'I watch it for historic reasons.' Representation and reception of the Middle Ages in A Song of Ice and Fire' and 'Game of Thrones' (original) (raw)
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What, exactly, does the medievalism in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series do? Certainly it’s not intended to be an accurate representation of the Middle Ages, actual or romantic. As Umberto Eco, Heather Arden, and other scholars of medievalism have long suggested, a return to the medieval is an attempt to process the concerns that trouble our collective cultural identity, concerns which cannot be fully explored in the framework of our contemporary experiences. With this in mind, I argue that the combination of Martin’s postmodern interpretations of history with his medievalism functions to enact a liminal space wherein it is possible to explore the unexamined constructions of knowledge which threaten our ability to understand the world we live in. Martin’s work reminds us that our representations of the medieval have always been about the contemporary first and the medieval second, and warns us of the consequences of building identities, national or individual around the myths of history. The author disrupts the processes of history and historicism, and conceals issues of contemporary relevance under a quasi-medieval framework; the medievalism in Martin’s texts thus acts as an abreaction of contemporary experiences and cultural traumas performed within the representation of the medieval. The point behind this disguising of identity (real as unreal; historical as ahistorical; contemporary as medievalism, etc.) within the aforementioned space is that the process enacts a metaphysical distance between identity and representation where it becomes possible to imagine alternative identities and histories. Underneath the artifice of medievalism, then, the differences between Martin’s world and the contemporary world are negligible. The medievalized Westeros and the world of the contemporary West are really just two sides of the same coin, and the world of A Song of Ice and Fire can be utilized as a free space in which to explore a host of issues that concern modern culture.
The Real Game of Thrones? Mythical Dimensions of Medieval Tales
Bohemia 61, 2021
Looking at mythical dimensions in medieval narratives, the aim of this paper is to show – by discussing monstrosity in conjunction with femininity and orientalism respectively – that medievalism, which is not automatically a purely creative preoccupation with the past, needs our critical attention. This is therefore a call for critical medievalism. The show Game of Thrones operates on medievalist fantasy elements which are grafted onto a long tradition of appropriating the past and using it as an imaginary canvas. Medieval tales themselves functioned on a mythical plane where the line between claims to historical accuracy and creative leeway is blurred. Using the concept of “mythical thinking” as expounded in Ernst Cassirer’s work, we can see how the medieval narratives Mélusine and Duke Ernst deploy mythical elements. Investigation into aspects of femininity in conjunction with bestiality on the one hand and orientalism on the other with the help of Cassirer’s “mythical thinking” elucidates the ways in which cultural and historical appropriation work. Reminding the reader of Umberto Eco’s as well as J. R. R. Tolkien’s view on medievalism, the author – in light of politicised forms of the preoccupation with the medieval past – calls for critical medievalism.
Beyond "tits and dragons" Medievalism, Medieval History, and Perceptions in Game of Thrones
From Medievalism to Early-Modernism, 2018
While doing the media rounds to promote his upcoming appearance on season six of the television series HBO's Game of Thrones (2011-present), Ian McShane dismissed the series as nothing more than "tits and dragons." 1 Sparking outrage from dedicated fans, McShane was described as going rouge in interviews, dropping spoilers for the show's highly guarded plot, and upsetting fans by telling them all to get a life. 2 The response to McShane's comments-which arguably describe a surface-level reading of the show-demonstrates just how dedicated the millions of invested fans are. Moreover, if the show is just "tits and dragons"-as the actor jokingly stated-was the outrage warranted? For a television series, it certainly relies heavily on those factors: frequent female nudity, high sexualisation, and a stunning use of visual effect elements like dragons. Game of Thrones is connected, however, to what people perceive to be a deep and engaging depiction of time and place. McShane's comments and, most importantly, the reaction, show the particular trends in the discussions and representations of Game of Thrones in the public: a depiction that remains true to the historical-inspired setting, which clearly has merits beyond "tits and dragons." Game of Thrones was released in 2011 to much acclaim, quickly becoming a phenomenon around the globe. Based on the series of fantasy novels A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, it is set in a medieval , historically inspired world of Westeros, and the similarly Classical Mediterranean-inspired Essos. The setting of Thrones is familiar in its adaption of history for a fantasy setting with countless books, video games, television series, and films on the market that use the framework of the medieval as a fantasy setting for their content. In Thrones case, this works in its favour. The show features themes we have seen depicted in popular culture frequently: magical abilities and mystical religions, warfare, and court style rivalries. However, Thrones is also situated in a slightly different popular culture climate, in part due to the huge fan base and following, but also due to the way it uses historical setting and events to fuel the show's narrative. As a consequence, the representation of the historical-inspired setting, which often depicts the grimier aspects, such as poverty and violence, conveys to the audience a reality
Fantastyka a realizm, 2019
The aim of this paper is to analyze George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire in order to demonstrate that in spite of its medieval character, Martin’s work is based on postmodern conventions and enters into a dialogue with the expectations of 21st century readers. Thus, the paper analyzes the structure of the narrative, the world depicted in it, and its characters. This analysis is preceded by a discussion of “fantastic neomedievalism,” particularly in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and later Tolkienesque fantasy prone to nostalgic rendition of the Middle Ages. The analysis is complemented by a passage on other fantasy novels which show signs of postmodern sensibility and, therefore, offer a glimpse into the process of transformation within medieval-inspired fantasy, of which Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire can be regarded as the most recent product.