Storytelling

Storytelling encompasses the premise of the entire Kingkiller Chronicle series, as Kvothe is telling the story of his life to the Chronicler and Bast in three parts. The beginning, ending, and interludes dispersed throughout The Wise Man’s Fear remind the reader that Kvothe is in the process of communicating the main contents of the novel within the span of one day.

Rothfuss emphasizes the power of stories as representations of real events and morals, in addition to possessing sentimental value to Kvothe. Kvothe says, “history tends to be rather dry, but everyone enjoys a story” (400). This implies that the act of crafting a story reshapes reality into a purposeful message. Rothfuss states that stories “were like prayers, like charms muttered late at night when you were walking alone in the dark. Stories were like ha’penny amulets you brought from a peddler just in case...