Editing Terry Goodkind (section)

==Genre and influences==
Goodkind perceived his novels to be more than just traditional fantasy because of their focus on philosophical and human themes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prophets-inc.com/the_author/va.html |title=Terry Goodkind - Interviews & Past Chats - VA Book Signing |date=September 9, 2000 |website=Prophets-Inc.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209010955/http://www.prophets-inc.com/the_author/va.html |archive-date=2008-02-09 |access-date=2009-08-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.terrygoodkind.com/chats/PIchat5.php |title=Prophets Inc Chat 5 |date=2003-09-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051217105437/http://terrygoodkind.com/chats/PIchat5.php |archive-date=2005-12-17 |website=terrygoodkind.com |access-date=2009-08-26}}</ref> Goodkind believed that using the fantasy genre allowed him to better tell his stories and better convey the human themes and emotions he desired to share with readers.<ref>{{cite web|last=Snider|first=JC|date=August 2003|title=Interview: Terry Goodkind|url=http://www.scifidimensions.com/Aug03/terrygoodkind.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040225065007/http://www.scifidimensions.com/Aug03/terrygoodkind.htm|archive-date=February 25, 2004|access-date=June 9, 2021|work=SciFiDimensions}}</ref>

On real-world inspiration behind the characters of Richard and Kahlan, Goodkind had this to say: "There were no such people. I created them both. I wanted them to be the kind of people I look up to."<ref>{{Cite web|title=ASK ME ANYTHING / FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS|url=https://www.terrygoodkind.com/faq|access-date=November 21, 2021|website=TERRY GOODKIND}}</ref>

Goodkind was influenced by the work of [[Ayn Rand]] and [[Objectivism|Objectivist]] philosophy. Writing about the series in [[The Atlas Society]] newsletter, Willam Perry states that Goodkind's "characters, plots, and themes...are clearly and directly influenced by Rand's work, and the book's heroes occasionally invoke Objectivist principles". Perry notes the Objectivist themes become most obvious in ''[[Faith of the Fallen]]'', which made the novel controversial among Goodkind's fan base; moreover, the novel contains several scenes that echo the plots of Rand's books ''[[The Fountainhead]]'' (1943) and ''[[Atlas Shrugged]]'' (1957).<ref name="Perry">{{cite web|last=Perry|first=William|date=2006-05-17|title=The Randian Fantasies of Terry Goodkind|url=http://www.atlassociety.org/tni/randian-fantasies-terry-goodkind|access-date=2011-04-30|website=The Atlas Society}}</ref>