Editing Eragon (section)

==Background==

=== Origins and publication ===
Christopher Paolini started reading fantasy books when he was 10 years old. At the age of 14, as a hobby, he started writing a novel, endeavoring to create the sort of fantasy story that he himself would enjoy reading. However, he could not get beyond a few pages because he had "no idea" where he was going. He began reading everything he could about the "art of writing", and then plotted the whole ''[[Inheritance Cycle]]'' book series. After a month of planning out the series, he started writing the draft of ''Eragon'' by hand. It was finished a year later, and Paolini began writing the second draft of the book.<ref name="guardian" >{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/jan/25/booksforchildrenandteenagers.features|title=Elf and efficiency|last=Spring|first=Kit|date=2004-01-26|work=[[The Observer]]|access-date=2009-01-31|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130827215125/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/jan/25/booksforchildrenandteenagers.features|archive-date=2013-08-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bookbrowse.com/author_interviews/full/index.cfm/author_number/934/christopher-paolini|title=An Interview with Christopher Paolini|website=BookBrowse.com|access-date=2023-10-24}}</ref> After another year of editing, Paolini's parents saw the final manuscript. They immediately saw its potential and decided to publish the book through their small, home-based publishing company, Paolini International.<ref name="teenreads"/> Paolini created the cover art for this edition of ''Eragon'', which featured [[Characters in the Inheritance cycle#Saphira|Saphira]]'s eye on the cover. He also drew the maps inside the book.<ref>{{cite book|last=Paolini|first=Christopher|title=Eragon|publisher=Paolini International LLC|year=2002|isbn=0-9666213-3-6|oclc=49993776}}</ref>

Paolini and his family toured across the United States promoting the book. He gave over 135 talks at bookshops, libraries, and schools, many with Paolini dressed up in a medieval costume; but the book did not receive much attention. Paolini said he "would stand behind a table in (his) costume talking all day without a break&nbsp;– and would sell maybe forty books in eight hours if (he) did really well. [...] It was a very stressful experience. (He) couldn't have gone on for very much longer."<ref name="guardian"/><ref>{{Cite web|last=Paolini|first=Christopher|date=November 5, 2015|title=Self-Promotional Tour and the Ring|url=https://www.paolini.net/2015/11/05/self-promotional-tour-ring/|access-date=2021-12-27|website=Paolini|language=en-US}}</ref> In the summer of 2002, American novelist [[Carl Hiaasen]] was on vacation in one of the cities that Paolini gave a talk in. While there, Hiaasen's stepson bought a copy of ''Eragon'' that he "immediately loved".<ref name="guardian"/> He showed it to Hiaasen, who brought the book to the attention of the publishing house [[Alfred A. Knopf]]. Michelle Frey, executive editor at Knopf, contacted Paolini and his family to ask if they were interested in having Knopf publish ''Eragon''. The answer was yes, and after another round of editing, Knopf published ''Eragon'' in August 2003, with a new cover, drawn by [[John Jude Palencar]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alagaesia.com/christopherpaolini.htm|title=The Author|publisher=Alagaesia.com|access-date=2009-01-31|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215044938/http://www.alagaesia.com/christopherpaolini.htm|archive-date=2009-02-15}}</ref>

=== Inspiration and influences ===
[[File:Stories of beowulf fighting the dragon.jpg|alt=An old warrior fights against a dragon spitting fire.|thumb|200px| An illustration of [[Beowulf (hero)|Beowulf]] fighting the dragon (1908). Paolini received much inspiration from old epic poems.]]
Paolini cites old [[myth]]s, [[Folklore|folk tales]], medieval stories, the [[Epic poetry|epic poem]] ''[[Beowulf]]'', and authors [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] and [[E. R. Eddison]] as his biggest influences in writing. Other literary influences include [[David Eddings]], [[Andre Norton]], [[Brian Jacques]], [[Anne McCaffrey]], [[Raymond E. Feist]], [[Mervyn Peake]], [[Ursula K. Le Guin]], [[Frank Herbert]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shurtugal.com/?id=series/christopher/qanda |title=Christopher Paolini Q&A |publisher=Shurtugal.com |access-date=2009-01-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514052410/http://www.shurtugal.com/?id=series%2Fchristopher%2Fqanda |archive-date=2008-05-14 }}</ref> [[Philip Pullman]], and [[Garth Nix]].

