George R. R. Martin's Poor Excuse for LGBT Erasure in A Song of Ice and Fire

At the Edinburgh International Book Festival, George R R Martin, author of the Song of Ice and Fire Series (Game of Thrones) was asked about the lack of gay characters and intimate gay scenes in his books. This is his response:

He said the books are narrated through his "viewpoint" characters, so he was more limited than the TV shows. "Frankly, it is the way I prefer to write fiction because that is the way all of us experience life. You're seeing me from your viewpoint, you're not seeing what someone over here is seeing.

Because none of the viewpoint characters are gay, there are no explicit gay sex scenes in the early books. "A television show doesn't have those limitations," he said. "Will that change? It might. I've had letters from fans who want me to present particularly an explicit male sex scene – most of the letters come from women."

But he added: "I'm not going to do it just for the sake of doing it. If the plot lends itself to that, if one of my viewpoint characters is in a situation, then I'm not going to shy away from it, but you can't just insert things because everyone wants to see them.

"It is not a democracy. If it was a democracy, then Joffrey [the sadistic boy king] would have died much earlier than he did."

There’s a lot to unpack here - and it’s a whole lot of wrong

When we write fiction, we create a brand new world. The operative phrase in the previous sentence is “we create”.  A Song of Ice and Fire is most certainly an epic and unique world but it is a world created specifically by George R.R. Martin and as such, Martin is ultimately responsible for everything the characters say and do and for the world itself. To then suggest that explicit same sex scenes cannot happen because all of the characters are straight, ignores the fact that Martin created an all straight universe, thus  making the possibility of same sex interaction impossible in the first place. Martin is right, what he chooses to place on the page is not a democracy and thus he is solely responsible and is therefore open for critique. He can write whatever he wants - and what he wants is nothing but straight people and we can criticise him for that.

What is further disturbing is that Martin then goes on to add: 

"I'm not going to do it just for the sake of doing it. If the plot lends itself to that, if one of my viewpoint characters is in a situation, then I'm not going to shy away from it, but you can't just insert things because everyone wants to see them.”  

Since this series is from the beginning a creation of one person the plot was always malleable and the only limitations in actual existence were, and in fact are, the limitations of its creator.

Further, Martin suggests that this kind of inclusion boils down to fan service and given his tumultuous relationship with his fans, it would on first appearance justify his response. The problem is that we aren’t just talking about whether or not Joffrey should live or die but the inclusion of marginalised characters. This isn’t about throwing meat at overly demanding slashers but inclusion of a group of people who society actively oppresses, erases and frames as having a deviant sexuality. The more GLBT people are represented in the mainstream media alongside straight, cisgender people, the more we affirm that there is nothing inherently problematic or morally wrong about being a member of the alphabet soup.

This is why inclusion is so important and not something to be reduced to overly demanding fans, once again making unreasonable requests of George R.R. Martin, in attempt to reduce him to their “bitch” as it were. Including GLBT people is an imperative and moral good given the heterosexist society we live in. Sure, inclusion alone won’t change the bigotry of many, or the laws of the state but good inclusion (note: operative word here is “good.”), will have tangible social effects. At the very least, it could be one of the few series in which a young person could see themselves represented in a world which tells said person that they should not exist. Given the high rate of substance abuse, suicide and bullying, every social action which upholds and asserts the humanity of the TLBG community is important.

Game of Thrones, Season 4, Episode 1: Two Swords

Is it bad that I skipped back to listen to the opening credits 3 times? (you know you did the same!)

In a beautifully symbolic scene showing the fall of so much of House Stark, Tywin Lannister has the Stark Greatsword Ice melted down into two smaller swords – and burns the wolf pelt scabbard it was sheaved in. The sword if for Jaime (who needs a one handed sword now, since he’s one handed) who is surprised to see a new Valerian steel sword since one hasn’t been made for a very very long time. Tywin handwaves where he got the precious steel from but it’s something the Lannisters have wanted for a while. Tywin does note that one handed and with his left hand Jaime won’t be as good – which he concedes. But so long as he’s better than everyone else, it doesn’t matter. Ah, Lannister confidence.

