Eddings Cliches

[alex22]

Has anybody noticed that more often than not Eddings neatly ties up every male character to a female?
Also, you might notice that the men are never really in control. If you look closely you'll realise that any men in a position of power are always being manipulated by the women in their lives.eg. Polgara and just about anyone, C'nedra and Garion, Poledra and Belgarath, Ehlana and Sparhawk etc...
I could go on forever with that, but you see what i mean.
Dont get me wrong, im all for strong female characters but i just wonder if Leigh Eddings isn't running the show at the Eddings residence?

[Kynsilaukka]

Originally Posted by alex22

Has anybody noticed that more often than not Eddings neatly ties up every male character to a female?

Originally Posted by alex22

Also, you might notice that the men are never really in control. If you look closely you'll realise that any men in a position of power are always being manipulated by the women in their lives.eg. Polgara and just about anyone, C'nedra and Garion, Poledra and Belgarath, Ehlana and Sparhawk etc...
I could go on forever with that, but you see what i mean.
Dont get me wrong, im all for strong female characters but i just wonder if Leigh Eddings isn't running the show at the Eddings residence?

I just started to wonder about the same thing, as I'm finally re-reading Althalus (in English this time, yey!!! A real yey is also that I've found already five Garions in the original language, as they unlike Althalus suffer from horrible translation...).

I think that in Garion-books this tieing a knot thing was done pretty neatly and seemed natural. The characters didn't get attracted to each other just because they were the different sex. I loved the way Garion and Ce'Nedra had this thing about to be going on, but then they were 'forced' to be engaged and that brought momentary frost to the relationship. Polgara and Durnik developed greatly, right from the beginning ("Wouldn't it be great if you married Durnik, Aunt Pol?"). It was such a great moment to have Poledra back... In Malloreon however, things didn't go as smoothly - or should I say, they went too smoothly. Still, I didn’t mind as I really felt for the characters and wanted them to be happy and so on blaah blaah...

In Althalus on the other hand, it is clear from the start 'til the end that Arya Andine will get Eliar and Bheid will get Leitha. Okay, I don’t remember what happens for them in the end of the book, but I’ve read enough Eddings' to suppose that they haven’t given these hints and nudge-nudges just for nothing. They’re too safe for that. (Don’t spoil me, if I’m wrong )

I am a blonde, I love happy endings more than anything. Legally Blonde is the best movie in the world just because it ends in the way it does. But my definition for happy ending isn’t get-married or get-to-a-nice-place-and-live-there-till-death-do-you-erase. I really hope Eddings aren't going to pair Longbow with anyone, not that I would care much as none of these post-Althalus characters (and when I say that, I really mean none after Althalus-the-thief, not the book (oh, I care for Emmy, too (not Dweia though))).

***

About this woman in lead –thing: well well, let's look at the real world. Wherever there's a strong female in a relationship (read: about every relationship), she is the one in control. And when there is a man in control, he is usually a very weak man who subdues a woman in order to prop up his own uncertain ego. Or then the woman is so in luuuv with the male, that she doesn't care come whatever. I'm not a feminist, but in my opinion that's how it goes. Of course, the men aren't subdued; they are fine with the situation for their own will, as are women in such a situation.

Oumaiguddaa, this is going to be a long message… Not much anymore! You've come this far, keep going!

But yes, I think the way how Eddings' females boss their flames is getting trite. It's always this dry sarcasm. “You will do as I say, we can fight about it, but you will do it in the end so could we skip the fight-part?” “Isn't he such a good boy” and so on. I love sarcasm, but it turns into ennui when every other statement is that. I think that's a bit of the Eddings' problem, too: no matter how hard the situation might be, the character lay back and drop sarcastic comments. “Oh look, I have a sword in my belly!” “At last I see signs of being sharp in you.” “I'm shocked at you. Shocked.” And then there's some deus ex machine that removes the sword and the wound and return the blood level and then the guys keep making more sarcastic comments. Ha ha ha how funny – not.

Also, is there any not-straight love activity in any of Eddings' books? In my opinion leaving homosexuality out is much better than including one stereotype to fill the contingency, but still I think it's pretty close-minded to fake that those kind of things don't exist. Don't get me wrong, I don't want any slash, but it seems that love's always mentioned as a girl-and-boy –thing in Eddings' books.

Also, Eddings seem almost incapable to make a girl and a boy friends. Fine, there is Adara and Garion, but they are cousins and are distanced as they grow up. I think a-girl-and-a-boy-as-friends –thing is underrated and underused in all kind of literature, as although birds of feather flock together, girls and boys make great friends. Or is it just me, as my dearest friend is a straight girl though I'm a straight guy? :P Anyways, in Eddings' books, it seems impossible that a character could have a friend from different sex. She's seem always either my-dearest-one's-friends and the other way around, except for the protagonist, to whom they are parts of the group…

Finally, sorry for writing such a long message. It got repetitive, must say, but I hope you didn't start to catch z's.

