Eclipse Trivia

Learn about the symbolism, origin of names, and other interesting tidbits about Twilight

Related Links Twilight Page Twilight Quiz Biography of Kristen Stewart Biography of Robert Pattinson Biography of Taylor Lautner Biography of Nikki Reed

• Robert Frost, the author of the poem that opens Eclipse, was born in 1874, attended Dartmouth and Harvard Colleges (although he never graduated), and won four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry.
• Imprinting, a psychological phenomenon similar to the Quileute way of finding a mate, has been used to reintroduce threatened raptors into the wild. Italian aviator Angelo d'Arrigo, nicknamed the Human Condor, would hatch chicks under the wings of his hang glider. The birds, which otherwise would die for lack of a bird mentor, would then imprint on his hang glider, and d'Arrigo would take to the air, teaching the birds how to hunt and migrate.
• An eclipse is the partial or total obscuring of one celestial body by the shadow of another. Best known are the lunar eclipses, which occur when the Earth blocks the Sun's light from the Moon, and solar eclipses, occurring when the Moon blocks the Sun's light from a small portion of the Earth.
• Edward knows Bella is a klutz. If Bella is going to ride her motorcycle, at least she can wear protective gear. By giving her a helmet along with a riding jacket, Edward is also helping Bella obey the law; the state of Washington is one of 20 states with a mandatory helmet law.
• When Bella breaks her knuckle by punching Jacob, Charlie feels badly–he expresses remorse that he never taught his daughter how to properly throw a punch, which is not a simple task. There are many factors one must pay attention to: the point of impact should be as if it were coming from either the second or third web spaces on the hand, the wrist should be perfectly straight to align the bones to transmit force up to and through it, the elbow should be kept close to the body so that the direction of the strike is parallel to the movement of the center line of the body, and the thumb should never be inside your hand!
• Even if Bella was at the top of her class, she would not have qualified to be the senior class valedictorian or salutatorian. According to the Forks High School handbook, "In order to be named Valedictorian or Salutatorian a student must have attended Forks High School for his/her entire junior and senior years." Because Bella arrived mid-semester of her junior year, she would have been ineligible for the honor.
• Bella is extremely reluctant to become engaged; she doesn't want to be one of those girls who jump into marriage too early, like her mother. When she does eventually put on the heirloom ring (from Edward's mother), it goes on the fourth finger of her left hand. The ring finger, anatomical term digitus medicinalis, is the traditional spot to place a ring because the vein in the left ring finger, referred to as the vena amoris, was believed to be directly connected to the heart.
• Bella experiences a wintry June storm when Edward brings her to the mountains to be away from the fight with the newborn army. Forks, Washington, in June averages a high of 58°F and a low of 44°F. The Forks area is home to 22 mountain peaks and summits ranging from 7 ft elevation to about 3,300 ft elevation and includes Crying Lady Rock Pillar, Cake Rock Summit, and Deadmans Hill Summit.
• Jasper Whitlock was an officer in the Confederate Army in 1861, serving in Texas. Texas seceded from the Union on February 1 of the same year, becoming the seventh state to do so. Governor Sam Houston, a Unionist, was against secession.