Women of Ice and Fire

George R.R. Martin’s acclaimed seven-book fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire is unique for its strong and multi-faceted female protagonists, from teen queen Daenerys, scheming Queen Cersei, child avenger Arya, knight Brienne, Red Witch Melisandre, and many more. The Game of Thrones universe challenges, exploits, yet also changes how we think of women and gender, not only in fantasy, but in Western culture in general. Divided into three sections addressing questions of adaptation from novel to television, female characters, and politics and female audience engagement within the GoT universe, the interdisciplinary and international lineup of contributors analyze gender in relation to female characters and topics such as genre, sex, violence, adaptation, as well as fan reviews. The genre of fantasy was once considered a primarily male territory with male heroes. Women of Ice and Fire shows how the GoT universe challenges, exploits, and reimagines gender and why it holds strong appeal to female readers, audiences, and online participants.

A new collection of essays, Women of Ice and Fire: Gender, Game of Thrones and Multiple Media Engagements explores the role and representation of women in Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books and its cultural adaptations., This is not just another academic book exploring a popular culture phenomenon and the representation of women inside this phenomenon, it is the contemporary reference work to the representation of female characters in the A Song of Ice and Fire books, the TV series (Game of Thrones) and other transmedia adaptations., Together, the contributions provide a welcome and nuanced analysis of the female figure in relation to fantasy ... It is recommended for readers of all genders., Game of Thrones and controversy go pretty much fist in gauntlet. And nowhere more so than around its presentations of nudity, sex and sexual violence on screen. Arya … Brienne … Cersei … Daenerys … Ellaria: just the start of an alphabet of complex female characters whose actions and sufferings have been hotly debated. So, can academic criticism take us beyond simple praise vs. condemnation? Oh yes. Agreement? Now that really would be fantasy. Instead, this book elaborates on the debates around particular characters, scenes and narrative adaptation decisions, to great effect. Pretty much all varieties of contemporary feminist analysis are well represented here. The issues are clearly important – but there is also fun to be had, deciding who you (dis)agree with, and why., The popularity of the HBO Game of Thrones is sensational, and thus a scholarly collection that brings together different perspectives—from gender, genre, television and film, adaptation, and fan studies—is a welcome contribution especially as it engages with the most controversial aspects of the show. By focusing on women characters in George R.R. Martin’s novels, Game of Thrones, and its video-game and wiki byproducts, collectively these essays confirm just how powerful gender politics and sexualized violence are in the production and consumption of fantasy across media today. By taking fan and other public discussions of the show seriously, the book also invites us to consider there may be something new in women’s engagement with fantasy.

Anne Gjelsvik is Professor in Film Studies in the Department of Art and Media Studies at Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway. Her research includes popular cinema, film violence, representation of gender in the media, and adaptation studies. Among her recent publications are Eastwood’s Iwo Jima: A Critical Engagement with Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima (2013, co-edited with Rikke Schubart) and Adaptation Studies: New Challenges, New Directions (2013).Rikke Schubart is Associate Professor in Media Studies at the Institute for the Study of Culture, University of Southern Denmark in Odense, Denmark. Her research focuses on gender, genre, and emotions in cinema and media. Schubart's publications include Mastering Fear: Women, Emotions, and Contemporary Horror (forthcoming), Eastwood’s Iwo Jima: A Critical Engagement with Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima (2013, co-edited with Anne Gjelsvik), and Super Bitches and Action Babes: The Female Hero in Popular Cinema, 1970-2006 (2007).