Mel answers “Why is Denna so shittily written? In fact...”

Susan asked this question about The Wise Man's Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2):

Why is Denna so shittily written? In fact why is this thing full of wish fulfillment cardboard-cutouts? Also, why do women only have a decorative function in it?

Mel Rothfuss himself speaks to the difficulty of writing Denna in an interview linked on his page. He says that she is particularly challenging because we…moreRothfuss himself speaks to the difficulty of writing Denna in an interview linked on his page. He says that she is particularly challenging because we see her through Kvothe's eyes, and she is the one person that Kvothe can't see objectively.

Furthermore, we have to understand the narrative structure of Kingkiller Chronicles. Kvothe is our narrator, and he had significant relationships within his troupe. But he is broken when his troupe is killed, and depth within relationships--any relationship--is difficult for Kvothe to form because he sees any relationship as one that could be lost. (Look how easily he leaves the University, or doesn't realize the need to write to assure his friends of his safety.) In order to get that depth, we would need to see the story from someone else's eyes--or from an omniscient narrator. Kvothe is many things, but omniscient he's not.

And really, connecting with women in any relationship was challenging for Kvothe--remember, he's a teenager who's still trapped by the loss of his family. Women are a mystery, and besides, he's driven by the need to find the Chandrian, not develop lasting roots and relationships.

Above all, we have to remember he's not telling this story to show his relationships--his goal is to tell the story--the unvarnished story--of Kvothe; he's not spending time on the relationships he has because that's not the purpose. Instead, he's a solitary wanderer, searching for the answers anywhere the wind takes him. Even as an innkeeper, he's still solitary, separated from the society in which he lives--somewhat because of the secrets he holds and somewhat because of the role he's adopted within the community. (less)

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Breads This is an excellent comment. I'm not going to lie. I did not think Denna was poorly written, but I found her immensely irritable ONLY towards the end ...more
Dec 04, 2018 03:31PM

Mel Perhaps it's a testament to Rothfuss' writing of Denna that we can all feel like she makes awful choices and we struggle to find the value in Kvothe's ...more
Dec 04, 2018 05:35PM

Bret Hann Well said.
Sep 10, 2019 08:11PM

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The Wise Man's Fear

by Patrick Rothfuss (Goodreads Author)

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