Game of Thrones *spoilers*

Much like life in the English regal families!

 

I just found a very funny yet kind of accurate description breaking down all the female characters in the series.

Here is the verdict.

You can find the whole break down over here.

 

In turn, you can find an intelligent, well-written rebuttal to that drive-by over here.

This summary hits home how I feel about the whole "George R. R. Martin is a misogynist" business:

 

This is an interesting interpretation, and one I hadn't considered. Although, I find the whole furore over sexism/violence against women in the books absurd to begin with, mainly because it glosses over the numerous examples of sexual violence against men (unsullied, that Maester who is the "butt boy" for Victarion's crew, that septon with the Brave Companions, etc etc ad nauseum). I also found it caught me off guard to begin with, partly because I don't tend to submit things I read to a feminist lens. I found Alyssa Rosenberg's response satisfying because it reinforces my belief that the whole affair acts as an excellent springboard to discuss male patriarchy in society, as well as sexual violence against all genders in times of war. It is most definitely fantasy rooted in a factual historical setting of male dominance, and jumps back and forth in ways that make the reader think, "Hey, this sounds familiar..."

This is how I digest the controversy, if you think otherwise that's your opinion and you're entitled to it. I just think these arguments are selective. I do agree with you though, the whole thing does get muddled, mainly because GRRM is such a verbose writer who really needed to get beaten over the head and shoulders by a harsh editor.

 

I think that's a grotesquely biased and unfair approach to Martin's literature, because it makes it seem like he's somehow exalting in the sexual or gender-based violence. He's not. He is VERY interested in sex, sexuality and sexual politics. I certainly won't contest that. Nor would I suggest that he doesn't bring up breasts a lot, though it's far more frequent with some characters than with others. For example, I think you'd be very hard pressed to find a place where Arya's physique was brought up, or where sex or sexuality has at all been at primary issue. With Dany, on the other hand, it's incredibly tied in to her story, her character and her character arc, so it comes up a lot. She also is in cultures where nudity is more relaxed than in Westeros proper, so there's a lot of instances where he's given himself the opportunity to talk about it.

Not that I'm a historian or something, but I don't think the Middle Ages was a very nice time to live, and for women who lived during times of war, I would not be surprised if rape was astonishingly common. For another example, check out the very well received historical fiction written by Ken Follett, Pillars of the Earth and its sequel, World Without End. They take place in real England, obviously, as opposed to Martin's heavily fictionalized England, but I'm pretty sure sexual violence is inflicted upon basically every female character in that series, as well. That doesn't make Follett an inhuman monster with backwards views on sexual politics any more so than it makes Martin, it just means that there was a lot of sexual violence in the setting in which they're writing. Going further than that is looking for an agenda that doesn't exist.

That's not to say that I don't agree with you to some extent, Baraka, especially in Feast and Dance. Martin is spinning his wheels, severely in some instances (other than

Drogon's return

Dany's entire story in Dance is a waste of time and ink, because literally nothing changes in her story; Tyrion's is pretty wheel-spinny as well; and then we have Doran Martell's story which

is completely invalidated by the fact that he dies at the end!

). On the other hand, Arya's story moved forward in some very interesting ways, as did Theon's, Asha's, Bran's and Jon's (although I guess Melisandra's moved more forwards more than Jon's).

In any event, I'm committed to the series and seeing where things go. I hope he pulls himself out of his rut a bit for Winds, since I'm not sure I want another book much like Dance, but we'll just have to wait and see.

 

With the series launch here only last week, I am about to sink into episode three tonight.

(thankfully they premiere two episodes a week)

 

You're gonna love it Charlatan!

I'm right near the end of book 3, need to get book 4 uploaded to the ipod.

 

I can't wait for season 2 to begin. I'm about half way through book 5 now. Still lovin it!

 

My friend LOVES this show. Never watched it, though.

I saw "A Song of Ice and Fire" mentioned in Xazy's snapshot.

Is Game of Throne based on the book series?

 

Yup. check it out online, fantastic series.

 

Cheers, will do!

 

heh...I still haven't watched the first season, beyond the first two eps and a few scattered clips. Lordeden got tired of me yelling at the screen

But...Roose Bolton and Jagen H'ghar look VERY similar to how I pictured them.

 

Roose Bolton for sure looks to be a perfect actor. creepy motherfucker

 

They started filming in Iceland this morning.