Despite that, Tywin wants Jaime to leave the Kingsguard and go back to Castlery rock and rule the Lannister lands while Tywin is King’s Hand (and, it often seems, the only one who can control King Joffrey). Jaime doesn’t want it, he doesn’t want to break another oath, doesn’t want to be Lord and doesn’t want a wife and kids – he even tells his dad no!

Tyrion and party are waiting on the road to meet the Prince of Dorne (that would be the one nation of Westeros that has avoided all the troubles up to now) – and Tyrion, the least liked member of House Lannister, is meeting the Prince because House Lannister and House Martel are not the bestest of friends. Pod shows off his encyclopaedic knowledge of Dornish houses and Tyrion makes his greetings to the silent Dornishmen – the Prince isn’t there, he has chosen to stay home. He’s sent his brother, Oberyn, instead and he’s already arrived early to skip the whole greeting thing. The rest of the party just rides off without bothering to listen to Tryian

The Dornish are masters of the snub it seems. Definitely no love lost between the houses. But that leaves Tyrion to track down Oberyn

Not that that should be hard, in theory, since Oberyn us renowned for his promiscuity. But then, as we’ve said before, the sole industry of Kings Landing, indeed, all Westeros, appears to be prostitution so maybe it will take a while. Yes, Oberyn is in a brothel – and it’s the first gratuitous nudity of the season! I’m impressed Game of Thrones, you waited a full 12 minutes before breasts appeared. Oberyn and his lover Ellaria Sand (Sand is the Dornish version of the North’s “Snow” – indicating she’s illegitimate) pick a prostitute who suits both their tastes and Oberyn orders the male procurer to stay and join in as well.

Festivities are broken up when Oberyn hears someone singing The Rains of Castamere (this song keeps coming up – it’s the Lannister’s anthem) and goes to track down the singer, despite Ellaria trying to stop him. The Lannisters he finds then make some rather foolish comments about Dornishmen. Oberyn stabs one of them in the wrist – and Tyrion arrives. He tries to talk to Oberyn while he busily makes out with Ellaria before finally making introductions.

Posturing at least delayed, they can talk politics, just Oberyn and Tyrion and they both remark on being the “family insult” as second sons. Oberyn also expositions us a little on the history of House Martel, how his sister Elia was married to Rhaegar Targaryen (the son of the last Targaryen king, Daenerys’s older brother – keep up) and the Lannister army that took Kings Landing during the civil war raped and killed Elia and her 2 small children – killed by Gregor at Tywin’s order. Oberyn is clear that he holds a grudge.

Speaking of Targaryens, to Daenerys, Oberyn’s sister-in-law and her now much bigger dragons. One seems much bigger than the other two – and when Daenerys tries to touch him when squabbling over food, he snaps at her. Jorah notes that dragons cannot be tamed.

We’re reminded how vast Daenerys’s army is (and we have a flock of POC civilians to hail her as “mhysa” because she’s their super saviour woman) and she makes a point about who is in charge to Grey Worm (leader of her former slave legion who are now her free legion and indistinguishable from the slave legion but are totally free, honest) and Daario (hey there re-casting! Leader of her mercenaries). They’re heading to the city of Meeren, next on Daenerys’s “let’s conquer it because it’s there” list. Daario continues to try and flirt with her, trying to present her with a bouquet under the excuse of teaching her about local flowers, honest. Of course, it does remind her why Daario and his local knowledge may be useful to her. The road to Meeren is decorated with a hundred dead slaves (the one we see a young girl) because we have to be reminded how brutal and savage this exotic foreigners are and how noble and righteous Deanerys’s invasions are.

