Fan Phenomena: Game of Thrones

Description

Winter is coming. Every Sunday night, millions of fans gather around their televisions to take in the spectacle that is a new episode of Game of Thrones. Much is made of who will be gruesomely murdered each week on the hit show, though sometimes the question really is who won’t die a fiery death. The show, based on the Song of Ice and Fire series written by George R. R. Martin, is a truly global phenomenon.



With the seventh season of the HBO series in production, Game of Thrones has been nominated for multiple awards, its cast has been catapulted to celebrity and references to it proliferate throughout popular culture. Often positioned as the grittier antithesis to J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Martin’s narrative focuses on the darker side of chivalry and heroism, stripping away these higher ideals to reveal the greed, amorality and lust for power underpinning them.



Fan Phenomena: Game of Thrones is an exciting new addition to the Intellect series, bringing together academics and fans of Martin’s universe to consider not just the content of the books and HBO series, but fan responses to both. From trivia nights dedicated to minutiae to forums speculating on plot twists to academics trying to make sense of the bizarre climate of Westeros, everyone is talking about Game of Thrones. Edited by Kavita Mudan Finn, the book focuses on the communities created by the books and television series and how these communities envision themselves as consumers, critics, and even creators of fanworks in a wide variety of media, including fiction, art, fancasting and cosplay.

Introduction

Kavita Mudan Finn

 

Cosplay of Thrones: Recreating the Costumes of Westeros

Caitlin Postal

 

A Song of Toys and T-Shirts: Game of Thrones and it's Cultural Artefacts

Andrew Howe

 

'Growing Strong': Expanding the Game of Thrones Universe through Fan-Made Merchendizing

Julie Escurignan

Kavita Mudan Finn

Alio Garcia and Linda Antonsson

Amanda GiGioia

Game of Thrones on Kinja

Tracey J. Pennington

Game of Thrones on Meta Tumblr

Kristie Betts Letter

Geeks Who Drink

Jeffrey Chown 

Scholars of the Throne

 

The Watchers on the Wall: Game of Thrones and Online Fan Speculation

Rose Butler

 

Restoring the Balance: Feminist Meta: Texts and the Productivity of Tumblr's Game of Thrones Fans

Briony Linder

 

A Stark by Any Other Name: A Comparative Analysis of A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones Folksonomies

Kristin Linder

 

A Fan's Got to Have a Code: Evolving Perspectives on the Hound's Violence and Sexuality

Beth Walker

 

Colouring Outside the Lines: Social Justice and Fandom

H. Kapp-Klote

 

Unbowed, Unbent, Unaccepted: Disputing Women's Roles in Game of Thrones

Janice Liedl

 

Learn to Fight with Your Other Hand: Game of Thrones as Complicated Champion of Disability

Courtney Stanton

 

Game of Thrones in India: Of Piracy, Queer Intimacies and Viral Memes

Rohit K. Dasgupta

 

By the Old Gods and the New: Daily Interactions with Game of Thrones

Jennifer Crumley and Amy Stavola

 

Geeks of Thrones: Scientists as Fan Scholars

Kristine Larsen

Sujets

• Themes
• Subjects
• Popular Culture
• Science Fiction
• Fantasy (canción de Mariah Carey)
• General officer
• Television
• Art
• General
• Cultural Studies
• Fantasy

Informations

• Publié par: Intellect Books
• Date de parution: 01 mai 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 7
• EAN13: 9781783207855
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

GAME OF THRONES

EDITED BY KAVITA MUDAN FINN

FAN PHEN MENA GAME OF THRONES

EDITED BY KAVITA MUDAN FINN

2

First published in the UK in 2017 by Intellect Books, The Mill, Parnall Road, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 3JG, UK

First published in the USA in 2017 by Intellect Books, The University o Chicago Press, 1427 E. 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA

Copyright © 2017 Intellect Ltd

Editor: Kavita Mudan Finn

Production Editor: Mareike Wehner Credits Typesetting: Aleksandra Szumlas, Mareike Wehner

Copy Editor: Emma Rhys

Inside ront cover image: © bubug, 2016 Inside back cover image: © Kylee Parks o Colox Photography, 2016 All rights reserved. No part o this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any orm or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written consent.

