Ten Thoughts on Game of Thrones, Season 4 Episode 7: Mockingbird
Even a show that spends most of its time setting up future episodes offers the viewer a lot to enjoy!
Would You Be Able to Claim the Iron Throne?
Something a little fun for our fans of Game of Thrones! Sadly, I was too nice to rule Westeros ~ PK
Staging Medievalisms: Touching the Middle Ages through Contemporary Performance
Examining the Middle Ages through modern eyes: movies, TV, stage, tourism and books. How do we perform the Middle Ages?
Ten Thoughts on Game of Thrones, Season 4 Episode 6: The Laws of Gods and Men
Tyrion goes on trial as we catch up on some of the other storylines in Game of Thrones.
Ten Thoughts on Game of Thrones, Season 4 Episode 5: First Of His Name
This week’s episode of Game of Thrones sees the end of Craster’s Keep, and continues to advance the various plotlines.
Ten Thoughts on Game of Thrones, Season 4 Episode 4: Oathkeeper
After missing a week from being on the road in the United Kingdom, and I have come back to catch up on what’s happening in Westeros.
‘Forgive me for all I have done and all I must do’: Portrayals of Negative Motherhood in George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords
I will argue that Martin both transgresses traditional high fantasy narratives but also employs other stereotypes found in general literature regarding motherhood and female power, often negative in tone.
Ten Thoughts on Game of Thrones, Season 4 Episode 2: The Lion and the Rose
This week’s episode of Game of Thrones gives many viewers what they have been hoping to see for a very long time…
Ten Thoughts on Game of Thrones, Season 4 Episode 1: Two Swords
I take a look at the season premiere of Game of Thrones
Which Game of Thrones House Do You Belong in?
I think the House Baratheon suits me! ~ PK
Returning the King: The Medieval King in Modern Fantasy
Tales of kingship in modern fiction, specifically in the work of Neil Gaiman (The Sandman) and George R. R. Martin (A Game of Thrones), are similar to the medieval models, as kingship and the requirements of kingship were popular themes in medieval texts, including Beowulf and King Horn.
Quality TV, Constructed Authorship and the Case of ‘Game of Thrones’
Quality TV, Constructed Authorship and the Case of ‘Game of Thrones’ By Tobias Steiner Published Online (2012) Introduction: Castles, swords and chain mail, machinations…
Book Review: Dangerous Women, edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois
The twenty-one story anthology features a wide array of modern and historical fiction, sci-fi and fantasy.
If Game of Thrones were a show about a Medieval Theme Park!
The people from Bad Lip Reading have created a very funny (if at times incomprehensible) video from Game of Thrones.
Game of Thrones and Machiavelli
Megan Cavell reports on the lecture ‘Power is a Curious Thing: Game of Thrones as a Machiavellian Mirror for Princes’ given by Janice Liedl
Game of Thrones – Review of Season 3 Episode 10: Mhysa
After last week’s The Rains of Castamere – which left many viewer saddened and despondent – this episode brings some hope back.
Strategies of War in Westeros
George R.R. Martin’s Westeros seems to have an unreasonably large number of battles compared to the real Middle Ages. In A Clash of Kings there are no less than five field actions during the course of Robb Stark’s one-year campaign in the South
Constructed Authorship in Television and the Case of ‘Game of Thrones’
I turn to a selection of paratexts – critical reviews, producers’ commentaries and special features of the show’s DVD box set – to show how the team of Benioff, Weiss and Martin help manufacture and promote the presence of a showrunner-auteur collective in order to help foster a perception of this text as a quality television narrative.
Politics, Hidden Agendas and a Game of Thrones
The novel is analyzed from an intersectional perspective, and focuses on women’s positions in the power hierarchy, and in what ways they use their sexuality to access power.
The Historical Inspiration for the Red Wedding of ‘Game of Thrones’
To find the inspiration for the Red Wedding, undoubtedly one of the most shocking events of the series to date, Martin looked to medieval Scotland and the infamous ‘Black Dinner’ of 1440.
Game of Thrones – Review of Season 3 Episode 9: The Rains of Castamere
Game of Thrones is a show that does not shy away from shocking the viewer and thus episode was perhaps the most shocking yet.
Game of Thrones – Review of Season 3 Episode 8: Second Sons
In this review of the latest episode of Game of Thrones, we look at the wedding of Tyrion and Sansa, which brings all of King’s Landing out; the Hound with Arya, Daenerys confronting the mercenary company known as the Second Sons; Melisandre getting close to Gendry; and Sam and Gilly being attacked by a White Walker.
Androgynes, Crossdressers, and Rebel Queens: Modern Representations of Medieval Women Warriors from Tolkien to Martin
This was another stellar paper given at the Tales after Tolkien session. It was an intriguing look at the women of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones and how each author portrays the mother and warrior characters of Galadriel/Cersi/Daenerys and Eowyn/Arya/Brienne. The paper examined the differences and problems posed by the portrayal of women in theses fantasy novels.
The Meaning of the Middle Ages: Fans, Authors, and Industry
This was a very enjoyable paper given on the topic of medievalism and the predominance of a European perspective in almost all fantasy literature. Young examined three authors who were moving away from the traditional telling of fantasy by subverting the typical pseudo-medieval narrative or by moving away from European cultures towards embracing Eastern, Aztec and other non-European worlds.
George R. R. Martin’s Quest for Realism in A Song of Ice and Fire
This was my last session of KZOO this year and it was the perfect way to end a great conference. This series was dedicated to examining medievalism in fantasy literature with the dominant topic being George R. R. Martin and Tolkien.