"The characterization is thin, with most characters having one trait, continually referred to in order to tell them apart"
Really? So Nynaeve is caring, Egwene is ambitious and Elayne is noble, and this is repeated again and again and sums up their characterization, eh?
Perhaps an actual criticism of the characters, rather than a lazy-assed quote from a book, will serve you better.
As for the issue of themes, I fail to see why exactly the precise meanings of Gnosticism, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism are being discussed. RJ took elements from these and wove them into his story to give a vague sense of familiarity to his setting. That doesn't constitute theme.
RJ's themes are more along the lines of the corruption of information over time and distance, the negative effects of a gender imbalanced society, fate vs. free will and the issues of forced leadership. Others as well, which I may not be able to point out.
This message last edited by fionwe1987 on 08/12/2009 at 08:30:10 AM
The Wheel of Time's Great Themes, Edited to Include Those I See.
06/12/2009 05:58:08 AM
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So, What Are They?
06/12/2009 09:36:56 AM
- 557 Views
Putting names into a blender isn't the same as weaving together great themes.
06/12/2009 03:17:05 PM
- 486 Views
No, Indeed It Is Not.
06/12/2009 04:37:23 PM
- 382 Views
Oh my God...trying to use agape in context of this series is overkill to the nth degree.
07/12/2009 04:12:56 AM
- 391 Views
Jordan May Not Always Execute It Well, But I Believe It's There (Now We Face Details in TGS.)
07/12/2009 04:28:05 PM
- 546 Views
Read what Larry's Short History of Fantasy says about Jordan.
07/12/2009 05:56:03 PM
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Oh some book says it, so it must be true!
08/12/2009 05:57:14 AM
- 346 Views
I Have to Agree With Fionwe's View the Characters Are Deeper.
08/12/2009 04:19:07 PM
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I'm done with this thread.
08/12/2009 06:21:41 PM
- 366 Views
Fair Enough.
08/12/2009 07:02:04 PM
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If it were just about Jordan I could ignore this last ridiculous comment.
09/12/2009 03:56:47 PM
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Louis La'mour said about himself he wasn't an author so much as a storyteller...
06/12/2009 03:41:09 PM
- 401 Views
Ha. Funny, I feel the same way, and come to the opposite conclusion.
08/12/2009 08:42:41 AM
- 383 Views
I've never been able to finish the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Too boring, with fairy tale characters
09/12/2009 12:28:26 PM
- 344 Views
That Is a Great Shame.
09/12/2009 01:27:44 PM
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I enjoyed the Silmarrilion though...the part about the Valar and their comparative strengths...
09/12/2009 01:39:47 PM
- 336 Views
That's.. too bad, I guess?
09/12/2009 08:40:49 PM
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Seems to me you've inverted it.
08/12/2009 08:48:07 AM
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One Way or the Other Their WoT Origin Must Be the Stories We Know (Slight Spoiler Alert.)
08/12/2009 03:18:30 PM
- 417 Views
I don't really see any "great" themes per se, just an enjoyable story, like the pulp serials.
07/12/2009 03:32:43 PM
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I Think He Set Out to Write Epic Fantasy, Yes.
08/12/2009 04:25:36 PM
- 321 Views