YO! (PLEASE READ, HELP NEEDED)

[rkdku]

Hey guys! Jake here. 

 

Before I say anything - let me warn you, that I haven't fully read ANY WoT book. Yet. So I would very much appreciate spoiler-free comments :)

 

After finally surfacing for air after the fantastic Mistborn trilogy (Brandon Sanderson) and before that, the Night Angel trilogy (Brent Weeks) I decided to take a stab at the Wheel of Time books.

 

I'm only a little into the first book, but am really enjoying it so far.

 

THAT ISN'T THE IMPORTANT PART.

 

I need to do a dissertation at school - a comparative literary study of two books of my selection. Basically, I have to write an essay exploring the similarities/differences between two books, using a thesis of my own.

 

If any of you have read Mistborn (if you haven't, but you HAVE read WoT, I suggest you run to the bookstores this instant), you'll know that the author (Sanderson) delves quite deeply into the concept of dualism i.e. two opposing forces (yin-yang?) of equal strength: Ruin vs Preservation. I'm really liking the idea of having my thesis to do with dualism and how the respective authors explore it in their books.

From skimming the web I learnt that in the Wheel of Time, dualism is also quite potent - The Creator vs. The Dark One. The problem is, I don't know anything about that duality because I haven't read the books. 

 

AND... I need a thesis in within the next... week. I can't finish all 14 books in 7 days.

 

SO I'M ASKING FOR YOUR HELP :D

 

How deeply does Jordan go into dualism in the books? And more importantly - WHAT BOOK does he explore it most in? For example, in Mistborn, it was the last book (Hero of Ages) where Sanderson really started getting into the whole dualism thing. I suspect Jordan won't go into it that much in the first few books, and my dissertation really only allows for book vs book. If I could start reading from a particular book where dualism really comes to life then that would save me from having to find out myself - which, I repeat, isn't viable ;( 

Also - HOW does he explore dualism? What ideas / concepts / beliefs does Jordan have in relation to duality? 

 

Trust me - I HATE skipping books / skim-reading / cheating, but time is of the essence... And I have no choice. I would love to go through the books one by one in my own time at my own leisure.. But because that's not an option here... :(

 

I would really appreciate your help with this.

 

 

MANY THANKS IN ADVANCE,

 

rkdku

 

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

hi, welcome :) hope you enjoy the books when you get to them!

 

I would suggest you use books you've read, tho... or are at least familiar with... WoT is loooooong, a week isn't long enough, and... this isn't the best way to get the info you need.

 

good luck!

[rkdku]

Hey cindy! Thanks for the welcome.

 

I realise that and the very notion of skipping books (especially in such an allegedly awesome series such as WoT) breaks my heart... But I really want to read the books, and being able to write my dissertation on them at the same time will mean I get to analyse them/explore them in ways that the normal reader would never do! And dualism is such an exciting concept (or maybe Sanderson just depicted it that way in Mistborn)!

 

And allow me to rephrase my 'deadline of 1 week' - I guess I should have explained further what it actually is - I have to have a thesis in, not any substantial draft of writing (a skeleton outline/paragraph plan if possible). 

I'm hoping to have my thesis as something along the lines of "a comparative study ... of the exploration of dualism in [insert books here]...". Something like that. 

 

In terms of actually writing my dissertation I have until March or thereabouts to do it. 

 

Oh, and something to add to my initial post: the whole dualism thing doesn't have to be specifically god vs god or good vs evil - I read in places that WoT also has quite an emphasis on the whole man vs woman thing. 

[JenniferL]

No, we are not doing your homework for you. Come on.