A catalogue record or this book is available rom the British Library

Fan Phenomena Series ISSN: 2051-4468 eISSN: 2051-4476

Fan Phenomena: Game o Thrones ISBN: 978-1-78320-784-8 ePDF: 978-1-78320-785-5 ePub: 978-1-78320-786-2

Printed and bound by Page Bros Group, UK

intellect Fan Phenomena: Jane Austen

5—16 Introduction K A V I T A M U D A N F I N N

17 PART 1 – M AT E R I A L W E S T E R O S

18—29 Cosplay o Thrones: Recreating the Costumes o Westeros C A I T NL I P O S T A L

Contents

3039 A Song o Toys and T-Shirts: Game of Thronesand Its Cultural Arteacts N D R E WH O W EA 40—50 ‘Growing Strong’: Expanding theGame of Thrones Universe through Fan-Made Merchandizing J U L I E E S C U R I G N A N

FAN APPRECIATION

52—56 Kavita Mudan Finn Elio Garcia and Linda Antonsson

82—87 Amanda DiGioia Game of Throneson Kinja

114—119 Tracey J. Pennington Game of ThronesMeta on Tumblr

174—177 Kristie Betts Letter Geeks Who Drink

193—197 Jefrey Chown Scholars o the Throne

198—201 Contributor Details

202—203 Image Credits

Fan Phenomena:

51 PART 2 – V I R T U A L W E S T E R O S

58—69 The Watchers on the Wall:Game of Thronesand Online Fan Speculation R O S E B U T L E R

70—81 Restoring the Balance: Feminist Meta-Texts and the Productivity o Tumblr'sGame of ThronesFans B R I ON Y H A N N E L L

88—98 A Stark by Any Other Name: A Comparative Analysis oA Song of Ice and FireandGame of ThronesFolksonomies K R I S T I N L I N D E R

100—113 A Fan's Got to Have a Code: Evolving Perspectives on the Hound's Violence and Sexuality B E T H W A L K E R

121 PART 3 – C R I T I C A L W E S T E R O S

122—127 Colouring Outside the Lines: Social Justice and Fandom .  H K A P P K L O T E

128—139 Unbowed, Unbent, Unaccepted: Disputing Women's Roles inGame of Thrones J A N I C E L I E D L

140—150 Learn to Fight with Your Other Hand:Game of Thronesas Complicated Champion o Disability C O U R T N E YT A N T S O N

152—a162 Game of Thronesin India: O Piracy, Queer Intimacies and Viral Memes  . R O H I T K D A S G U P T A

163 PART 4 – W E S T E R O S I N T H I S W O R L D 164—173 By the Old Gods and the New: Daily Interactions withGame of Thrones J E N N I F E RU M L E YA N DA M YS T A V O L C R A

178—190 Geeks o Thrones: Scientists as Fan-Scholars K R I S T I N E L A R S E N

Game o Thrones

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I must thank George R. R. Martin for creating such an amazing, immersive universe inA Song of Ice and Fire. I first encountered the books in 2002 and have reread them multiple times since then, as I know many other fans have also done. Thanks also to David Benioff and D. B. Weiss who have brought this complex, multifac- eted story to life on HBO, and to the truly inspirational cast and crew ofGame of Thrones. Your love for the material, tireless efforts and chemistry are evident in every episode, and you keep all of us fans coming back for more. Just as importantly, so many of you encourage fans to channel their love for the series into creative endeavours, particularly cosplay. Thanks to the fantastic contributors to this volume, whose passion and fascination withGame of Thronesshines through all of their chapters. To Intellect for creating the Fan Phenomena series, and to Tim Mitchell, Mareike Wehner and James Campbell for taking the plunge on a book about a show that is still on the air based on a book series that has yet to be completed. To EJ Nielsen for pushing me to do this project, and to my hus- band Justin Finn for his love and support, but not to my dogs, who know what they did. And, most of all, thanks to the brilliant fans ofA Song of Ice and Fire andGame of Thrones. This book is for you.

