Michael Shaara Influence?

[VincentAsaro]

I've been reading Michael (and Jeff) Shaara. I can't help but notice a similarity with the prose style RJ used for WOT; also in scene settings, choice of details, characterizations, dialogue etc, Does anyone know if RJ was a Sharaa fan? 

[mb]

writing similarities between authors does not necessarily make one of them a fan of the other.  sometimes an author might inadvertently take up the style of another.

 

Do not know whether or not Robert Jordan read anything from Sharaa; or whether or not Robert Jordan knew anything about Sharaa.

[CUBAREY]

Well Jordon was ex-military Shaara's The Killer Angels was a major influence military writers so it would not be surprising if Jordon would have read Shaara nor that he was influenced (possibly subconsciously) by his writing but that could be said of many writers that were influential at or just prior to Jordon beggiining work on WOT.

[Barid Bel Medar]

Well Jordon was ex-military Shaara's The Killer Angels was a major influence military writers so it would not be surprising if Jordon would have read Shaara nor that he was influenced (possibly subconsciously) by his writing but that could be said of many writers that were influential at or just prior to Jordon beggiining work on WOT.

Yeah, this pretty much. I think anyone who writes is influenced by what they read, whether they like it or not. It is subconscious most of the time. 

Perhaps in this case, 'Shara' was a nod to Shaara's work, I don't think he was ever asked. I know he said he was heavily influenced by Mark Twain and other Southern writers like him. Tolkien also received several homages (the inn 'The Nine Rings' being one reference, and the similarity presented in the first half of the first book.) 

 

I believe RJ made a general comment about influences that were not specifically mentioned saying that he was influenced by a great many things and mixed them all together to create something of his own. 

 

So I'd say rather than being 'influenced' by Shaara as such, he gave the author a nod of 'approval' I suppose you'd call it. (not in an arrogant way.)