{"id":27302,"date":"2014-11-19T06:30:07","date_gmt":"2014-11-18T17:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?p=27302"},"modified":"2014-11-16T22:47:26","modified_gmt":"2014-11-16T09:47:26","slug":"big-worlds-on-small-screens-rebecca-fisher-discusses-a-game-of-thrones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2014\/11\/19\/big-worlds-on-small-screens-rebecca-fisher-discusses-a-game-of-thrones\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Worlds On Small Screens: Rebecca Fisher Discusses A “Game Of Thrones”"},"content":{"rendered":"

~ by Rebecca Fisher<\/em><\/p>\n

Introduction:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Though the first book in George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy series was published in 1996 and became a best-selling success all on its own, it was not until the television adaptation first aired in 2011 that Game of Thrones<\/strong> entered the mainstream cultural landscape. These days even those who have never watched a single episode are capable of recognising the phrases “winter is coming” or “you know nothing, Jon Snow”, and words such as “khaleesi” have entered the common vernacular.<\/p>\n

\"GOT1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Nearly a decade after The Lord of the Rings<\/strong> film trilogy ended, Game of Thrones<\/strong> solidified the demand for serious fantasy stories for adult viewers. And I mean adult <\/em>viewers, as there’s no way you’d want anyone under the age of twelve watching Game of Thrones<\/strong>. Heck, there are plenty of people over the age of fifty<\/em> that I wouldn’t want watching it.<\/p>\n

As it happens, Game of Thrones<\/strong> is as unlike The Lord of the Rings<\/strong> as you can possibly imagine two franchises that both technically exist in the same High Fantasy genre to be. The latter is an epic but straightforward good-versus-evil conflict between stalwart heroes and diabolical monsters. Game of Thrones<\/strong> is an epic that’s awash in moral ambiguity, where goodness of heart does nothing to guarantee a character’s happy ending, and the death toll among the main cast is matched only by how quickly it’s replenished by an endless profusion of new characters to replace them.<\/p>\n

Premise:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It’ll be a challenge to sum up the gist of Game of Thrones<\/strong>, partly because it’s so vast in scope, and partly because most are already familiar with its twists and turns. Based on the books series A Song of Ice and Fire<\/strong> (as yet uncompleted) by George R.R. Martin, it’s not difficult to see why it’s so popular. Merging expansive world-building with a range of complex characters and events inspired by the War of the Roses, Game of Thrones<\/strong> feels more like a war epic with a heavy dash of political espionage than the usual fantasy conflict of good-versus-evil.<\/p>\n

The continent of Westeros is divided into seven regions, ruled over by houses of varying power and influence. They all swear fealty to King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) whose seat of power lies in the city of King’s Landing, best described by a quoting a line from Star Wars<\/strong>: “a wretched hive of scum and villainy.”<\/em> Here, though, the city’s rotten interior is wrapped in silks and hidden beneath courtly smiles.<\/p>\n

And so it is north that King Robert goes to bestow the office of Hand of the King upon his old friend and comrade Eddard “Ned” Stark (Sean Bean), considering him the only man he can trust. Reluctantly, Ned is drawn into the court intrigues at King’s Landing, where he finds increasing evidence that the death of his predecessor was not an accident.<\/p>\n

Yet this is only one small thread in a massive tapestry of plots and subplots that stretch across the continent and beyond, encompassing dozens—and dozens!—of characters, and leading to all manner of murders, subterfuges, battles, marriages, assassinations, trials, massacres, sieges, betrayals—and the occasional meeting with banking conglomerates.<\/p>\n

Story:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The “story” of Game of Thrones<\/strong> is almost impossible to describe thanks to its intricacy and sheer size. Though Ned’s investigation into the potential conspiracy at King’s Landing lies at the crux of the first season, the plot also reaches to the far north, where a massive Wall guards the rest of the Seven Kingdoms from mysterious creatures known as the White Walkers, and the distant east, where the last of the Targaryen dynasty is preparing for their imminent return to reclaim the throne of Westeros.<\/p>\n

\"GOT3\"<\/a>What everyone is after: the Iron Throne<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

As the noble houses become embroiled in a civil war for the Iron Throne, the Night Watch stationed at the Wall become increasingly concerned that something strange is stirring in the farthest north \u2013 something that poses a greater threat than anything in the Seven Kingdoms.<\/p>\n

