Author Topic: Preservation is.....Brandon?  (Read 4443 times)

atlas689

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Preservation is.....Brandon?
« on: May 19, 2010, 07:21:27 PM »
Did anyone else get the feeling that when the original Preservation person fell out of the sky (when Preservation seemingly died) that the description of the person was meant to describe Mr. Sanderson? I believe it describes his hair (same color), eyes (same color), and nose (same nose). I could be wrong, but that is what I immediately thought of when reading that portion of the book. I've had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Sanderson, but was a tad bit star struck and forgot to ask him if this was so. :)

Troubadour

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Re: Preservation is.....Brandon?
« Reply #1 on: May 20, 2010, 05:18:07 PM »
Hah, you may have found something, there. I can't get to my copy of HoA now, but if somebody could quote the passage, then we might be able to substantiate this.

ErikHolmes

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Re: Preservation is.....Brandon?
« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2010, 06:21:06 PM »
Quote
By the time Elend saw the "mist spirit," Preservation must have been barely coherent. I wonder what Elend would have done, had he known that he was in the presence of a dying god—that on that night, he had been the last witness of Preservation's passing. If Elend had waited just a few more minutes on that ashen field, he would have seen a body—short of stature, black hair, prominent nose—fall from the mists and slump dead into the ash.

Doesn't really sound like Brandon at all to me. But now we have to start scanning all of Brandon's other books for someone with black hair and a prominent nose!
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Fireborn

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Re: Preservation is.....Brandon?
« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2010, 09:46:50 PM »
I seriously doubt it.  I think that Brandon identifies more with Hoid to be honest.
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atlas689

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Re: Preservation is.....Brandon?
« Reply #4 on: May 20, 2010, 11:35:50 PM »
Hah, you may have found something, there. I can't get to my copy of HoA now, but if somebody could quote the passage, then we might be able to substantiate this.

Well if it isn't Brandon, then my immediate question is: why describe this person at all, let alone focus the narrative on his physical features.  Granted we know that he was Leras/Preservation, but who was he REALLY?

Ari54

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Re: Preservation is.....Brandon?
« Reply #5 on: May 21, 2010, 12:32:41 AM »
Read and find out? ;D

ryos

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Re: Preservation is.....Brandon?
« Reply #6 on: May 21, 2010, 04:40:17 AM »
I really doubt this is the case, if only because that would be a Mary Sue, and that's not how he rolls.

For evidence I supply this episode of Writing Excuses.
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Link von Kelsier Harvey XXIV

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Re: Preservation is.....Brandon?
« Reply #7 on: May 21, 2010, 06:14:43 AM »
Ah, but in order to be a Mary Sue, the character must essentially be an avatar for the author to interfere in the lives of the characters.  Usually by being stronger/better than they are, or solving all their problems.  If Preservation were a Deus Ex Machina in the story, than yeah, that would be a Mary Sue.  What we have here however is a character who is so weak he can hardly think straight and even manifesting physically requires great exertion on his part.  Meant to resemble Brandon? I don't know, does he have a prominent nose? Mary Sue: Most certainly not.  I got a little lost.  My point is, Leras might be intentionally made to resemble Brandon (I don't think so though) but he is not a Mary Sue.   ...*Realizes that was kinda off-topic, glances around furtively and runs before anyone sees.*
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Re: Preservation is.....Brandon?
« Reply #8 on: May 21, 2010, 07:26:35 AM »
Brandon has brown hair, is around 6'3", and I wouldn't say his nose is prominent.
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Re: Preservation is.....Brandon?
« Reply #9 on: May 21, 2010, 07:30:38 AM »
I think the definition of Mary-Sue that they used on Writing Excuses doesn't really fit the concept as I've observed it.  I think they thought it meant putting too much of yourself into a character, whereas a Mary-Sue might not be like the author at all, but is simply a too perfect character.  There are further nuances to it, but I'm off-topic as is. >.>
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Peter Ahlstrom

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Re: Preservation is.....Brandon?
« Reply #10 on: May 21, 2010, 09:23:42 PM »
Fireborn, that would be an alteration of the term. Pretty sure it comes from Star Trek fanfiction where a writer named Mary Sue something put a character named Mary Sue something into the fic who Kirk fell in love with and who solved everyone's problems. A too-perfect character who bears no resemblance to the author is  just called bad writing/poor characterization.
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Fireborn

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Re: Preservation is.....Brandon?
« Reply #11 on: May 22, 2010, 07:35:43 AM »
Fireborn, that would be an alteration of the term. Pretty sure it comes from Star Trek fanfiction where a writer named Mary Sue something put a character named Mary Sue something into the fic who Kirk fell in love with and who solved everyone's problems. A too-perfect character who bears no resemblance to the author is  just called bad writing/poor characterization.
You're mostly correct as to the origin of the term, but the fanfic you're referring to was actually a parody of the phenomenon.  And isn't bad writing what a Mary Sue is anyway?  While a Mary-Sue is often a vehicle for self-insertion, that's not all it is.  Look it up at tvtropes.org to see what I mean.
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Miyabi

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Re: Preservation is.....Brandon?
« Reply #12 on: May 22, 2010, 07:41:09 AM »

LOL.  Peter is the wrong person to argue with about these types of things.  He is after all a professional editor.
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Peter Ahlstrom

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Re: Preservation is.....Brandon?
« Reply #13 on: May 22, 2010, 04:18:39 PM »
Fireborn, the fanfic I'm talking about was written in the early 1970s. It it the origin of the term. Wikipedia does back you up about it coming from a parody of the form, but it's also clear on the self-insertion/wish-fulfillment nature.

I reject a broadening of the term to refer to characters who don't have an element of self-insertion/wish-fulfillment. The name of the term is just too specific to apply otherwise.
« Last Edit: May 22, 2010, 04:29:27 PM by Peter Ahlstrom »
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Re: Preservation is.....Brandon?
« Reply #14 on: May 23, 2010, 02:29:12 AM »
Perhaps I didn't state myself clearly.  I'm not saying that the self insertion and wish fulfillment aren't part of it, I'm saying there's more to it than that by itself.  And wish fulfillment/self insertion can exist without being a Mary Sue.
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