[alex22]

Originally Posted by Kynsilaukka

Finally, sorry for writing such a long message. It got repetitive, must say, but I hope you didn't start to catch z's.

What do you know, just like Eddings, only he didn't apologise.
Sorry Kynsilaukka, that comment was not directed at your message, it was just that your last sentence was easy to play with.

[Kynsilaukka]

Originally Posted by alex22

What do you know, just like Eddings, only he didn't apologise.
Sorry Kynsilaukka, that comment was not directed at your message, it was just that your last sentence was easy to play with.

Haha, a good one!

[ladyflorange]

Everyone is 'advised', even when it's a completely inappropriate word to use! It REALLY bugs me!

[deemarie]

I think like people you know well, the characters do start to get on your nerves with over-exposure! I loved the Belgariad and Mallorean books, but the cliches did start to grate after a while - especially the 'that's another point for his side' game that's always played and gets very annoying! Even the ever-blessed Silk was winding me up with his nose-twitching by the end...just like real life, when I've spent too much time with my family, all the stuff I usually find endearing start to become irritating!

[The Ace]

The whole point of the Belgariad/Malloreon was to recycle cliches in an interesting way. I've noticed that all the Garion books are readable (although the humour falls off a bit in the Malloreon). But his others aren't all that great. How many Durniks carry our heroes(sometimes physically)? How many Baraks use sudden violence to get their friends out of trouble ? And how many Silks weasel their way out of danger (Eddings just made his a lot more likeable)? Eddings is a cliche, but to quote another great author ; "Cliches become cliches because they are the hammers and spanners in the toolbox of communication." (Terry Pratchett). Just read and enjoy.

[The Ace]

Mind you, that "Original Language, " stuff, the yank spellings go right through me. I once got a hold of Adam's "The long , dark teatime of the Soul," in the US edition and found that the spelling had been changed. Am I right to feel superior about this ?

[KiwiBird]

the good guys always win easy

[DarkIntentions]

I can't believe noone saw this one.. (Hasn't read all the messages so hopes i a right. :S)

Barak saying; 'You're an evil man, Silk'

ABOUT FIVE HUNDRED MILLION ZILLION TIMES

[Faceless Woman]

Kyn - there was one not-straight, between two of the guys in the Tamuli whose names I can't remember. It wasn't actually spoken, but it was implicit. There was all that bit about how they were afraid to say they loved each other, and Sephrenia and Aphrael shared a Look, and then there was the fact that they were the only male characters not matched up with a female by the end of the series.
Oh, and the Look. Another Eddings cliche, shared between females whenever Eddings males are being obtuse, which is always.

[HappyHippo]

"But it sounds so much nicer if I say it that way..."

(velvet to silk, every other page of the mallorean)

I got to wanting to strangle that girl, she was so knowing, and smug, and after a sugar daddy! He'd do something manly and be all proud and she'd puncture his balloon...

I love Eddings, I've read and re-read, The Belgariad, Mallorean, Elenium and Tamuli since I was fifteen. The books are part of my psyche, and my number one comfort read. But, once I got to the redemption of Althalus, saw the same characters with different names, the only slightly-tweaked plotline, I got a bit miffed, and I haven't read any of the recent ones. Also I read the (?)Rivan Codex (how to write a fantasy) and was so gutted at how pompous and priggish Mr Eddings came across... I really haven't wanted to make the effort since.

sorry, sidetracked myself. other cliches? hmm... "s/he embraced him/her seriously" - the Eddings equivalent of a camera pan to breeze rustling voile curtains!

[Curugon]

Good drinking games: take a sip everytime someone "shrugs." At least one a page(not kidding), so you'll be good and drunk.

In the Belgariad, take a sip every time Garion or Durnik is SHOCKED by any behavior that isn't prudent and upstanding (I particularly love it when Durnik often cries, "That's outrageous!")

Another cliche is what we today call racial stereotyping. In the real world it's a bad thing, in Eddings' world it's a way of life. Select dialogue:

Person A: How can you say that?

Person B: But you see, I'm a __(fill in race here)__!

Person A: (laughs) You never change!

Me: groan.

[aebo06]

silk always used to say: "In a sense, yes."

[Polmoon]

the one thing that drives me bananas is the constant use of the term "sort of" it really irritates the life out of me!!!

i wonder if the publishers told Eddings to increase the word count.. so, he "sort of" did. ARGHHHHH!!!!!