Traitor Parallels

[DarthTofu]

Okay, I just noticed this upon rereading Traitor all the way through for the first time (I suddenly realized that only reading the last third of it wasn't giving me the best possible experience, especially since I could recite it by memory pretty much from when Ganner steps into the arch on out): does anybody else think that Traitor is loosely based upon Dante's Inferno? Vergere sounds very similar to Virgil, and is Jacen's guide through the "land of the dead," just as Virgil was Dante's. I know that Vergere isn't Stover's creation, but it could have been an idea for her name from the beginning.

 

There are also some subtle hints in there, such as the novel being in three parts as The Divine Commedy was, and Jacen asking something to the extent of where in the nine Correllian (sp?) hells he is- an obvious referance to the nine levels of hell in Dante's hell.

 

According to Stover's wikipedia article, he's been known to dedicate books to long dead authors, such as Tolstoy (Again, sp?) so it wouldn't be too illogical to think that there's some sort of tie-in to Dante's work. What's everone else's oppinion.

[Defender_16]

Thought you were talking about the 'traitor' program for SWR. lol

 

I must admit that I've never read the classic devine comedy. All I read was a remake of it by Larry Niven where a Sci-fi author dies and then journies through hell.

[SOCL]

Reading Dark Journey now. I'll get back to you.

[DarthTofu]

I noticed another parallel as well, though there's a spoiler in there if you haven't read it yet (IE Don't read the rest of this post, SOCL)

 

When Jacen gets off of Yuuzhan'tar (sp?) at long last, he has to ascend the ranks of the Yuuzhan Vong in order to do so- in the end rather like how Virgil and Dante ascend from hell to purgatory upon the hide of the devil. I've been trying to find out if Matthew Stover has an FAQ about that or something, or if I can E-mail him with a question, but unfortunately I've found neither. He does however, have a rather hilarious blog.

[Mitth_raw_nuruodo]

I'll let you know after I read Inferno. Of course, I'll have to re-read Traitor, too. I've been contemplating Inferno for a couple months now. We'll see what happens, IF anything.

[DarthTofu]

Isn't Inferno not slated for release for another two months or so, Mitth? Oh, and welcome back again.

[Mitth_raw_nuruodo]

Whowha??? I was talking about Dante's Inferno, not a SW book.

[SOCL]

Whowha??? I was talking about Dante's Inferno, not a SW book.

He got you good.

 

I just finished Traitor (read completely from front to back in less than 24 hours! ) and I can truly see where Tofu gets his idea of it being much like Dante's Inferno (not the Legacy-era novel ).

 

SPOILERS follow:

 

It seems that as Jacen continues being taught by Vergere the Truth of the Gods, he descends further and further into hell, rather in the role of Dante himself (Vergere his Vergil), but taking a much more personal role in the matter. Whereas Dante only has minimal interactions with the grief around him, usually through conversation, Jacen is in the midst of it. Then again, his grief and pain have nothing to do with the actual pain of the others for his is separate and of a vastly different kind. I could go get my copy of Inferno and start going page by page, bit by bit about the parallels, but it seems clear that as Jacen comes to understand the eternity of pain, Dante comes to understand the eternity of damnation. The final bit is what really got me, though, when Jacen enters the Well of the World Brain (in the old Senate chamber), which I took to be the final circle of hell in Inferno. There, as the traitor he is, he faces and is quite literally placed in the mouth of the World Brain, a creature I took to represent the Beast (the Devil) in Inferno. As a traitor, he takes on the roles given to Judas (who betrayed Jesus), Cassius, and Brutus (who both betrayed Caesar). I don't believe he takes on the role of all three characters for Vergere (a traitor to the Yuuzhan Vong and, in some ways, initially, to Jacen) and Nom Anor (a traitor to the Yuuzhan Vong in his greed for personal gain) are very close by, directly beneath the World Brain in the old Chancellor's office (as seen in Revenge of the Sith where Palpatine and Yoda begin their duel). Indeed, Vergere and Nom Anor are lower in hell than even Jacen, at this point, which is enough for me to accept as making them the other two to Jacen's one traitor in the mouth of the Beast. Then it ends with Vergere (Vergil) leading Jacen (Dante) out of hell.

 

So, why haven't I covered Purgatorio and Paradiso? Because the novel ended! Simply, I wouldn't say that Traitor is sufficient to be compared to all of Dante's Divine Comedy, but I certainly believe it reads a stark, Star Wars-style parallel to the first book, Inferno.

 

A very good read! Likely the single most psychological novel I have read in a long time, and the only Star Wars novel that will make you think to the point your head might actually hurt...a bit. Easily one of my favorite Star Wars novels, up there with Heir to the Empire and Vision of the Future!

[DarthTofu]

Ironically enough, I was coming on to remedy that line about Inferno when I found I was too late- I'd put it off too much!

 

I suppose that tells you how much of a geek I am. Well, then, now I feel that it is my civic dutie to write up that Traitor is very similar to Dante's Inferno in both the Wikipedia and Wookiepedia articles.

[SOCL]

Ironically enough, I was coming on to remedy that line about Inferno when I found I was too late- I'd put it off too much!

 

I suppose that tells you how much of a geek I am. Well, then, now I feel that it is my civic dutie to write up that Traitor is very similar to Dante's Inferno in both the Wikipedia and Wookiepedia articles.

Oh, and mention that Darth Vader's a big ugly peepee-head while you're at it. Then source it as a reliable source! They'll have to accept it!

 

Can you tell I don't like Wikis?

 

By the way, read this, Tofu. One of the first few seems to hint that someone else may have picked up on your ideas... Still, it's rather cryptic, so it might be referring to something else...? If anyone has that particular issue of Insider (83), please tell us what it means by "Rings of Hell".

[DarthTofu]

Regardless of whether it will be deleted or not, I edited it. Wookiepedia is pretty good about not deleting new info on sight.

[SOCL]

Regardless of whether it will be deleted or not, I edited it. Wookiepedia is pretty good about not deleting new info on sight.

Nicely done!