understand this, too. She's one of us now."
  • Jasper Hale to Bella Swan and the Cullens, p. 285

13. Newborn

• "And you ducked your head, like a good Southern gentleman, and said, 'I’m sorry, ma'am.'" [...]
  "For the first time in almost a century, I felt hope."
  • Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale, p. 301
• "Emmett and I were away hunting. Jasper shows up, covered in battle scars, towing this little freak" — he nudged Alice playfully — "who greets [the whole family] by name, knows everything about them, and wants to know which room she can move into."
  • Edward Cullen
• If I didn't watch myself, I might end up writing my History essay on the vampire wars of the South.
  • Bella Swan, p. 318

14. Declaration

• I tried to imagine telling my parents that I was getting married this summer. Telling Angela and Ben. I couldn't. I couldn't think of the words to say. It would be easier to tell them I was becoming a vampire.
  • Bella Swan, p. 324

15. Wager

• "I can't wait to see what Edward does to you! I hope he snaps your neck, you pushy, obnoxious, moronic DOG!"
  • Bella Swan to Jacob Black, p. 332
• "I hate you, Jacob Black."
  "That's good. Hate is a passionate emotion."
  "I'll give you passionate," I muttered under my breath. "Murder, the ultimate crime of passion."
  • Bella Swan and Jacob Black, p. 332
• "Why did she hit you?"
  "Because I kissed her," Jacob said, unashamed.
  "Good for you, kid," Charlie congratulated him.
  • Charlie Swan and Jacob Black, p. 336
• "But if you ever bring her back damaged again — and I don't care whose fault it is; I don't care if she merely trips, or if a meteor falls out of the sky and hits her in the head — if you return her to me in less than the perfect condition that I left her in, you will be running with three legs. Do you understand that, mongrel?"
  • Edward Cullen to Jacob Black about Bella Swan, p. 340
• "I'll be fighting for her, too. You should know that. I'm not taking anything for granted, and I'll be fighting twice as hard as you will."
  • Edward Cullen to Jacob Black about Bella Swan, p. 341
• "She is mine." Edward's low voice was suddenly dark, not as composed as before. "I didn't say I would fight fair."
  • Edward Cullen to Jacob Black about Bella Swan, p. 341
• Emmett grinned. "Fall down again, Bella?"
  I glared at him fiercely. "No, Emmett. I punched a werewolf in the face."
  Emmett blinked, and then burst into a roar of laughter.
  • Emmett Cullen and Bella Swan, p. 342

16. Epoch

• "I feel so useless. So...normal." She cringed in horror of the word.
  "I can't imagine how awful that must feel. Being normal? Ugh."
  • Alice Cullen and Bella Swan, p. 347
• Edward rode in the backseat of my father's police car, behind the fiberglass divider, with an amused expression — probably due to my father's amused expression, and the grin that widened every time Charlie stole a glance at Edward in his rearview mirror.
  • Bella Swan, p. 351
• They stood out from the rest of the crowd, their beauty and grace otherworldly. I wondered how I'd ever fallen for their human farce. A couple of angels, standing there with wings intact, would be less conspicuous.
  • Bella Swan about Alice and Edward Cullen, p. 354

17. Alliance

• I saw Emmett grin at Mike over the food table, the red lights gleaming off his teeth, and watched Mike take an automatic step back.
  • Bella Swan, p. 368

19. Selfish

• "The imprinting compulsion is one of the strangest things I've ever witnessed in my life, and I've seen some strange things. [...] It reminds me of A Midsummer Night's Dream with all the chaos caused by the fairies' love spells...like magic." He smiled. "It's very nearly as strong as the way I feel about you."
  • Edward Cullen to Bella Swan, p. 418
• I wondered if I was a monster. Not the kind that [Edward] thought he was, but the real kind. The kind that hurt people. The kind that had no limits when it came to what they wanted.
  • Bella Swan, p. 423

20. Compromise

• I couldn't believe how awkward and idiotic I felt. I was too innocent — which was, of course, central to the discussion. I didn't have the faintest idea how to be seductive. I would just have to settle for flushed and self-conscious.
  • Bella Swan, p. 442
• "Bella," he murmured, his voice warm and velvet. "Would you please stop trying to take your clothes off?"
  "Do you want to do that part?" I asked, confused.
  • Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, p. 450
• "You make me feel like a villain in a melodrama — twirling my mustache while I try to steal some poor girl's virtue."
  • Bella Swan to Edward Cullen, pp. 452-453
• "You can't make me go somewhere you won't be," I vowed. "That's my definition of hell. Anyways, I have an easy solution to all this: let's never die, all right?"
  • Bella Swan to Edward Cullen, p. 455
• "Oh no," I gasped as he slid down onto one knee.
  "Be nice," he muttered. [...]
  "Isabella Swan?" He looked up at me through his impossibly long lashes, his golden eyes soft but, somehow, still scorching. "I promise to love you forever — every single day of forever. Will you marry me?"
  • Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, p. 460

