LIBRARY
ENG 498: Senior Seminar: Writing the Unlikeable Female Anti-Heronie Likeably in HBO's Game of Thrones
Articles from Databases
“They All Lived Happily Ever After. Obviously.”: Realism and Utopia in Game of Thrones-Based Alternate Universe Fairy Tale Fan Fiction
Humanities. 2016;5(2):43 DOI 10.3390/h5020043
LCC Subject Category: General Works: History of scholarship and learning. The humanities
Country of publisher: Switzerland
Language of fulltext: English
Full-text formats available: PDF, HTML
Database: DOAJ
AUTHORS
Anne Kustritz (Department of Media and Culture Studies, Utrecht University, Muntstraat 2A #1.09, Utrecht 3512 EV, The Netherlands)
EDITORIAL INFORMATION
Time From Submission to Publication: 11 weeks
Abstract | Full Text
Fan fiction alternate universe stories (AUs) that combine Game of Thrones characters and settings with fairy tale elements construct a dialogue between realism and wonder. Realism performs a number of functions in various genres, but becomes a particularly tricky concept to tie down in fantasy. Deployments of realism in “quality TV” series like Game of Thrones often reinforce social stigmatization of feminine genres like the romance, melodrama, and fairy tale. The happily-ever-after ending receives significant feminist criticism partly because it falls within a larger framework of utopian politics and poetics, which are frequently accused of essentialism and authoritarianism. However, because fan fiction cultures place all stories in dialogue with numerous other equally plausible versions, the fairy tale happy ending can serve unexpected purposes. By examining several case studies in fairy tale AU fan fiction based on Game of Thrones characters, situations, and settings, this paper demonstrates the genre’s ability to construct surprising critiques of real social and historical situations through strategic deployment of impossible wishes made manifest through the magic of fan creativity.
Books from the Library Catalog
Writing Diverse Characters for Fiction, TV or FilmCall Number: ebookISBN: 9780857301185Publication Date: 2017
Dynamic Characters by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781582976969Publication Date: 2004-06-01A truly unforgettable story is defined by its characters. Their motivations, their changes, their actions compel us to read on, anxiously trying to discern what will happen next. In Dynamic Characters, award-winning author and Writer's Digest columnist Nancy Kress explores the fundamental relationship between characterization and plot, illustrating how vibrant, well-constructed characters act as the driving force behind an exceptional story. Kress balances her writing instruction with hands-on checklists to help you build strong characters from the outside in. Blending physical, emotional and mental characterization, you'll learn to create characters that initiate exciting action, react to tense situations, make physical and emotional transformations, and power the plot from beginning to end.
Creating Characters by Call Number: Interlibrary LoanISBN: 9780806183831Publication Date: 2008-01-01A jargon-free manual on the basics of developing interesting fictional characters Vibrant, believable characters help drive a fictional story. Along with a clever plot, well-drawn characters make us want to continue reading a novel or finish watching a movie. In Creating Characters, Dwight V. Swain shows how writers can invent interesting characters and improve them so that they move a story along. "The core of character," he says in chapter 1, "lies in each individual story person's ability to care about something; to feel implicitly or explicitly, that something is important." Building on that foundation--the capacity to care--Swain takes the would-be writer step-by-step through the fundamentals of finding and developing "characters who turn you on." This basic but thought-provoking how-to is a valuable tool for both the novice and the seasoned writer.
Women in Game of Thrones by Call Number: Interlibrary LoanISBN: 9781476615547Publication Date: 2014-04-14Game of Thrones, one of the hottest series on television, leaves hundreds of critics divided on how "feminist" the show really is. Certainly the female characters, strong and weak, embody a variety of archetypes--widow queens, warrior women, damsels in distress, career women, priestesses, crones, mothers and maidens. However, the problem is that most of them play a single role without nuance--even the "strong women" have little to do besides strut about as one-note characters. This book analyzes the women and their portrayals one by one, along with their historical inspirations. Accompanying issues in television studies also appear, from the male gaze to depiction of race. How these characters are treated in the series and how they treat themselves becomes central, as many strip for the pleasure of men or are sacrificed as pawns. Some nude scenes or moments of male violence are fetishized and filmed to tantalize, while others show the women's trauma and attempt to identify with the scene's female perspective. The key is whether the characters break out of their traditional roles and become multidimensional.
