How the Inheritance Cycle Differs from Fantasy Epics in the Past

by Ian Irvineon the Inheritance series (Eragon)

Late in the twentieth century the world definitively entered the third age of storytelling, and this is changing the way some new authors tell stories, and how young audiences view them. Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle reflects this transition. The first age, oral storytelling, began with tales told around the campfires of hunters and gatherers. It was only after printing became cheap enough that books were widely available and compulsory education ensured most people were literate that the world transitioned to the second age, written storytelling. Written storytelling must have existed since the invention of writing around 5,000 years ago, but only took over as the predominant form when mass-produced books became affordable in the Industrial Revolution. And not everyone was happy about it. Even in Greek and Roman times people complained that writing tales down was ruining the craft of storytelling.

I had the opposite problem. When I first read Homer’s Iliad … read more»

Recent Free Essays (Still Available!)

Available Until
Tue 12/1

"I Despise You for Making Me Do This"

by Brett Chandler Pattersonon 24

Imagine that terrorists have smuggled a nuclear bomb into an American city and that the bomb is set to explode in a few hours. Agents under your command have captured the mastermind and brought him to you for interrogation. As you walk into the room where the suspect is restrained, … read more»

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Mon 11/30

Back to the Egg

by Gary Westfahlon A Song of Ice and Fire

As anyone who examines the results can attest, a multi-volume fantasy epic requires an enormous amount of writing, and one might imagine that authors in the midst of such projects would focus their undivided attention on completing their tasks. Instead, they are often diverted into writing prequels, stories taking place … read more»

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Fri 11/27

Why We Love . . . Buddy Garrity

by Jen Chaneyon Friday Night Lights

Buddy Garrity is a simple Texas man. He loves his red meat. He loves his three kids, even when two of them clearly appeared to be turning into hippies after moving to California with their mother. And he loves, looo-oooves his football. (That’s foot-bawl, by the way. It’s impossible to … read more»

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Thu 11/26

The Cost of Justice

by Mikhail Lyubansky, Ph.D., Elaine Shpungin, Ph.D.on the Millennium Trilogy

Stieg Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander is a unique and compelling heroine who, as Niels Arden Oplev, director of the Swedish film version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, told Charlie Rose¹, refuses to become a victim no matter what happens to her. Haunted, resilient, savvy, dark, unpredictable, and endlessly resourceful, … read more»