Henry Jacoby - Game of Thrones and Philosophy: Logic Cuts Deeper Than Swords

CONTENTS

.

The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series

Series Editor: William Irwin

24 and Philosophy

Edited by Jennifer Hart Weed, Richard Davis, and Ronald Weed

30 Rock and Philosophy

Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski

Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy

Edited by Richard Brian Davis

Arrested Development and Philosophy

Edited by Kristopher Phillips and J. Jeremy Wisnewski

The Avengers and Philosophy

Edited by Mark D. White

Batman and Philosophy

Edited by Mark D. White and Robert Arp

Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy

Edited by Jason T. Eberl

The Big Bang Theory and Philosophy

Edited by Dean Kowalski

The Big Lebowski and Philosophy

Edited by Peter S. Fosl

The Daily Show and Philosophy

Edited by Jason Holt

Family Guy and Philosophy

Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski

Final Fantasy and Philosophy

Edited by Jason P. Blahuta and Michel S. Beaulieu

Game of Thrones and Philosophy

Edited by Henry Jacoby

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Philosophy

Edited by Eric Bronson

Green Lantern and Philosophy

Edited by Jane Dryden and Mark D. White

Heroes and Philosophy

Edited by David Kyle Johnson

House and Philosophy

Edited by Henry Jacoby

The Hunger Games and Philosophy

Edited by George Dunn and Nicolas Michaud

Inception and Philosophy

Edited by David Johnson

Iron Man and Philosophy

Edited by Mark D. White

Mad Men and Philosophy

Edited by James South and Rod Carveth

Metallica and Philosophy

Edited by William Irwin

The Office and Philosophy

Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski

South Park and Philosophy

Edited by Robert Arp

Spider-Man and Philosophy

Edited by Jonathan Sanford

Terminator and Philosophy

Edited by Richard Brown and Kevin Decker

True Blood and Philosophy

Edited by George Dunn and Rebecca Housel

Twilight and Philosophy

Edited by Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski

The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy

Edited by Gregory Bassham

The Ultimate Lost and Philosophy

Edited by Sharon Kaye

Watchmen and Philosophy

Edited by Mark D. White

X-Men and Philosophy

Edited by Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski

Copyright 2012 by John Wiley & Sons. All rights reserved

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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FOREWORD

Elio M. Garcia and Linda Antonsson

The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword.

Love is the bane of honor, the death of duty.

When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.

With phrases like these, George R. R. Martins A Game of Thrones reveals not only a powerful sense of drama, a rich setting, and complex characters, but an understanding that at the heart of his storyof any great storylies conflict. Martin often cites William Faulkners statement that the only story worth telling is that of the human heart in conflict with itself, and that conflict appears again and again throughout the Song of Ice and Fire series in a way that seemed unprecedented in the epic fantasy genre back in 1996 when the first novel was published. Whether the conflict entailed one lonely, misshapen dwarfs efforts to survive in a society that looks down on him, a friends struggle to keep an irresponsible king on his throne, or a mothers choice between her family and her duty, Martin presented the moral complexity of people and societies that breathed reality. Though inspired by the likes of J. R. R. Tolkienfather of the epic fantasyMartin took a different path, and opened the door for a wave of new writers who explore characters and settings with an eye toward the darker side of human nature and society.

When it was announced that George R. R. Martins series of fantasy novels, A Song of Ice and Fire, would be adapted by HBO in Game of Thrones , it caused a great deal of excitement and speculation among fans who had been following the saga for a decade. Casting, budgets, shooting locations, special effectsthese subjects and more were up for discussion. Yet at the heart of all of these questions was a single, overriding concern for most fans: How much fidelity would the show maintain to Martins novel, not only in terms of plot and characters, but in tone and themes? The first season came and went, and now we know that the producers largely stayed faithful on all levels, weaving together a drama that combined elements of the heroic epic with a moral scale that covered the range from the saintly to the monstrous.

Readers often cite the moral complexity of the novels as being a key part of their enjoyment, alluding to characters painted in shades of gray. Previous works of epic fantasy tended to operate with a straightforward moral compass where the antagonist was some variety of evil Dark Lord and the protagonists were defined by their opposition to this evil character based on their obvious moral goodness. In contrast, Martins series has been written with no dark lord to speak of, instead focusing the narrative on the dynastic conflicts that rend the Seven Kingdoms apart beneath the shadow of a looming catastrophe. That catastrophe may be created by nefarious creatures and it may be the ultimate end point of the narrative, but Martins choice to keep his eyes on the very human characters, with their very human flaws, was done well enough to win him legions of fans who appreciated the so-called gritty realism of the narrative.