Back in King’s Landing, Shae tries to coax Sansa to eat before her husband, Tyrion takes over (Shae giving Tyrion a look to remind us she’s not happy about Tyrion’s new marriage). After the Red Wedding (I’m not even going to link to that, everyone knows what happened at the Red Wedding), Sansa is not feeling all that hungry. Nor does she want any comfort from Tyrion. Tyrion returns to his rooms to find Shae ready to seduce him even as he points out the many many people who hate him or want to kill him or both which is rather a distraction. Shae takes his lack of interest for him being in love with Sansa (he earlier turned down prostitutes as well – he may not love Sansa, as he points out he barely knows her, but he tries to respect her). When Shea asks if he wants her to stay, he is silent.

Big brother Jaime is given a new, pretty golden hand by Cersei though Jaimie points out how utterly useless it is. Cersei brushes over some “symptoms” the ex-maester is also treating her for. Jaime notes her greater drinking for which she throws out a litany of reasons to drink (including very disparaging remarks about Margaery and Loras) – and she rejects Jaimie’s advances which rather upsets him, especially since one of the reasons he stayed in the Kingsguard is to be near her. She blames him for leaving her – and taking too long to return.

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin Book 2 in A Song of Ice and Fire

This series continues to be extremely epic but I shall do my best to recap it and share my thoughts.  The seven kingdoms are at war with Stannis Baratheon and his younger brother Renly Baratheon, both declaring themselves King.  Stannis as the older brother has the stronger claim but Renly as the love of men and a large force to support him.  Their push for the Iron Throne, is based in the fact Joffrey Baratheon is not their brother Robert's son, but in fact the product of an incestuous affair between Queen Cersei and her brother Jamie (the kingslayer) Lannister.  If that were not enough to cause strife in a kingdom, Robb Stark has declared himself the king of the north and not to be undone, Balon Greyjoy has declared himself King of the Iron Islands and is intent on taking control of the north as well. While these men squabble for power, a threat is quickly building north of the wall and  Daenerys Targaryen is determined to recapture the what she deems her rightful throne, with the aid of her three living dragons.

There are a lot of characters in this story and it can be easy to get lost in the relationships of the minor characters.  There is an appendix at the end of the story; however, that may not be convenient for those who are reading a digital copy of  A Clash of Kings.  The main characters are very well developed and the book adds an intense layer of characterisation that is actually lost in the series The Game of Thrones. The internal dialogue really helped establish the motivations behind the actions of the actions of the characters.  For instance, Theon Greyjoy while still a disgusting sexist pig, is a far more sympathetic character than in the television series.  The fact that he was fostered against his will at Winterfell and then derided for this when he returned to Pyke by both his father and his sister, played a huge factor in his decision. Theon found that he didn't really belong anywhere because despite being raised alongside Ned's sons, he was most certainly not a Stark, and having been gone from the iron islands for so many years, he had been supplanted and in many ways forgotten.  In the end Theon just wants somewhere that he can belong and to prove his worth as a man and a soldier.


I don't think that any amount of characterisation could make Daenerys Targaryen more palatable. I understand that she feels a birth right to the Westeros; however, she comes across as self absorbed and petulant a great deal of the time.  Daenerys says repeatedly that she knows that the people of the seven kingdoms will not immediately swear fealty to her, she counteracts this statement repeatedly by asserting that her presence will inspire love. 

With he exception of Daenerys, I largely enjoyed all of the female characters in this story, though they all seemed to have been touched by sadness in someways. The night that Stannis decide to invade Kings Landing, Cersei has a conversation with Sansa about what it means to be a woman.  She is all to aware that from birth, her twin Jamie was destined for greatness, while she was destined to be married to a stranger and bare children. Cersei finds comfort in her children and I do believe that fact that all of them are the product of incest rather than her marriage with Robert, speaks loudly about the way she has strived to thwart gender expectation.  In the end, Cersei knows that a woman has a certain amount of power in terms of her body and gender but all of this pales in comparison to the power of the sword.

