John Sheppard Discussion/Appreciation

[Merlin7]

A conversation with Beanie made me wonder about this...

How literary do you think Shep was before he joined SGA?

Given he is of Mensa intelligence I assume he could read and understand teh majority of texts. I never got the impression he was a book worm, before or after joining SGA, I always thought flying was his primary focus/interest. Do you think he chose to take "War and Peace" with him to Atlantis solely because it would take him a long time to read?

Actually...Shep strikes me as very much a loner. And that he probably had alot of down time he spent alone. We've already seen him reading twice. I'm sure he could have done something with the gang, but he chose to read.

My impression has always been that he's a closet bookworm. That for all he'll quote movies at McKay, he could quote literature with equal ease.

[knocknashee]

War and Peace strikes me as bookworm-esque. There are plenty of books that are equally as long but no where near on the same intellectual standing as that...

I wonder if we'll ever see him finish it...

[Easter Lily]

The bookworm snob in me wants to have more glimpses of Sheppard reading classic works of fiction or even quoting from them but I don't think he'll have too much time for reading come next season if he's traipsing off world regularly. It would be a nice for people in Stargate quoting Shakespeare rather than Star Trek for a change.

Loners tend to be bookworms so it does fit the profile.

[knocknashee]

The genre send-ups are cool, but something with a bit more substance would be nice on occassion...

[Easter Lily]

Oh ya... I love it when Shep surprises Rodney... hehehe...

Something like:
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

Very appropriate for a scifi show don't you think...

[Shep'sSocks]

It's funny people should mention made up SG worlds, since I've read some interesting fics with some interesting ideas recently...maybe Shep's parents were peace loving hippies???

I think there are definitely more things than we realise behind Shep...

Oh hey, that one was kind of part of my twin brother thing as well, except that only his mother was a hippy. It's complicated in my head, okay?

[Shep'sSocks]

War and Peace strikes me as bookworm-esque. There are plenty of books that are equally as long but no where near on the same intellectual standing as that...

I wonder if we'll ever see him finish it...

Pshaw, she says.* War and Peace is only considered literary because it's an effort to get through all the names in it. Any book that's supposedly hard to read is considered literary but all you have to do to get into it is find the hook. e.g. Two recent books I did with my students were Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and For the Term of His Natural Life by Marcus Clarke. To get them into the first one, we discussed the nature of serial killers and to get them into the second, we read the cannibalism scene. Hooked both times. War and Peace's problem is that there's no obvious hook.



*(Have been reading Sheridan recently so am stuck on 18th century slang)

[Shep'sSocks]

The genre send-ups are cool, but something with a bit more substance would be nice on occassion...

You mean in fic? I've read some good ones recently, which came something of a surprise because there was a several month period where all the fic seemed to be light tripe.

[Shep'sSocks]

Oh ya... I love it when Shep surprises Rodney... hehehe...

Something like:
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

Very appropriate for a scifi show don't you think...

Yes, but too obvious. Everyone knows Shakespeare quotes. Webster or Marlowe would make me more impressed.

[Shep'sSocks]

I could see a Marlowe quote from Dr Faustus being worked in fairly easily. can't think of any quotes off-hand though. lol

What situation would you prefer?

[Shep'sSocks]

*is slightly puzzled* sitution in Dr Faustus or situation in which quote would be used?

The latter. Situation in which Shep would be clever and pop out with a quote of the episode.

[Lida]

How about T.S, Eliot? He could be very dark........and sometimes close to obtuse. He also could be quite the romantic, in poetry, anyway.

"But at my back in a cold blast I hear the rattle of bones and chuckle spread from ear to ear".

Shep should definitely hit McKay with either Eliot, or Donne or Marlowe.

I am looking forward to seeing more of Sheppard's inner self, in Season 2. He has much more swimming just beneath the surface (I did not plan to use a title from SG-1) than meets the eye (I'm just full of cliches tonight).

I get the feeling Shep has secrets in his past, he would rather not deal with. I hope TPTB allow some episodes to be written with more substance and a bit less action, but I'm dreaming, right???

[Shep'sSocks]

Yes, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, very dark...

Donne would be good. Also the Greeks. Every story is Greek so perhaps he could lob in something from Sophocles.

[Shep'sSocks]

“If we say that we have no sin
We deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us.
Why then, belike, we must sin,
And consequently die.
Ay, we must die an everlasting death.”

Or he's even more impressive and when McKay comes out with "que sera sera" with a shrug he points out that when Dr Faustus comes out with that it's not quite mean to be an overriding "whatever" and goes on with the following lines:

These Metaphisickes of Magicians,
And Negromantike bookes are heauenly
Lines, circles, sceanes, letters and characters:
I, these are those that Faustus most desires.
O what a world of profit and delight,
Of power, of honor, of omnipotence
Is promised to the studious Artizan?

[Salty]

Wow! I'm heading over to the thunk thread It's much too smart in here for me