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I Think He Set Out to Write Epic Fantasy, Yes. The Name With No Man Send a noteboard - 08/12/2009 04:25:36 PM
I somewhat disagree - I don't think RJ intended for this to be a great literary work or even necessarily a great fantasy story. I think he set out to tell a good story with enjoyable characters.

A lot of the mythological and symbolic parallels, for example, are not referenced beyond surface similarities, and we don't see any deep analysis on the part of the characters.

I don't think there is anything wrong with writing a series for the purpose of entertainment; it is only a problem if it is taken too seriously.

He specifically listed the Trilogy as inspiration (as well as War and Peace, and lest the allegation be again raised, I don't consider "inspired by" synonymous with "comparable to.") In a work so large a certain amount of thematic elements are inevitable even if the author doesn't consciously intend them, and in any book it's often hard to see which deeper themes are of this type and which deliberately presented. fionwe has referenced themes of free will vs. determinism, gender inequality and incomplete/inaccurate information and I'm forced to agree at least two of those are unmistakably present unless we simply refuse to see them. We can debate whether that was deliberate, but debating whether it happened seems redundant.
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The Wheel of Time's Great Themes, Edited to Include Those I See. The Name With No Man - 06/12/2009 05:58:08 AM 821 Views
So, What Are They? The Name With No Man - 06/12/2009 09:36:56 AM 552 Views
Putting names into a blender isn't the same as weaving together great themes. Tom - 06/12/2009 03:17:05 PM 482 Views
No, Indeed It Is Not. The Name With No Man - 06/12/2009 04:37:23 PM 378 Views
Oh my God...trying to use agape in context of this series is overkill to the nth degree. Tom - 07/12/2009 04:12:56 AM 388 Views
It may not provide intrinsic value to you. But for me, yes. redhand - 07/12/2009 06:06:40 AM 429 Views
Jordan May Not Always Execute It Well, But I Believe It's There (Now We Face Details in TGS.) The Name With No Man - 07/12/2009 04:28:05 PM 540 Views
Read what Larry's Short History of Fantasy says about Jordan. Tom - 07/12/2009 05:56:03 PM 457 Views
Oh some book says it, so it must be true! fionwe1987 - 08/12/2009 05:57:14 AM 341 Views
I Have to Agree With Fionwe's View the Characters Are Deeper. The Name With No Man - 08/12/2009 04:19:07 PM 449 Views
I'm done with this thread. Tom - 08/12/2009 06:21:41 PM 363 Views
Goodbye then! *NM* fionwe1987 - 08/12/2009 06:45:25 PM 130 Views
Fair Enough. The Name With No Man - 08/12/2009 07:02:04 PM 736 Views
If it were just about Jordan I could ignore this last ridiculous comment. Tom - 09/12/2009 03:56:47 PM 459 Views
Louis La'mour said about himself he wasn't an author so much as a storyteller... Shannow - 06/12/2009 03:41:09 PM 398 Views
It's a Popular, If Perhaps Suspicious, Claim. The Name With No Man - 06/12/2009 04:55:25 PM 446 Views
Ha. Funny, I feel the same way, and come to the opposite conclusion. Fanatic-Templar - 08/12/2009 08:42:41 AM 380 Views
Amen to that. Lord of the Rings rules! fionwe1987 - 08/12/2009 09:03:33 AM 345 Views
I've never been able to finish the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Too boring, with fairy tale characters Shannow - 09/12/2009 12:28:26 PM 341 Views
That Is a Great Shame. The Name With No Man - 09/12/2009 01:27:44 PM 340 Views
I enjoyed the Silmarrilion though...the part about the Valar and their comparative strengths... Shannow - 09/12/2009 01:39:47 PM 333 Views
Tulkas Was All Brute Force. The Name With No Man - 09/12/2009 02:48:46 PM 488 Views
That's.. too bad, I guess? Fanatic-Templar - 09/12/2009 08:40:49 PM 330 Views
Arya Stark, yes... Shannow - 10/12/2009 08:48:32 AM 338 Views
Re: Arya Stark, yes... Fanatic-Templar - 10/12/2009 04:56:07 PM 368 Views
Seems to me you've inverted it. Fanatic-Templar - 08/12/2009 08:48:07 AM 328 Views
One Way or the Other Their WoT Origin Must Be the Stories We Know (Slight Spoiler Alert.) The Name With No Man - 08/12/2009 03:18:30 PM 410 Views
I have no idea what you are trying to say, sorry. Fanatic-Templar - 08/12/2009 08:12:35 PM 336 Views
I'll Try to Rephrase Then (Including the Spoiler. ) The Name With No Man - 09/12/2009 12:49:55 PM 328 Views
I don't really see any "great" themes per se, just an enjoyable story, like the pulp serials. RugbyPlayingAshaman - 07/12/2009 03:32:43 PM 357 Views
*Agrees 100%* Tom - 07/12/2009 06:04:31 PM 334 Views
I Think He Set Out to Write Epic Fantasy, Yes. The Name With No Man - 08/12/2009 04:25:36 PM 318 Views
Re: I Think He Set Out to Write Epic Fantasy, Yes. RugbyPlayingAshaman - 08/12/2009 07:26:30 PM 330 Views
True, and That Can Be Very Hard to Separate. The Name With No Man - 09/12/2009 01:14:57 PM 420 Views
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