Eragon as a Sociopath - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

The Might · 09-09-2009, 12:24 PM

I'll read the full article after I'm done eating and will edit this post, just wanted to post my thoughts on the second passage you quoted.

I never really liked Paolini, because to me, he always was just a worthless copy of Tolkien with some elements of Star Wars and Dune thrown in as well, with no real originality whatsoever. He joins the ranks of many such authors who publish books on elves, trolls and orcs here in Germany.

The only thing that was remarkable was his age, I mean at 16, I can well understand why he wrote the way he wrote. But now with 25... I am really shocked and would have expected more from him. I have not read the book - nor do I plan to - but if indeed what is described there does happen in the book... very poor performance, Mr. Paolini.

OK, now I'm actually quite disturbed by this. The passage summing it up sounded bad but some parts, especially the treatment of Sloan and of the child are really... evil.

To conclude, I dare say that Túrin has nothing on Eragon when it comes to evil deeds.

Laurinquë · 09-13-2009, 01:23 AM

Great link The Sixth Wizard! That is an exceptional essay. I too have been liking those books less and less as of late; the actions of both Eragon and the Varden are really getting out of hand. Bunch of nutters.

And for an admirer of Tolkien, Paolini has a remarkably poor grasp of what Tolkien's works are really about. He should consider doing less blatant plagiarism (It's repulsive) and more moral and ethics analysis. His books have turned from semi-literature (well, ok they were never really literature) to an extended horror flick - one glorified blood-bath after another.

Eomer of the Rohirrim · 09-16-2009, 07:06 AM

Wait, we're criticising the guy for copying Tolkien, then complaining because he's not following Tolkien's moral code?

Seems obvious to me that this Eragon guy's all about taking names. Let him be; it's refreshing.

Mnemosyne · 09-16-2009, 12:29 PM

I think the problem that I have with Paolini's approach is not so much that he presents a different moral code from Tolkien as that it appears so far that Eragon's actions have no consequences which one might expect from what he's done. Sometimes, especially if you're in a position of power, you can get away for a time with doing things poorly, especially if your world operates out of a mindset of "the end justifies the means." However, looking at real life, if the means involve doing something that could be remotely construed as morally wrong, after the End happens and all is well some of those things will come back to bite you in the butt. (Just look at the debate still surrounding the bombing of Nagasaki.)

There are plenty of better fantasy books out there that operate off a different moral setting from Tolkien--His Dark Materials and especially A Wizard of Earthsea come to mind. Even Harry Potter's stress on ingenuity, intelligence, and luck instead of plain old hard work differs in this respect. What makes them better than the Eragon books is not that they're closer to Tolkien, but that they still follow the internal laws of reality: actions have consequences, and minor characters are actual people, never plot devices to be discarded by the wayside when the protagonist or the author has no more use for them. (Well, except for JKR's killing spree in Book 7.)

09-09-2009, 12:24 PM	#1
The Might Guard of the Citadel Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Oxon Posts: 2,205	I'll read the full article after I'm done eating and will edit this post, just wanted to post my thoughts on the second passage you quoted. I never really liked Paolini, because to me, he always was just a worthless copy of Tolkien with some elements of Star Wars and Dune thrown in as well, with no real originality whatsoever. He joins the ranks of many such authors who publish books on elves, trolls and orcs here in Germany. The only thing that was remarkable was his age, I mean at 16, I can well understand why he wrote the way he wrote. But now with 25... I am really shocked and would have expected more from him. I have not read the book - nor do I plan to - but if indeed what is described there does happen in the book... very poor performance, Mr. Paolini. OK, now I'm actually quite disturbed by this. The passage summing it up sounded bad but some parts, especially the treatment of Sloan and of the child are really... evil. To conclude, I dare say that Túrin has nothing on Eragon when it comes to evil deeds. __________________ “The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike.” Delos B. McKown Last edited by The Might; 09-09-2009 at 01:02 PM.

09-13-2009, 01:23 AM	#2
Laurinquë Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 347	Great link The Sixth Wizard! That is an exceptional essay. I too have been liking those books less and less as of late; the actions of both Eragon and the Varden are really getting out of hand. Bunch of nutters. And for an admirer of Tolkien, Paolini has a remarkably poor grasp of what Tolkien's works are really about. He should consider doing less blatant plagiarism (It's repulsive) and more moral and ethics analysis. His books have turned from semi-literature (well, ok they were never really literature) to an extended horror flick - one glorified blood-bath after another. Last edited by Laurinquë; 09-13-2009 at 01:24 AM. Reason: Paul McCartney

09-16-2009, 07:06 AM	#3
Eomer of the Rohirrim Auspicious Wraith Join Date: May 2002 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 4,859	Wait, we're criticising the guy for copying Tolkien, then complaining because he's not following Tolkien's moral code? Seems obvious to me that this Eragon guy's all about taking names. Let him be; it's refreshing. __________________ Los Ingobernables de Harlond

09-16-2009, 12:29 PM	#4
Mnemosyne Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Between the past and the future Posts: 1,159	I think the problem that I have with Paolini's approach is not so much that he presents a different moral code from Tolkien as that it appears so far that Eragon's actions have no consequences which one might expect from what he's done. Sometimes, especially if you're in a position of power, you can get away for a time with doing things poorly, especially if your world operates out of a mindset of "the end justifies the means." However, looking at real life, if the means involve doing something that could be remotely construed as morally wrong, after the End happens and all is well some of those things will come back to bite you in the butt. (Just look at the debate still surrounding the bombing of Nagasaki.) There are plenty of better fantasy books out there that operate off a different moral setting from Tolkien--His Dark Materials and especially A Wizard of Earthsea come to mind. Even Harry Potter's stress on ingenuity, intelligence, and luck instead of plain old hard work differs in this respect. What makes them better than the Eragon books is not that they're closer to Tolkien, but that they still follow the internal laws of reality: actions have consequences, and minor characters are actual people, never plot devices to be discarded by the wayside when the protagonist or the author has no more use for them. (Well, except for JKR's killing spree in Book 7.) __________________ Got corsets?