Need help with a paper

[Aerimus13]

I have been looking for scholarly journal articles on The Wheel of Time series but I am having no luck. If anybody has a few they can share with me then I would be in your debt.

[Guest Dreadlord]

What do you mean by scholarly journal articals?

[Luckers]

You'll not find many. As contradictory as it is scholars and complexity rarely mix--at least not in the type of the Wheel. It doesn't lend itself to easy deconstruction.

[Aerimus13]

well any help would be nice. You said I would not find many. Well those few are the onces I need. If you know where I can find them please tell me. The usual journals are no help.

 

It seems the academic community is not up to the challange of something as complex and rich as The Wheel of Time. I intend to change that.

 

Too long have reads of fantasy been looked down on by the academics. Even Tolkien is not taken very seriously.

 

Don't get me wrong I am not trying to making fanasty literature into something it is not but I do feel The Wheel of Time is on the level of Tolkien if not better. I might get attacked for that but I do believe it to be true.

 

So I am asking all readers of The Wheel of Time series--- if you know of any articles let me know.

[Luckers]

There are reasons why WoT is not explored in this manner, and that is that any accedemic examination would either require a reader who knew the series (not going to happen on a practical level), or so much backlog that you'd see at least twenty or thirty thousand words.

 

My advice is look to something less complex. You might manage a major thesis piece off the wheel though even that would be pushing it--and in truth you want to stay away from fantasy anyway. It's sad that its treated with disdain, but its nevertheless the reality.

 

And in truth you want to stay away from what your truly passionate about when your first getting into accedamia anyway. Passion is a great thing if focused--and that takes experience.

[Aerimus13]

This is a major thesis. The min of 25 pages. This is a masters level thesis which must be worked on during the whole class and turned in on the first week of Dec. I felt this is a subject worth merit.

 

I guess I could do comparative mythology and approach it from that angle.

 

 

[Kaznen]

Stephen King's book, On Writing, as a few brief mentions on RJ and the WoT and their impact on literature and their connection to Tolkien and LotR.

 

Not much, but King is a respected author in his own right and his comments on the business of writing is also intresting and may be of use to you.

[Aerimus13]

thank you that might be something I can use.

[Spirit1025]

Good luck to you! You're going to need it. I'd be interested in reading your work when it's done, if you were up for sharing it. =)

 

Comparative mythology might be a safe take on it, yes. At least it might get some respect...

 

I tried to write a paper once for a literature class on The Eye of the World. The professor gave me an F because it was 'not serious literature'. I had another professor look at it, and he said it was probably one of the best papers of mine he had ever read, and he had seen a lot of them. I believe I got a D on my paper on the Hobbit, as well. And an A on some meaningless crap I wrote in about ten minutes on Charles Dickens. >:(

 

I hope you find some stuff; I haven't been able to find anything like that. 

 

 

[Hybrid]

I tried to write a paper once for a literature class on The Eye of the World. The professor gave me an F because it was 'not serious literature'. I had another professor look at it, and he said it was probably one of the best papers of mine he had ever read, and he had seen a lot of them. I believe I got a D on my paper on the Hobbit, as well. And an A on some meaningless crap I wrote in about ten minutes on Charles Dickens. >:(

 

It probably was one of your best, since I at least write best about what I'm passionate about.  I know what you mean about "not serious literature."  The problem is that fantasy has been destroyed by its reputation as kiddy stuff and a lot of the crap that is churned out nowadays, so good authors like RJ are overlooked.  Probably that first professor didn't even bother reading your paper.  You should have told him where to stick his "serious literature." ;D

[benr]

I once (MANY years ago) took a Fantasy and Science Fiction course at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.  The first read throughs were a couple of short stories, one that I don't remember, and "Mimsy were the Borogroves", by Lewis Padget - one of my favorites.  When the Professor started her discussion of them, she trashed the Padget story and extolled the other because of its references to ancient Greek writings.  I guess the references to Carroll didn't count.  In any case, I got up and left the class, and dropped the course.  Been reading all kinds of wonderful fantasy (with classical references or not) ever since, for the last 35 years.  When my daughter was at Madison, she had a TA/Asst. Prof for an advanced level English course (one of her majors) that admitted to being a WoT nut.  Like the rest of us, he had the need to go back and re-read the series over and over.  Maybe, if you really use those classical references, and work in the originality of the writing and strength of characterization, you will get somewhere.  Maybe it's the use of a pseudonym - Lewis Padget was a pseudonym for a husband and wife team.  Ergo.  Anyways, the story recently became the movie "The Last Mimsy"; it was OK, but not true to the story.  How surprising.