Kavita Mudan Finn, Editor

➞

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Introduction Kavita Mudan Finn

They would never cancelGame of Thrones. It’s a crossover hit. It’s not just for fantasy enthusiasts. They’re telling human stories in a fantasy world.

Figure 1: A Targaryen fan and a Stark fan atGame of Tones karaoke night, part of a 2016 Supernaturalconvention in Whippany, NJ. Photograph by EJ Nielsen.

–Ben Wyatt,Parks and Recreation, Season 4 Episode 4 (2011)

In 1996, Hugo- and Nebula-winning author George R. R. Martin published a nearly thousand-page novel titledA Game of Thrones, the first in what was ini- tially envisioned as a trilogy(A Song of Ice and Fire) set in a world where seasons last for decades, ice zombies lurk in a frozen landscape and aristocratic families battle for power and revenge beneath the shadow of a great Iron Throne. By the time he had completed the second and third volumes,A Clash of Kings (1999) andA Storm of Swords (2000) – the latter so enormous that it was split into two books for international release – Martin had expanded the series to a projected seven books in total. The fourth book,A Feast for Crows, was published in 2005 and the fifth, the much-awaitedA Dance with Dragons, in 2011, both making their debuts at the top of theNew York Timesbestseller list. As of this writing, the book series is still unfinished, with two books –The Winds of WinterandA Dream of Spring– forthcoming. Martin has also written several novellas that expand and further develop the universe, and has co-written an encyclopaedic history titledThe World of Ice and Fire(2014) with Elio Garcia and Linda Antonsson (see Fan Appreciation #1 from p. 52). The series also garnered enough niche interest that Fantasy Flight Games produced a collectible card game in 2002 and a strategy board game in 2003. While fans clamoured for a film adaptation, especially in the wake of Peter Jackson’s runaway success with theLord of the Ringstrilogy between 2001 and 2003, it was generally agreed thatA Song of Ice and Firewas simply too complicated and on far too large a scale for any sort of Hollywood adapta- tion. Even Martin, who had started his career as a screenwriter for television drama, admitted that he was reluctant to sign off on a cinematic adaptation until and unless he found the right production team. In 2007, HBO acquired the TV rights toA Song of Ice and Fireunder execu- tive producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. According to an interview with Debra Birnbaum ofVariety, Martin agreed to let them take on the series in 2006 after they successfully answered several questions, including one at the centre of many fan discussions and speculations: ‘Who is Jon Snow’s mother?’ Thus, as is the case with Steven Moffatt andDoctor Who(BBC, 2005–ongoing)

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Game o Thrones

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Introduction Kavita Mudan Finn