George R.R. Martin Talks About Comics, Sci-Fi, & The Idea That Started Game of Thrones [VIDEO]

I found this video fascinating and simply had to share it with you.

Review of Game of Thrones Book One In A Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R. R. Martin

 

Though there are many problems with HBO's version of A Game of Thrones, I must admit that it is compelling viewing.  It has often been my experience that there is normally a large difference between a text and a film version and with that in mind, I set out to read A Game of Thrones.

Martin set his world in an alternate medieval history where dragons, earth based religions, the dead walk the earth. In this alternate world summers can last for decades bringing bounty and comfort however the ominous statement that winter is coming is continually uttered.  The wall is 700 feet high and 300 miles long.  It is all that keeps the  seven kingdoms safe and is guarded by the nights watch, who are men who swear to guard the wall, never to marry or produce any children.  So seriously is this oath taken that Lord Eddard Stark beheads a man who deserts.  

Each family in A Game of Thrones has a motto and sigil by which they live. The families that we see the most of are the Starks who are led by Lord Eddard of Winterfell and the Lannisters who are led by Tywin of Castlerock.  For Eddard duty and honour are his two primary concerns and eventually his undoing when he comes to serve as the hand of the king.  The Lannisters are a devious, wealthy family who always put self interest above everything else.  The trouble between these two noble families begins when Bran, Eddard's son discovers Jamie and Queen Cersi engaging in incestuous sex.  Not wanting to be discovered, Jamie throws Bran from the roof leaving him disabled for life.   The situation then escalates when Catelyn takes the dwarf Tyrion Lannister captive in the belief that he is responsible for the injury of her son.  While in the Kings service, Eddard discovers that the children the world believes were sired by Robert Baratheon the king, and birthed by his wife Cersi are in fact the product of her incestuous relationship with her brother and king slayer Jamie Lannister.  Robert is betrayed and summarily executed by Joffrey.  This quickly leads to a declaration of war with the Lannisters on one side, the Starks on another and Roberts brothers, Stanis and Renly fighting as well for their right to the throne.

If that were not enough, the nights watch is suffering from a lack of men and crumbling facilities. Eddard's son Jon, joins the night watch because he cannot see a future for himself within the Stark household.  Almost immediately he is pulled between the vow he swore and the family he still loves.  His vow cannot be easily cast aside because the others have made themselves known and with winter coming, it is only a matter of time until they become a real threat to the seven kingdoms. 

To the east the last Targaryens - Viserys and Daenrys are struggling to regain what they deem to be their rightful thrown from Robert who they consider to be a false king and usurper.  To that end with the help of Magister Illyrio, Viserys promises his 13 year old sister to Khal Drogo, the leader of the war hungry Dothraki.  In return for Daenrys hand in marriage, Drogo promises to help Viserys regain his throne.  As a wedding gift Daenrys is given a horse and three petrified dragons eggs.  The eggs are fitting because the Targaryens are considered dragons and had used the mighty beasts to win confrontations though now, they have long since been considered extinct. 

As you can tell from my brief summation, there are many political sub plots in A Game of Thrones.  There are a lot of characters and at times it is easy to get lost and forget exactly which parties are aligned.  The standouts however are: Robert Baretheon (the King), Cersi Lannister (the queen) Jon Snow (Roberts legitimate son) Catelyn Stark (Eddard's wife) Rob Stark (Eddard's Son) Sansa Stark (Eddard's oldest daughter) Arya Stark (Eddard's youngest daughter) Tyrion Lanniester (the dwarf) Joffrey Baretheon (King Robert's heir)  Khal Drogo (khal of a Dothraki tribe), Daenrys (the last Targaryen).

Game Of Thrones Season 2: In Production - Iceland

A Behind The Scenes Look at Season Two of 'Game of Thrones'

Alright, I know that this is straight up fantasy and not urban fantasy, but I am a fan of this show and so I was super excited when I came across the following video. I know that Game of Thrones has a huge fan base and so I thought that others might be excited to see the following video.