Along with the 10th anniversary edition of Twilight, Stephenie Meyer released the surprise publication of Life and Death, a reimagination of the original novel. In Life and Death, the lovers of the story have swapped genders, along with most of the other characters in the book. Life and Death was released in an attempt to prove that the story of Twilight is one of young desperate love and not gendered power structures. This essay claims to examine the validity of this statement using gender theory, most specifically Yvonne Hirdman’s theory on gender systems. This will be done by a comparative reading of the two novels to investigate what issues can be raised concerning the characters when a genderswap is made - especially considering what is seen as feminine versus masculine. 

The findings are that both books follow a gender system where women and men are clearly divided to fit stereotypical gender norms. The genderswap in Life and Death resulted in a reproduction of what norms were already present in Twilight, mostly due to the material being highly edited by the author in order to readjust to heteronormative standards. I conclude that Meyer's attempt to prove that gender and sex does not matter in Twilight failed and that Life and Death highlights that Twilight is not only a story of young love but also one of gender hierachies.