Essay on Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson & the Olympians

Part 3: An explanation of how the author and his or her novel have impacted American culture. (1 Page)

Rick Riordan’s Jack Percy and the Olympians has had a considerable impact on the contemporary American literature. This series encouraged the creation of a book of essays dedicated to Jack Percy and the Olympians. The author encouraged the development of the fantasy as one of the mainstream genres in the development of the contemporary American literature. At the same time, the author opened the world of the ancient Greek mythology to Americans. He has managed to adapt the ancient Greek mythology to the contemporary American life making the ancient Greek mythology comprehensible to Americans. In such a way, the author encouraged the development of the American literature today and, at the same time, he evoked a strong interest of Americans to the ancient Greek mythology and culture.

In fact, Percy Jackson and the Olympians became a powerful driver of the growing interest of Americans to the ancient Greek culture. In this regard, the cooperation of Rick Riordan with the Twentieth Century Fox proves the importance of the series for the American culture because the series have already become a part of the popular culture of the US. In addition, the series encouraged other writers to create literary works grounded on ancient myths.

Part 4: A discussion of the question; Can this novel be considered a timeless American classic? Why or why not? (1 page)

In fact, Percy Jackson and the Olympians can be viewed a as a timeless American classic because the author has managed to intertwine closely ancient Greek mythology and culture, on the one hand, and the contemporary American life, on the other. In such a way, the author creates a literary work that deals with ancient myths, which persist throughout centuries and remain to be popular and interesting for the audience. At the same time, the author creates the unique blend of the American culture and ancient Greek culture in his Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Furthermore, the book raises themes, which are universal and eternal. For instance, one of the major themes of the book is the struggle between good and evil. Obviously, this theme was and will be popular. Similarly, the author focuses on the theme of love and friendship which are also very important for human relations and for the audience. This is why it is possible to presuppose that Percy Jackson and the Olympians will become a timeless American classic because themes raised by the author will be close to the audience in all times. At the same time, the author does not bind his book to the specific time and cultural background, which could have made the book incomprehensible for next generations. Instead, the book is virtually timeless because readers do not need to have in-depth knowledge of the contemporary culture, social norms and standards, but readers just learn everything from the book because this is a fictitious world created by the author. This is why the timeless book is likely to become a timeless American classic, while its popularity today may persist in the future.

 



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