Random Precision
28th October 2009, 00:03
Okay. Calm down all you Watchmen fanboys out there. I'm not actually claiming that Watchmen is entirely plagiarized. But while reading it at the encouragement of my brother over the past few days, I noticed a number of things it had in common with my favorite science fiction novel, The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. I've not been able to figure out whether Alan Moore has noted any inspiration from that novel, but it's my view that there are too many similarities for it to be a coincidence. Consider the following (spoilers!)
- There is a large resemblance between the character of Winston Niles Rumfoord in Sirens and Adrian Veidt in Watchmen. Both are considered to be the most intelligent and the wealthiest men on the planet, both may be said to have founded religions (The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent versus the Veidt Method), and most importantly they both develop plots to ensure world peace through demonstrations at the cost of thousands of lives.
- There are also some ways in which Rumfoord resembles Dr. Manhattan. Both are subject to accidents that leave them with the ability to see all of the past and the future, and both conclude from this that the universe is pre-determined. Furthermore both go into exile on Mars, and both leave the solar system at the end of their respective books. Both also lose their female companions to another man, and both foresee this but are unable to stop it from happening.
- From this, both include a lack of free will in a determined universe and the search for the meaning of one's life as major themes. I think that Watchmen had an original take on this with the character of Rorschach.
I'm sure there's a lot more I meant to post, and I'll edit it in as I remember. Anyway I wanted to post this not as a challenge, as I said I very much enjoyed Watchmen and I think it was a great work in its own right. I do think that The Sirens of Titan dealt better with the themes and plotlines that Watchmen appropriated from it, but that's how it goes. I also think those who enjoyed Watchmen should check out Sirens.
Thoughts? Criticisms? Discuss.
- There is a large resemblance between the character of Winston Niles Rumfoord in Sirens and Adrian Veidt in Watchmen. Both are considered to be the most intelligent and the wealthiest men on the planet, both may be said to have founded religions (The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent versus the Veidt Method), and most importantly they both develop plots to ensure world peace through demonstrations at the cost of thousands of lives.
- There are also some ways in which Rumfoord resembles Dr. Manhattan. Both are subject to accidents that leave them with the ability to see all of the past and the future, and both conclude from this that the universe is pre-determined. Furthermore both go into exile on Mars, and both leave the solar system at the end of their respective books. Both also lose their female companions to another man, and both foresee this but are unable to stop it from happening.
- From this, both include a lack of free will in a determined universe and the search for the meaning of one's life as major themes. I think that Watchmen had an original take on this with the character of Rorschach.
I'm sure there's a lot more I meant to post, and I'll edit it in as I remember. Anyway I wanted to post this not as a challenge, as I said I very much enjoyed Watchmen and I think it was a great work in its own right. I do think that The Sirens of Titan dealt better with the themes and plotlines that Watchmen appropriated from it, but that's how it goes. I also think those who enjoyed Watchmen should check out Sirens.
Thoughts? Criticisms? Discuss.