or Bryan Fuller andHannibal(NBC, 2013–15), Benioff and Weiss started as fans ofA Song of Ice and Fireand eventually became part of that universe. After several years in development, the series, titled more simplyGame of Thrones, was greenlit in 2010 and premiered on HBO in April 2011. With its lush visuals, complex plotlines and enormous cast,Game of Throneswas an immediate hit both critically and with viewers. Often positioned as the gritty antithesis of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, Martin’s narrative focuses on the darker side of chivalry and heroism, stripping away these higher ideals to reveal the greed, amorality and lust for power underpinning them. With approximately 8 million words published thus far in theSong of Ice and Fireseries and six complete seasons of HBO’sGame of Thrones, we are seeing the beginnings of a school of criticism devoted to George R. R. Martin’s works and their peculiar brand of deconstructive and in many ways postmodern interpretations of the fantasy genre and medievalism. What makesGame of Thronesa fan phenomenon is a convergence of sev- eral major factors. By the timeGame of Thronesthere were four ex- aired, tant books inA Song of Ice and Fire, with the fifth published shortly after the first season concluded. Thus, fans of the books already had expectations of what the world and characters would look like and how the plot – at least up to a point – would progress. The books are structured using revolving points of view, jumping from character to character, and often making massive ge- ographic leaps, from the icy Wall at the northern end of Westeros to the in- trigue and politicking of King’s Landing or eastward across the Narrow Sea to follow the epic arc of Daenerys Targaryen, Mother of Dragons. By necessity, the show had to change that structure, and there are fans of the books who feel that the characters’ interiority and the subtler thematic elements have suffered as a result. However, there are also plenty of fans who rejoice at see- ing the characters and the many climactic moments – traumatic and other- wise – brought to life. WhereGame of Thronesunique, at least amongst is fantasy adaptations, is that Benioff and Weiss are not working with a fixed, complete canon. While they have a general sense of where the story is go- ing, based on their conversations with Martin, ‘it doesn’t mean that the ending that he has currently conceived is going to be the ending when he eventually writes it’ (Birnbaum). Thus, many fans who follow both the books and the show are prepared for two potentially very different canons that must find some way to coexist. This is not new ground for fans of comic books, for instance, who

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often contend with multiple versions of the same origin stories and plotlines, but it does lead to contention withinGame of Thronesfandom about which source – book or show – should be considered the primary canon. The books were obviously the starting point, but it looks increasingly likely that the show will finish the story first. Game of Thronesalso represents – even more so thanLord of the Rings– the mainstreaming of fantasy fandom, much like the mainstreaming of comic book fandom by way of the Marvel and DC film franchises. WhileLord of the Rings enjoyed tremendous commercial and critical success, the darker and more pessimisticGame of Thronesseems to have tapped into contemporary western attitudes about the world as a fundamentally broken place where cor- ruption is king and good people are either destroyed or live long enough to become what they hate. Furthermore, the unusual and often dangerous cli- mate patterns that underlie Westeros’s civilization – encapsulated in the Stark family’s motto ‘Winter Is Coming’ – echo the tension between the immediate political problems in the contemporary world and the larger, yet nonetheless pressing, issue of global climate change, albeit without ice zombies or drag- ons (that we know of). Lastly,Game of Thronestruly a global fan phenomenon, with people is across the world reacting in real time to events in Westeros and Essos on Twit- ter, Tumblr and other social media platforms. The series’s fans encompass cas- ual viewers, diehard enthusiasts and everyone in between, and – as the chap- ters in this book will make clear – all of these groups perform their fannish interest in different ways. Some pour time, effort and money into painstak- ingly recreating characters’ costumes. Some write fanfiction, create two- and three-dimensional fanart or produce screen-accurate artefacts such as jewel- lery, weapons or props. Some livetweet or instantaneously review every epi- sode, produce recaps of every chapter in the books, speculate in detail about characters’ fates or histories or write meticulous works of criticism focused on certain aspects of the series. And others discussGame of Thrones with friends, family, colleagues or complete strangers, finding a way to connect that might not have seemed possible otherwise. In 2012,Vulture, the online offshoot ofNew Yorknamed magazine, Game of Thronesthe most fandom devoted in the world, beating outStar Trek,Star Wars,Doctor WhoandLord of the Ringsbecause ‘of the sheer surging might and immediacy of its readers'

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Intr ction Introduction Gabrielle M lcolm Kavita Mudan Finn

(and viewers’) obsessiveness over a story that is still in the midst of unfold- ing’. That only a third of the social media users making up theVulturedata pool came from the United States further emphasizes the reach ofGame of Thronesacross geographical and cultural borders.