The ancient language used by the elves in ''Eragon'' is based "almost entirely" on [[Old Norse]], German, [[Anglo Saxon]], and [[Russian language|Russian]] myth.<ref>Jana Schulman, "Retelling Old Tales: Germanic Myth and Language in Christopher Paolini's ''Eragon''," ''The Year's Work in Medieval-ism'' 25 (2010), 33-41.</ref> Paolini commented: "[I] did a god-awful amount of research into the subject when I was composing it. I found that it gave the world a much richer feel, a much older feel, using these words that had been around for centuries and centuries. I had a lot of fun with that."<ref name="powells"/> Picking the right names for the characters and places was a process that could take "days, weeks, or even years". Paolini said: "if I have difficulty choosing the correct moniker, I use a placeholder name until a replacement suggests itself."<ref name="teenreads">{{cite news|url=http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-paolini-christopher.asp|title=Christopher Paolini interview|last=Saichek|first=Wiley|date=September 2003|publisher=Teenreads.com|access-date=2009-01-31|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203052328/http://teenreads.com/authors/au-paolini-christopher.asp|archive-date=2009-02-03}}</ref> He added that he was "really lucky" with the name [[Eragon (character)|Eragon]], "because it's just dragon with one letter changed." Also, Paolini commented that he thought of both parts of the name "Eragon"—"era" and "gone"—as if the name itself changes the era in which the character lives. He thought the name fit the book perfectly, but some of the other names caused him "real headaches".<ref name="powells"/>

[[File:Emigrant mountain rivers bend lodge.jpg|alt=A river flows through a flat valley with mountains in the background.|thumb|left|220px|Paolini received inspiration from [[Paradise Valley, Montana]] (''Emigrant Peak pictured, as viewed from west bank of Yellowstone River'')]]The landscape in ''Eragon'' is based on the "wild territory" of Paolini's home state, [[Montana]].<ref name="guardian"/> He said in an interview: "I go hiking a lot, and oftentimes when I'm in the forest or in the mountains, sitting down and seeing some of those little details makes the difference between having an okay description and having a unique description."<ref name="powells"/> Paolini also said that [[Paradise Valley, Montana]] is "one of the main sources" of his inspiration for the landscape in the book (''Eragon'' takes place in the fictional continent Alagaësia). Paolini "roughed out" the main history of the land before he wrote the book, but he did not draw a map of it until it became important to see where Eragon was traveling. He then started to get history and plot ideas from seeing the landscape depicted.<ref name="powells">{{cite web|url=http://www.powells.com/authors/paolini.html|title=Philip Pullman, Tamora Pierce, and Christopher Paolini Talk Fantasy Fiction|last=Weich|first=Dave|date=2003-07-31|publisher=[[Powell's Books]]|access-date=2009-01-31|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090222073206/http://powells.com/authors/paolini.html|archive-date=2009-02-22}}</ref>

Paolini chose to have Eragon mature throughout the book because, "for one thing, it's one of the archetypal fantasy elements". He thought Eragon's growth and maturation throughout the book "sort of mirrored my own growing abilities as a writer and as a person, too. So it was a very personal choice for that book."<ref name="powells"/> Eragon's dragon, Saphira, was imagined as "the perfect friend" by Paolini.<ref name="guardian"/> He decided to go in a more "human direction" with her because she is raised away from her own species, in "close mental contact" with a human. "I considered making the dragon more dragon-like, if you will, in its own society, but I haven't had a chance to explore that. I went with a more human element with Saphira while still trying to get a bit of the magic, the alien, of her race."<ref name="powells"/> Paolini made Saphira the "best friend anyone could have: loyal, funny, brave, intelligent, and noble. She transcended that, however, and became her own person, fiercely independent and proud."<ref name="teenreads"/> Saphira's blue tinted vision was in turn inspired by Paolini's own [[color-blind]]ness.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/paolini/statuses/467683317202952192|title=Christopher Paolini on Twitter|website=twitter.com|access-date=2 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113156/https://twitter.com/paolini/statuses/467683317202952192|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>

Paolini deliberately included archetypal elements of a fantasy novel like a quest, a journey of experience, revenge, romance, betrayal, and a unique sword.<ref name="guardian"/> The book is described as a fantasy, and ''[[Booklist]]'' observed: "Paolini knows the genre well—his lush tale is full of recognizable fantasy elements and conventions".<ref name="Reviews">{{cite web|url=http://catalog.dclibrary.org/vufind/Record/ocm52251450/Reviews |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130414160927/http://catalog.dclibrary.org/vufind/Record/ocm52251450/Reviews |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-04-14 |title=Reviews: Eragon BETA |publisher=catalog.dclibrary.org |access-date=2010-09-26 }}</ref> ''[[Kirkus Reviews]]'' called the book a "[[high fantasy]]";<ref name="Reviews" /> other reviewers have compared it to other books and films of the fantasy genre, such as ''[[Star Wars]]'' and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', and in some instances stated ''Eragon''{{'}}s plot is too similar to those other stories.<ref name="Common"/>