Despite an unfavorable initial reception, Eragon has gone on to be received quite well by readers of all sorts as time passed. Many point out various flaws found in the then-young author's abilities, while others appreciate the book for what it is, praising Paolini for succeeding despite some oversights within his early literature. On this page, I'll be breaking down what various critics have said about his work, both the good and the bad.
Supernatural Literature, by Heather Jurva, Erago1
Out of all of Eragon's critics, Heather Jurva is easily the best, most in-depth look at Eragon. She takes a deep dive into the literature through historical and literary context, styles and themes, and a short critical discussion of Eragon. The first major topic Jurva dives into is the historical and literary context. Throughout this discussion, she brings up various different inspirations Paolini drew from, including texts such as Lord of the Rings, Beowulf, and many more. Jurva explains that “In creating his dragon, Paolini looked beyond the natural characteristics he observed in the world around him and into a deep, rich literary lineage with the Lord of the Rings trilogy as a foundational text.” She later explores the themes and styles of the book, acknowledging the different character types Paolini used and other writing techniques, such as “The Hero’s Journey”, as well as other common styles of writing found between other high-fantasy medieval works and Paolini’s Eragon. She provides ideas as to how these styles of writing influenced Paolini’s work, including that “Contextually, these similarities to wellknown fantasy classics undergird the fantastical and supernatural in Paolini's dragon epic, firmly grounding Eragon in the high fantasy, archetypal tradition of its forebears.” Finally, her critical discussion of Eragon. Throughout this part of her review, she focuses on how others have analyzed Paolini’s technical ability as well as how the work has been received and used by others. She relays to the reader of the positive reception and success of Paolini despite his faulty writing ability as a young, inexperienced author.
The Egg and Him, by Liz Rosenberg
Liz Rosenberg starts off her review of Eragon with a quick little history lesson about Christopher Paolini. She explains how the fifteen year old Paolini got his book from self-published to getting it picked up by the Alfred A. Knopf publishing company. Then she dives into Eragon itself, starting with the main man, Eragon, and how he has all the makings of the “classic literary hero”, as well as the archetypes found throughout the book. This talk of archetypes leads into her true criticisms of Eragon. She explains how other writers, such as Tolkien or Rowling, effectively utilize different “stereotypes” in order to create brilliant stories. Paolini didn’t have this ability. Rosenberg explains how he uses “cliched descriptions” and “B-move dialogue”, with other mistakes, which leads to the plot struggling to maintain good pacing. Despite Paolini’s mistakes, Rosenberg maintains that he managed to write an “authentic work of great talent.” She concludes that Paolini’s writing, even for an inexperienced author, managed to bring the story of Eragon to life in brilliant ways that showcase his potential as an author.
Review: Eragon by Christopher Paolini, by Diana Wynne Jones
Jones’ thoughts on Eragon ultimately say it is a good book that properly reaches its target market. She also makes it clear that the more “hardcore” high-fantasy readers may be let down by Paolini’s writing. Jones breaks down the flow of Eragon’s plot, and how it is derived from the standard formula for stories of the genre, before explaining that Eragon follows this exact formula. Than she dives into Eragon, the character, and his dragon Saphira and the relationship between them. Unfortunately, Jones fails to dive into a deep exploration of the relationship between the two, more just describing their interactions with one another, but does say “…Paolini has achieved a portrayal of true affection between boy and dragon, without ever laboring the point, and this shows real skill.” Besides what I’ve already mentioned, Jones doesn’t really mention anything else of substance.
Lessons from the Terrible Writing of Eragon, by Chris Winkle
Finally, we get to the most critical review of Eragon, by Chris Winkle. Winkle does acknowledge Paolini’s skill and potential as a writer for his age, but, in his own words, “...that doesn’t make his work immune to critique.“ Winkle breaks down various flaws in Paolini’s writing from his narration and word choice to the language Paolini made for his magic system, going into great depth for each of his points. Several of his points revolve around the way Paolini created his world, using “silly” or “stereotypical” choices in his writing. This point is nullified when you consider Paolini’s age when writing Eragon and the fact that Eragon isn’t meant to be a super complicated and sophisticated work of literature, as it is ultimately targeted at young teens, not some hardcore fantasy reader. Overall, Winkle is heavily critical of the young Paolini’s work and is seemingly not the most reliable source for those wanting to learn more about Eragon.