1st Edition

George R.R. Martin and the Fantasy Form

By Joseph Young Copyright 2019
230 Pages
by Routledge

230 Pages
by Routledge

230 Pages
by Routledge

Using the frameworks of literary theory relevant to modern fantasy, Dr. Joseph Young undertakes a compelling examination of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire and his employment of the structural demands and thematic aptitudes of his chosen genre. Examining Martin’s approaches to his obligations and licenses as a fantasist, Young persuasively argues that the power of A Song of Ice... Read more

Acknowledgements



Abbreviations



Introduction



Chapter 1: The American Pratchett? – Muck and Modality



Chapter 2: "Enough about Whores" – Sex and Characterisation



Chapter 3: "Look with Your Eyes" – Immersion and Thinning



Chapter 4: "Dead Men Come Hunting" – Intrusion and Recovery



Chapter 5: "Remember that You were Brothers" – Superstition and Cohesion



Chapter 6: "But Here You Are" – Magic and Healing



Conclusions



Bibliography





Index

Biography

Dr. Joseph Rex Young lives and works in Dunedin, New Zealand, where he pursues his research interests in Gothic literature, neo-Romanticism, and the intellectual history and structure of modern fantasy narrative. He has taught at universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, and New Zealand. This is his first monograph.

"Young deftly explains the sophisticated literary techniques underpinning Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire, showing George R.R. Martin to be a master craftsman of the fantasy epic. George R.R. Martin and the Fantasy Form is a pioneering work of Martin criticism."

Kris Swank, Signum University and Pima Community College

"Dr. Young’s treatment of Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire through the perspectives of most of the important theories of fantasy of the past thirty years makes it a critical book for the student of Martin and, indeed, for the student of fantasy literature."

Susan Johnston, Department of English, University of Regina