21. Trails

• The urge to fight must be a defining characteristic of the Y chromosome. They were all the same.
  • Bella Swan, p. 463
• "Edward is the only person I've ever kissed."
  "Besides me."
  "But I don't count that as a kiss, Jacob. I think of it more as an assault."
  • Bella Swan and Jacob Black, p. 476
• "Sometimes I think you like me better as a wolf."
  "Sometimes I do. It probably has something to do with the way you can't talk."
  He pursed his broad lips thoughtfully. "No, I don't think that's it. I think it's easier for you to be near me when I'm not human, because you don't have to pretend that you're not attracted to me."[...]
  "No. I'm pretty sure it's because you can't talk."
  • Jacob Black and Bella Swan, p. 478

22. Fire and Ice

• "Odd as this might sound, I suppose I'm glad you're here, Jacob."
  "You mean 'as much as I'd love to kill you, I'm glad [Bella's] warm', right?"
  "It's an uncomfortable truce, isn't it?"
  • Edward Cullen and Jacob Black, p. 497
• "You know, Jacob, if it weren't for the fact that we're natural enemies and that you're also trying to steal away the reason for my existence, I might actually like you."
  "Maybe...if you weren't a disgusting vampire who was planning to suck out the life of the girl I love...well, no, not even then."
  • Edward Cullen and Jacob Black, p. 503
• "And when does this little truce end?" Jacob asked. "First light? Or do we wait until after the fight?"
  There was a pause as they both considered.
  "First light," they both whispered, and then laughed quietly.
  • Jacob Black and Edward Cullen, p. 504

23. Monster

• I was like Cathy, like Wuthering Heights, only my options were so much better than hers, neither one evil, neither one weak. And here I sat, crying about it, not doing anything productive to make it right. Just like Cathy.
  • Bella Swan about Edward Cullen and Jacob Black, p. 517
• Seth jumped to his feet again suddenly, the hackles on the back of his neck standing up stiffly. I looked around, but saw nothing. If Seth didn't cut it out, I was going to throw a pinecone at him.
  • Bella Swan, p. 520

24. Snap Decision

• "When I left you, Bella, I left you bleeding. Jacob was the one to stitch you back up again. That was bound to leave its mark — on both of you. I'm not sure those kinds of stitches dissolve on their own."
  • Edward Cullen, p. 534
• "I can be noble, Bella. I'm not going to make you choose between us. Just be happy, and you can have whatever part of me you want, or none at all, if that's better. Don't let any debt you feel you owe me influence your decision."
  • Edward Cullen, pp. 534-535
• "What happened to fighting back? Don't start with the noble self-sacrifice now! Fight!"
  • Bella Swan to Edward Cullen, p. 535
• "You are bizarrely moral for a vampire."
  • Bella Swan to Edward Cullen, p. 536
• [Victoria] wheeled and flew toward the refuge of the forest like an arrow from a bow.
  But Edward was faster — a bullet from a gun.
  • Bella Swan, p. 553

26. Ethics

• "Sure, Bella, don't worry. He was himself enough to tease me."
  "Tease you?" I echoed in shock.
  "Yeah — in between insulting somebody's mother and taking the Lord's name in vain, he said, 'Bet you're glad she loves Cullen instead of me today, huh, Charlie?'"
  • Charlie Swan to Bella Swan about Jacob Black, p. 586
• "I'm exactly right for you, Bella. It would have been effortless for us — comfortable, easy as breathing. I was the natural path your life would have taken. [...] If the world was the way it was supposed to be, if there were no monsters and no magic..."
  • Jacob Black, p. 599
• "He's like a drug for you, Bella." His voice was still gentle, not at all critical. "I see that you can't live without him now. It's too late. But I would have been healthier for you. Not a drug; I would have been the air, the sun."
  • Jacob Black, p. 599
• "The clouds I can handle. But I can't fight with an eclipse."
  • Jacob Black, p. 599

27. Needs

• It had not been Edward and Jacob that I'd been trying to force together, it was the two parts of myself, Edward's Bella and Jacob's Bella. But they could not exist together, and I never should have tried.
  • Bella Swan, p. 608
• "Bella...are you sure? Did you make the right choice? I've never seen you in so much pain —" His voice broke on the last word.
  But I had known worse pain.
  • Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, p. 610
• I read the lines quietly, mostly to myself. "'If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.'" I nodded, again to myself. "I know exactly what she means. And I know who I can't live without."
  • Bella Swan to Edward Cullen, about Cathy from Wuthering Heights, pp. 610-611
• "Tell me why not, Bella," he demanded. "This had better not be about me."
  Everything in my world was about him. What a silly thing to expect.
  • Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, p. 619
• [Edward] once again slid my ring into place on the third finger of my left hand.
  Where it would stay — conceivably for the rest of eternity.
  • Bella Swan, p. 620

Epilogue — Choice

• "I don't even like Bella Swan. And you've got me grieving over this leech-lover like I'm in love with her, too. Can you see where that might be a little confusing? I dreamed about kissing her last night! What the hell am I supposed to do with that?"
  • Leah Clearwater to Jacob Black, p. 623

References

Meyer, Stephenie. (2007). Eclipse. Park Avenue, New York: Little, Brown and Company, 629. ISBN 978-0-316-16020-9.

External links

• Eclipse quotes analyzed; study guide with themes, character analyses, summary, multimedia, teacher resources

Wikipedia has an article about:

Eclipse (novel)