frowned

Hello! Finally stopped lurking and created an account to make this post. Tl;dr: Sando seems to have a huge emotional impact on his readers; I’m curious about where he falls short. I’m looking for writing/podcasts that scrutinize Sanderson’s authorial intent & assumptions in a Sazed-y way — if not scholarly, then at least a cogent & respectful way. Like many of y’all, Brandon Sanderson has changed my worldview for the better. His magic systems are beautifully intricate. Most of all I admire Sanderson’s radical open-mindedness and empathy, his poignant portrayal of mental health, and relatively progressive take on oppression. I want to emulate those in my own writing, but with a catch. It’s occurred to me that, because of Sanderson’s open-mindedness, he’d likely welcome constructive critiques of his work. Still, I can’t seem to find any good articles or media that look at the Cosmere through a socially critical lens. I’m not looking for contrarians or the “his prose sucks” crowd. I’m also not looking for softballs. Rather, I want to see critiques of Sanderson’s: Implicit biases. Character arcs’ implications. For instance, what’s the messaging behind portraying Moash and Dilaf as natural endpoints for disaffected oppressed people — those who don’t start working “inside the system” like Kal? Absences (“lacunae”) in his text. Identity-based absences, yes, but also perspective-based absences (see #2). Open-mindedness & forgiveness itself — how much of Harmony’s indecision shows up in Sanderson himself? For instance, what is the ideological cost of Sanderson’s non-committal stance on who Roshar “belongs to?” The redemption of conquerors like Hrathen and Dalinar but not Vargo? Anything else that isn’t nit-picky/mean-spirited Disclaimer: please do not comment with arguments against 1-4. I also recognize that Cosmere plots do not necessarily reflect Sando’s beliefs. Looking to study, not debate!