I despise the Twilight series. Not only because of the obsessive fans/Twitards, but because of Stephenie Meyer’s fondness for the word “chagrin”.

Dictionary.com states that chagrin is “a feeling of vexation, marked by disappointment or humiliation.”

Meyer seems to use this word during all the awkward moments in her books (of which there are many). To illustrate just how many times “chagrin” is used in the Twilight books, I have copied and pasted the relevant sentences from them, in the hope that you will see the overkill like I did.

Twilight

1. His expression shifted instantly to chagrin. “Are you very angry with me?”
2. I wondered to myself why no one else had seen him standing so far away, before he was suddenly, impossibly saving my life. With chagrin, I realized the probable cause — no one else was as aware of Edward as I always was. No one else watched him the way I did. How pitiful.
3. I felt his eyes on my face but I couldn’t look at him yet, afraid he might read the chagrin in my eyes.
4. “You can have shotgun,” he promised. I hid my chagrin. It wasn’t as simple to make Mike and Jessica happy at the same time. I could see Jessica glowering at us now.

New Moon

1. I stared up at her, frightened, but she only seemed chagrined.
2. My face twisted into an expression somewhere between chagrin and horror.

Eclipse

1. She broke off suddenly, and she glanced down at me. “I’m sorry,” she said in a chagrined voice. “I’m frightening you, aren’t I?”
2. “You’ll see,” I muttered, and then I sighed. My face went from white to scarlet in a sudden blaze of chagrin.
3. The plate I dropped this time landed in the sink, so it didn’t make as much noise. I could easily hear the sharp huff as my father exhaled. The blood rushed into my face, fueled by irritation and chagrin.
4. “At least he didn’t threaten to kill himself to make me kiss him,” I snapped. As soon as the words were out, I flushed with chagrin.

Breaking Dawn

1. Caius scowled, looking as chagrined as if Aro’s gentle questions had been blows.
2. Chagrin washed through me, and I waited for the heat to burn in my cheeks and give me away. And then I remembered that I would never blush again. Maybe that would protect Edward from the truth.
3. Aro’s and Caius’s clouded red eyes flickered across our line. I read disappointment in Aro’s face as his gaze roved over our faces again and again, looking for one that was missing. Chagrin tightened his lips.
4. Edward stopped a few steps away from Aro, and I realized with some chagrin that though I certainly could, I should not prevent this exchange from happening.
5. So Renesmee was untouchable because of the way Jacob now felt about her. I tried to concentrate on the relief of this fact rather than the chagrin, but it wasn’t easy. My mind had enough room to feel both emotions intensely at the same time.

Midnight Sun

1. Rosalie turned to glare at me, her eyes sparking with chagrined fury.
2. She sighed, too, and put her chin in her hands. Her thoughts were chagrined.
3. She stared into her rearview mirror, her mouth hanging open with chagrin. When the other car had pulled past her, she checked all her blind spots twice and then inched out the parking space so cautiously that it made me grin.
4. “You weren’t going to do anything,” Alice murmured to him, soothing his chagrin. “I could see that.”
5. Her eyes narrowed, and I guessed that she was debating whether or not to make a run for it. “I’ll just drag you back,” I promised, enjoying the chagrin on her face when she realized I meant it.
6. My mouth twisted with chagrin. I didn’t like hurting Tanya, though her feelings were not deep, hardly pure, and, in any case, not something I could return. It still made me feel less than a gentleman.
7. With perfect clarity, I remembered how her body had felt under mine after I’d thrown her out of the way of the oncoming van. Stronger than the panic or the desperation or the chagrin, I could remember that sensation. She’d been so warm and so soft, fitting easily into my own stone shape.
8. “I’ll just stay back here,” Bella said, embarrassment and chagrin on her face rather than pain. Maybe Mike had got the worst of it. I certainly hoped that was the case.
9. “My mind doesn’t work right?” she asked, her voice rising with chagrin. “I’m a freak?”

Midnight Sun is significant, because there are currently 12 unedited chapters available online. In half a book, Stephenie Meyer has managed to use the word “chagrin” 9 times. God knows how much her editing team had to modify the original manuscripts for the completed Twilight books, thereby reducing the chagrin. I have not read the other books that Meyer has released, but I’m assuming her favourite word will play a prominent part in those too.

This blog post has caused me much chagrin to write.

Overall chagrin count in the Twilight series: 24

Overall chagrin count in this blog post: too many to count.