I watchGame of Thronesfor historic reasons, to try to understand what this world was based on before I got here. I like to know how we got from there to here, and the similarities between then and now. – Snoop Dogg (2015)

Game of Thronesis so immersive that some people have mistaken it for real history. Granted, Snoop Dogg isn’t exactly a scholar, but his comments, and similar remarks by other fans, reflect how grounded the series is within its own reality. From the careful choice of filming locations across Europe and North Africa, to Michele Carragher’s exquisitely detailed embroidery on the show’s costumes, to the crew whose primary job is to ‘distress’ costume pieces and props to make them look worn and well-used,Game of Thronesis a show that prides itself on looking and feeling real. It’s no surprise, then, that many fans want nothing more than to immerse themselves within the show’s universe, whether through cosplaying as specific characters, making artefacts and props or usingGame of Thronesmerchandise to reflect their own personali- ties. The ‘Material Westeros’ section features three chapters focused on these aspects ofGame of Thronesfandom. Caitlin Postal uses her experience as a tailor and Sansa Stark cosplayer to shed light on the challenges and rewards of cosplay, and the tireless work it takes to recreate the series’s elaborate and striking costumes. Following her chapter are two on the vast array ofGame of Thrones merchandise. Andrew Howe explores HBO’s licensed merchan- dise – from House sigil T-shirts to those ubiquitous Funko Pop! figurines – and the marketing they use to appeal to the series’s millions of fans, as well as introducing the ‘grey market’ of fan-made artefacts that offer alternative interpretations of characters and themes. Picking up on that ‘grey market’, Julie Escurignan uses three test cases to illustrate fan-madeGame of Thrones artefacts being sold on Etsy, each of which demonstrates a different type of fan interaction with the show. Whether licensed or unlicensed,Game of Thronesmerchandise operates as a signifier for fans to recognize other fans in the world as well as on social media. Game of Throneshas taken full advantage of social media and of the pre-ex- isting fandom surroundingA Song of Ice and Fire. Even before the first season

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aired, news about casting and filming locations as well as photographs – some promotional, some leaked – had whetted fans’ appetites and spread through the fandom by way of forums. The oldest and largest of these by far isWesteros.org, a site that acts as a repository for canonical information aboutA Song of Ice and Fire, including a concordance of George R. R. Martin’s interviews, blog posts and other public statements as well as the fan-sourcedA Song of Ice and Fire wiki. The site’s moderators, Elio Garcia and Linda Antonsson, even ended up collaborating with Martin on a history of his universe,The World of Ice and Fire, published in 2014 and an immediate bestseller – another prime example of fans of the series who became authoritative contributors to its success.

George R. R. Martin is not your bitch.– Neil Gaiman (2009)

As the fandom has grown exponentially over the twenty years since the first book was published, a number of subgroups have formed, most notably fans who prefer the books and those who prefer the HBO series. For the first five seasons, when the show was mostly following the books, the former group had an advantage over the latter in terms of predicting plot and character twists, but that balance has shifted since the show overtook the books at the begin- ning of Season 6. Rose Butler’s chapter uses several major plot points to dis- cuss fan speculation aboutGame of Thrones, as well as how the showrunners have embraced this particular aspect of fandom and incorporated some of those elements into the series. In addition to fan forums on dedicated sites such asWesteros.org orWinterIsComing.net,Game of Thronescon- fans gregate on other social media platforms, spoiling one another on Facebook, livetweeting episodes, interviews and convention appearances, recording reactions to climactic events on YouTube or dissecting the series on Tumblr and Reddit. Briony Hannell’s chapter considers the specific ‘feminist meta- text’ forGame of Thronesproduced on Tumblr, a social media platform whose target demographic is predominantly female or non-binary (in contrast to Reddit, whose users are predominantly male). In her analysis, fans who take issue with the treatment of women in the HBO series work through their frus- trations in the form of discussion, criticism and the creation of fanworks. A second Fan Appreciation section by Amanda DiGioia introduces a specialized set ofGame of Thronesfan forums on Kinja that potentially offer spaces other than Tumblr in which to discuss Hannell’s feminist meta-text.

Fan Phenomena:

Game o Thrones