Meet Edward Finkel: grandfather, doctor, and least likely fan of the Twilight Saga

Though Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga is classified as a young adult novel, the fan base age range spans generations. Girls ages 8 to 88 are enamored with the glossy black books and complicated stare of Edward Cullen, sprinkled with the occasional guy who finds the Saga interesting.

Meet Dr. Edward Finkel.

Possibly the least likely fan to become enraptured with Meyer’s human-like vampires, whom have been tagged with a teenage-infused reputation, Edward is a husband, a grandfather, and bears an impressive, scientifically backed resume.

Edward’s collegiate and professional background includes making a major discovery about the nature of hemoglobin and working in magnetic resonance as a member of a group that laid the foundations for what we now know as MRI. For 25 years, Edward also worked in a science museum, teaching courses, running a physics resource lab, and designing exhibits and a physics art show for the American Physics Society.

Edward has no one with whom to share his emotion-filled, scientifically based passion, thus has begun musings in a blog entitled, “Twilight Vampire Evolution:”

So why am I writing this? Not to expose myself to further ridicule from family and friends, who think I'm off the rails. It's because, as a trained scientist and writer, I think I have something unique to contribute to fandom -- namely, the explanation of how the twi-verse vampires came to be.

Says Edward about his family and friends, “They are very indulgent, but they all think I’m weird. My wife sat through the movie with me (my third time, her only time – once was enough for her!). My brother, the mathematics professor, read the first Twilight book out of loyalty, but he didn’t like it very much. I read several books on mathematical group theory in order to communicate with him, so that was a nice reciprocation.”

Though his blog is a short month old, his viable claim to fame in the Twilight world is having his blog acknowledged by Meyer’s camp. “My great thrill, lately, was when my blog was listed as one of their fansites – I got a very complimentary e-mail from them as well,” beams Edward.

With nothing but accolades for Stephenie Meyer as an author, Edward’s paternal nature comes into play when speaking about her:

She’s great! My feelings are hurt whenever I read a criticism of her work (most notably, Stephen King – an author whose writing makes me cringe). Stephenie is a brilliant young woman with a real set of values and morals. Anyone who has ever seen her interviewed knows that she is highly intelligent – she speaks in beautifully constructed paragraphs with topic sentences! I particularly admire her decision to put her own family first and give her children a normal upbringing.

Picking Edward’s brain about his unique perspective regarding other aspects of the Twilight Saga revealed:

How many times have you read the series and seen the movie?

The film came first, but I’ve read all five novels many times. My favorite is Breaking Dawn: I love how all the themes resolve and how everything gets tied up neatly. I’m team Edward all the way! As a plot device, Jacob’s imprinting on Renesmee is a great way to resolve a love triangle – it’s really brilliantly and satisfyingly done!

I’ve seen the Twilight movie five or six times, in New York, in LA, and at home. I bought the DVD when it came out, and I have it on my network and on my iPhone. So I would say I’m fairly familiar with it. Of all the actors, I am most impressed with Kristen Stewart. She is at an entirely different skill level than anyone else, and can convey more emotion in a half-second grimace than most people can do with a paragraph speech.

Do you relate with any of the characters? If so, who and why?

If I could be anyone in the stories, it would be Carlisle Cullen.

(1) He is a true hero. There is nothing more impressive than seeing a person rise above his limitations.
(2) He is a doctor. In my family, we say that my Indian name is “Talks-To-Physicians.” It’s a joke that whenever I consult doctors, sooner or later or later they ask if I went to medical school – but I didn’t – I just had a good education, have a good memory, and read newspapers and Scientific American.
(3) He is a parent. My wife and I try to protect, help and support our own graduate-school kids to the limits of our ability. So this aspect resonates with me. I feel protective of both Bella and Edward and their relationship. My favorite deleted scene from the first film is the one in which Carlisle and Esme see Edward and Bella climbing up the tree – Esme says, “Bella is what he wants – it will work out somehow!” This is how we all feel about our children.

Previous posts discuss Peramorphosis, which eloquently and scientifically explains the transformation of Meyer’s vampires. And yes, even Dr. Finkel took a trip to Forks, capturing an image of Mount Rainier, where Edward and Emmett hunted in Twilight.

Future posts will include musings on extrasensory perception and vampire physiology, allowing fans of all ages an added layer of discussion about the Twilight Saga.
 

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