Every character has a different agenda, is spurred on by a variety of motivations, and through them the show explores the issues of class, religion, family, war, and power. It’s all wrapped up in the titular “game of thrones” \u2013 what people will do to get power, and how far they’ll continue in order to keep it.<\/p>\n

Characters:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Whew, where to start with this one? Game of Thrones<\/strong> boasts a massive cast of characters \u2013 a whopping thirty-six actors have been listed in the opening credits alone, and the show involves a supporting cast of dozens more. It’s estimated to be the largest cast on television, and no matter how small the role, a respected British thespian will be called in to fill it. The likes of Diana Rigg, Ciar\u00e1n Hinds, Tara Fitzgerald, and Mark Gatiss get only a handful of scenes each, but the general motto of the show seems to be that there’s no character too minor that an illustrious actor can’t be cast to play them.<\/p>\n

\"GOT4\"<\/a>The closest thing this show has to a main cast: Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen and the Lannister siblings: Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion<\/em><\/p>\n

Newcomers have since become household names in the wake of the show’s popularity (particularly Emilia Clarke, Sophie Turner, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Kit Harrington), while established character actors such as Lena Headey, Sean Bean, Natalie Dormer, and of course, Peter Dinklage fill out the main roles.<\/p>\n

One of the advantages to having a cast this vast is that you’re bound to find a favourite character, even if a few others get on your nerves. Are you going to root for the noble Starks, one of the few houses in Westeros that are genuinely noble and fair? Or maybe the last remaining Targaryen Queen, who is slowly but surely mustering her forces in the east? Or the remains of the Baratheon family, exiled on Dragonstone Island? Or maybe you secretly admire the ruthlessness and cunning of the Lannisters?<\/p>\n

The genius of the story is that each ruling house has both heroes and villains among their number, and it’s hard to root for the victory or fall of one when you know that several sympathetic or villainous characters will rise or fall along with them.<\/p>\n

Conclusion: <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Like many fans, I’m fascinated at the thought of what’s going to happen when the show finally catches up with the as-yet-unfinished books series. George Martin is a notoriously slow writer, and the show has already used material from A Dance With Dragons<\/strong> (the final available book), as well as delivering a couple of scenes that are completely original to the show (like what the White Walkers are really doing with all those abandoned babies). It’s somewhat ironic, then, that George Martin is so vocally opposed to fan-fiction, as new rumours surrounding season five suggest that producers\/writers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss are straying very far from the books in order to fill out their ten-episode-per-season quota.<\/p>\n

But with the show already green-lit for Season Six, the question of what’s going to happen next remains. Can George Martin churn out some new material quickly enough? Or will Benioff and Weiss be required to build plots and characterization from scratch? Given that the upcoming Season Five will be combining books Four and Five, it seems almost inevitable that scenes original to the show will sneak their way into the episodes.
\n.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next Time: Penny Dreadful<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

Back in the 19th<\/sup> century a penny dreadful was a lurid and sensational magazine publication that could involve anything from vampires to highwaymen. The show Penny Dreadful<\/strong> takes this atmosphere of horror and suspense in the Victorian backstreets to craft a story that mingles three of our most famous Gothic tales: Dracula, Frankenstein and The Portrait of Dorian Grey. Somehow, the combination works.
\n.<\/span>
\n<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

About The Reviewer:<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a>Rebecca Fisher is a graduate of the University of Canterbury with a Masters degree in English Literature, mainly, she claims, because she was able to get away with writing her thesis on C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman. She is a reviewer for FantasyLiterature.com<\/a>, a large website that specializes in fantasy and science-fiction novels, as well as posting reviews to Amazon.com<\/a> and her They\u2019re All Fictional<\/a> blog.<\/p>\n

To read Rebecca\u2019s detailed introduction of both herself and the series, as well as preceding reviews, click on:<\/p>\n

Big Worlds On Small Screens<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

~ by Rebecca Fisher Introduction: Though the first book in George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy series was published in 1996 and became a best-selling success all on its own, it was not until the television adaptation first aired in 2011 that Game of Thrones entered the mainstream cultural landscape. These days even those who have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-big-worlds-on-small-screens-with-rebecca-fisher"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27302"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27314,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27302\/revisions\/27314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

\"Got2\"<\/a> Ned Stark and his family<\/em><\/p>\n