Comments on: A Case Study on Courage as a Literary Theme

By: Sara Letourneau

Sara Letourneau — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 16:21:00 +0000

In reply to VictoriaGrace Howell. Yes! The Hobbit is another good example. J.R.R. Tolkien's work in general is a good source of stories about courage. Thanks for commenting, Tori!

By: Sara Letourneau

Sara Letourneau — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 16:20:00 +0000

In reply to Rawls E. (author).

Absolutely! LOTR is an amazing example of the theme of courage, because so many characters practices different forms of it. 🙂

Thanks for commenting, E.!

By: Rawls E. (author)

Rawls E. (author) — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 07:18:00 +0000

I think it was courage and bravery in Lord of the Rings that first really drew me into the story. The bravery of four small hobbits on a quest to save the world.
It’s an important theme to focus on while writing, I agree. And one that can be easily overlooked or poorly done.
Great article, Sara. I especially liked the Harry Potter examples, and Neville.

By: VictoriaGrace Howell

VictoriaGrace Howell — Wed, 10 Feb 2016 18:41:00 +0000

This is a really neat discussion! I think bravery is a resounding theme in the Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey. It takes Bilbo a while to find his courage.

storitorigrace.blogspot.com

By: Sara Letourneau

Sara Letourneau — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 19:32:00 +0000

In reply to sjhigbee. Wow. That's an excellent example of a book about courage, Sarah. And you make a great point that people's courage will be tested all throughout their life, including transitioning from stage in life to the next (like what Miles' mother seems to be going through). Thanks for sharing!

By: sjhigbee

sjhigbee — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 17:20:00 +0000

A really good article, Sara – and you’re right, courage is a mainstay of books and stories in all sorts of types. I suppose because I have just finished reading it, I’m thinking of Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan series. Miles is born severely compromised due to an attack on his mother when she is pregnant with him. He suffers with brittle bones, stunted growth, developmental problems and severe epilepsy. Dire enough to deal with under any circumstance, but in a warrior culture where his parents were under pressure to expose him as sub-standard, he is constantly attacked and belittled all through his childhood – even his grandfather would rather he’d been killed at birth… So he grows up insanely driven to prove himself and throws himself into all sorts of dangerous situations to prove to himself and everyone around him that he was entitled to exist. His tall, perfectly formed cousin demonstrates another form of courage – when everyone else is ganging up on little Miles, Ivan cuts himself off from the possiblity of being the most popular boy in the academy by siding with Miles.
And his mother has to demonstate another form of courage, just as testing. She has to refrain from stopping him, or pick up the pieces when he inevitably breaks more bones, or becomes seriously sick. And in this latest book, now she is no longer wholly responsible for Miles, she needs to consider how she will spend the last quarter of her life – which takes yet another form of courage…