31
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Correcting Brandon (and Howard and Dan) (or, why they are SO wrong ;p)
« on: June 08, 2011, 01:59:30 PM »
humˇble
adj. humˇbler, humˇblest
1. Marked by meekness or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit; not arrogant or prideful.
2. Showing deferential or submissive respect: a humble apology.
3. Low in rank, quality, or station; unpretentious or lowly: a humble cottage.
The sense in which they have used "humble" is the 3rd one, which is why I mentioned Star Wars and "farm boy". If they were correct in their interpretation (at least what they have said so far) they wouldn't have used the "farm boy" cliche to define it. The Prince was ignorant of suffering and piety, but that does not make him humble. I would say he was humbled when he was shown the outside world. His Journey included becoming humble.
As for World Builder's disease, I agree that discovery writers can have it (Though I believe Brandon portrayed it as a problem more distinct to outliners). I wasn't making the assertion that he couldn't have it since he was an outliner. I was disagreeing that the Silmarillion was a symptom of it (at least in so far as it is a distraction from the "real" work).
I couldn't disagree more regarding the Silmarillion. As I said, the Silmarillion is not backstory. It only became backstory many years later. No mater what you think of its publishability, that doesn't change the fact that it was written first, was not written as backstory to the Hobbit and LOTR, and was considered by Tolkien to be the main work. It wasn't as if Tolkien had the idea for the Hobbit and started writing the Silmarillion to give it history. What became the Silmarillion was begun around 1914 and the Hobbit was begun in the early 30's.
It's like saying that if Jordon couldn't get the WOT published and came up with another story set in the same world (which he considered lesser to WOT), that WOT was just backstory and that he had WBD because he spent so much time writing it before the "real" books.
adj. humˇbler, humˇblest
1. Marked by meekness or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit; not arrogant or prideful.
2. Showing deferential or submissive respect: a humble apology.
3. Low in rank, quality, or station; unpretentious or lowly: a humble cottage.
The sense in which they have used "humble" is the 3rd one, which is why I mentioned Star Wars and "farm boy". If they were correct in their interpretation (at least what they have said so far) they wouldn't have used the "farm boy" cliche to define it. The Prince was ignorant of suffering and piety, but that does not make him humble. I would say he was humbled when he was shown the outside world. His Journey included becoming humble.
As for World Builder's disease, I agree that discovery writers can have it (Though I believe Brandon portrayed it as a problem more distinct to outliners). I wasn't making the assertion that he couldn't have it since he was an outliner. I was disagreeing that the Silmarillion was a symptom of it (at least in so far as it is a distraction from the "real" work).
I couldn't disagree more regarding the Silmarillion. As I said, the Silmarillion is not backstory. It only became backstory many years later. No mater what you think of its publishability, that doesn't change the fact that it was written first, was not written as backstory to the Hobbit and LOTR, and was considered by Tolkien to be the main work. It wasn't as if Tolkien had the idea for the Hobbit and started writing the Silmarillion to give it history. What became the Silmarillion was begun around 1914 and the Hobbit was begun in the early 30's.
It's like saying that if Jordon couldn't get the WOT published and came up with another story set in the same world (which he considered lesser to WOT), that WOT was just backstory and that he had WBD because he spent so much time writing it before the "real" books.