A Game of Thrones
by George R.R. Martin
A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1
read: 2013
Professor Corey Olsen, in his course on J.R.R. Tolkien, starts the class by talking about medieval literature. One of the characteristics of medieval literature is an affection for the past: modern life is decayed, corrupted, and generally inferior to days of yore. In George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones, we see some themes along this line - the disappearance of dragons, the loss of magic, the softening of youth who have never seen winter - but it's impossible to argue that the novel glorifies this era. The world is dirty. Poor people eat raw rats. Even kings die of infection. Death by freezing, hunger, and exposure is everywhere. Incest, rape, and bastard children abound. We mostly see Martin's world through the eyes of the kings, lords, and knights, but we're reminded throughout that the poor are starving, freezing, miserable, and constantly at the mercy of those who play "the game of thrones."
Moral ambiguity also sets A Song of Ice and Fire, the larger group of novels A Game of Thrones is part of, apart from other fantasy worlds. There isn't a dark evil force that the good guys are battling. The Lannisters do some awful things, but Tyrion Lannister is one of the most sympathetic and likeable characters. The morality is a lot less black-and-white than in most novels of the genre, and that sets up some interesting dynamics, where characters the reader likes are pitted against one another.
by George R.R. Martin
A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1
read: 2013
Professor Corey Olsen, in his course on J.R.R. Tolkien, starts the class by talking about medieval literature. One of the characteristics of medieval literature is an affection for the past: modern life is decayed, corrupted, and generally inferior to days of yore. In George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones, we see some themes along this line - the disappearance of dragons, the loss of magic, the softening of youth who have never seen winter - but it's impossible to argue that the novel glorifies this era. The world is dirty. Poor people eat raw rats. Even kings die of infection. Death by freezing, hunger, and exposure is everywhere. Incest, rape, and bastard children abound. We mostly see Martin's world through the eyes of the kings, lords, and knights, but we're reminded throughout that the poor are starving, freezing, miserable, and constantly at the mercy of those who play "the game of thrones."
Moral ambiguity also sets A Song of Ice and Fire, the larger group of novels A Game of Thrones is part of, apart from other fantasy worlds. There isn't a dark evil force that the good guys are battling. The Lannisters do some awful things, but Tyrion Lannister is one of the most sympathetic and likeable characters. The morality is a lot less black-and-white than in most novels of the genre, and that sets up some interesting dynamics, where characters the reader likes are pitted against one another.
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