I know there’s a lot of discussion about whether this is a good book or bad but I have something else to say!
Does this book not read like it was written by a Redditor? And portrays a character that depicts what Redditors view themselves as?
He’s so completely arrogant but tells his story as if he’s being humble. It’s one long humblebrag. And he’s good at everything and knows everything.
It reminds me of the Martian and Project Hail Mary.
I want to coin a new literary genre: Redlit – featuring characters that portrait the ideal person. Polymath good at everything they try at (but they promise they put in the work before hand), underdog, misunderstood, hyper rational in a world where others aren’t, humble, hate men who are good at getting women but also manage to have their ideal women throw themselves at them because they realize they posses all the qualities listed above that other men don’t.
It’s just a redditor’s fantasy! Am I missing anything?
by shadowfax416
9 Comments
Dang, I actually agree mostly. Overall I did like the mystery and magic in the writing but it does have some of those vibes. Especially the main character having a girl as a friend he adores, but never acts on his feelings because he’s scared of losing her. He also acts aloof in other situations around women. The way he gets laid is so unrealistic, training in a tribe where everyone is sexually liberated and the women make the first move!
There is another book a little like this called “lies of locklamora” where the main character similar ends up in this fantasy scenario where he is with a girl without having to put in the effort, but is otherwise well written.
If you know books that are fantasy but portray love in a more realistic view, I’d be curious of the suggestions.
Also, I realize the Name of the Wind came out before reddit was a thing!
It’s a pretty commonly discussed topic that Kvothe is an unreliable narrator since the story is literally him telling his life’s story. At several points he purposefully creates fanciful versions of events in the story that spread his own fame. Good chance that he could also be doing it in this “true” story as well which is an interesting idea. Now whether Rothfuss intended this is 100% up for debate as is if it’s actually part of the book or just an idea fans invented.
Also a lot of people really support it based on its prose. Very detailed and vivid descriptions of things and feelings.
Oh boy, a popcorn thread!
It’s worth noting that the character is written that way intentionally, and Rothfuss has clearly stated he (Kvothe, or however it’s spelled) is an unreliable narrator.
The book reads a lot better if you assume that Kvothe is at least a little full of shit. He gets called out numerous times by the people he’s telling the story too. My favorite (and I think it’s also a critique of fantasy in general) is when one of them is like, dude, why is every woman in this story exceedingly beautiful?
He’s clearly diminished in some fashion as the story teller vs the story and I’m honestly very curious to see how this gets reconciled if book 3 ever comes out.
He’s the typical “cool power nerd” type protagonist. It definitely goes into the “nerd fandom” greater culture, think Harry Dresden of the Dresden Files.
Has a more “classic” white knight view on relationships, is “gender equal” but still really likes to point out differences between men and women, “magic” is actually “science” (sort of) because it works “logically,” and so on.
Definitely not Redditor specific in the target audience, more of the typical “gifted kid who didn’t learn to apply themselves and convinced themselves that they’re the smartest guy in the room” arrogant sorts.
This review I particularly liked:
>[A friend of mine described this dynamic as “male power fantasy,” which I thought was spot on. Kvothe’s insufferable ability to weasel his way out of any tight spot––a quality that would usually endear a character to an audience––becomes a mockery of repetition and absurdity with each new episode. This is not because Kvothe doesn’t have serious problems to overcome, but rather because his attitude is so fucking smug. He’s a guy who has experienced extreme poverty but knows deep down that he is a superman, the kind of guy who would respond this way when warned that a woman might break his heart:](http://www.words-and-dirt.com/words/review-patrick-rothfusss-the-name-of-the-wind)
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>*My heart is made of stronger stuff than glass. When she strikes she’ll find it strong as iron-bound brass, or gold and adamant together mixed. Don’t think I am unaware, some startled deer to stand transfixed by hunter’s horns. It’s she who should take care, for when she strikes, my heart will make a sound so beautiful and bright that it can’t help but bring her back to me in winged flight*
The fact that Rothfuss kind of arrogantly dicked around after half assing the second book a decade later and spent years just trolling his fans on his blog and hanging out at comic-cons talking about how great his first book was, kind of shows how much of himself he plugged into Kvothe.
The hero as a wish-fulfilling stand-in for the author/reader is a pretty common trope, it doesn’t really have anything to do with reddit, I don’t think. Almost any classic “fantasy adventure” story will have elements of this, from pulp novels to classics. While a lot of modern fantasy has gotten away from that trope, Name of the Wind is pretty juvenile in that sense. And if the first book bothers you, I gotta warn you that the second is way, way worse.
That said, I still found them enjoyable. Too bad he never finished the trilogy.
Its a fantasy. Its escapism. People need that sometimes. Its male equivalent to Clan of the Cave Bear.
Why is it that every time I hear about this book, I think people are talking about *Inherit The Wind*? Incredibly pervasive mental block. Anyway Inherit The Wind is really good, the other one doesn’t sound like my thing.