Keynote Speech “The dragon Saphira roared, and the soldiers before her quailed. "With me!" shouted Eragon. He lifted Brisingr over his head, holding it aloft for all to see. The blue sword flashed bright and iridescent, stark against the wall of black clouds building in the west.” Welcome to The Shoulders of Giants. I am Oliver Hill, Professor of Modern Literature at the University of Cambridge here to discuss the works of Christopher Paolini and why he should be inducted into the Literary Hall of Fame. Christopher Paolini, is a fantasy writer accredited for his bestselling book, Eragon. In 1983, Christopher Paolini was born in an isolated part of Montana, America, and started writing Eragon when he was fifteen years of age. The self-published book Eragon, was published in 2002 and was republished in 2003. This book was followed by Eldest, Brisngr and Inheritance. Christopher Paolini was influenced by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Eric Eddison and the poem Beowulf. The dialogue featured in Paolini’s series, is effective at creating caricatures and creatively captures the way people speak. Paolini achieves this …show more content…
“It was […] as if an unbreakable pact were being sealed. He started at the dragon and a cold tingle ran down his arm”, this quote shows the importance of friendship, by using a simile to state that their friendship was like an unbreakable pact. Home in the series is displayed as the ultimate goal, "Your fate will be to leave this land forever. Where you will end up, I know not, but you will never again stand in Alagaësia." Paolini uses foreshadowing to relate to the fact that Eragon will never return home. Identity is a major part of the journey and this theme is referred to mainly through dialogue with Saphira or rhetorical questions. The themes of Eragon are diverse and display traditional themes in a new