Description
Book SynopsisAnne 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
Trade ReviewA 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. * The Conversation *
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. * Pop-Zeitschrift *
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. * Norsk Medietidsskrift (Bloomsbury translation) *
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. * Martin Barker, Emeritus Professor of Film & Television Studies and Principal Investigator in Lord of the Ring and Hobbit Audience Projects, Aberystwyth University, UK *
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. * Cristina Bacchilega, Professor of English, University of Hawai‘i-Manoa, USA *
Women of Ice and Fire: Gender, Game of Thrones
, and Multiple Media Engagements is an anthology that needed to be written and must be read. This book presents a series of thoughtful and engaging essays about the female characters who populate the universe of this incredibly successful book and television series.
Women of Ice and Fire is an excellent study of the rich tapestry of women – from the progressive to the conventional, the monstrous to the glorious – who give life to the fantastic world that has captured the hearts of millions. * Angela Ndalianis, Head of Screen and Cultural Studies, University of Melbourne, Australia *
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Rikke Schubart, University of Southern Denmark, & Anne Gjelsvik, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway Adapting Sex: Cultural Conceptions of Sexuality in Words and Images
Mariah Larsson, Stockholm University, Sweden Adapting Desire: Wives, Prostitutes, and Smallfolk
Shannon Wells-Lassagne, Université de Bretagne Sud, France Unspeakable Acts of (Sexual) Terror as/in Quality Television
Anne Gjelsvik, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway Sworn Swords and Noble Ladies: Female Characters in
Game of Thrones Video Games
Felix Schröter, Universität Hamburg, Germany Woman With Dragons: Daenerys, Pride, and Postfeminist Possibilities
Rikke Schubart, University of Southern Denmark Power Play and Family Ties: Hybrid Fantasy, Network Narrative, and Female Characters
Helle Kannik Haastrup, Roskilde University, Denmark Mother, Maiden, Crone: Motherhood in Westeros
Marta Eidsvåg, freelance writer, UK Women Warriors From Chivalry to Vengeance
Yvonne Tasker, University of East Anglia, UK, & Lindsay Steenberg, Oxford Brookes University, UK Female Machiavellians in Westeros
Elizabeth Beaton, Australian National University, Australia The Expert Female Fan Recap on YouTube
Susana Tosca, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, & Lisbeth Klastrup, University of Copenhagen, Denmark “I’m Not Going to Fight Them, I’m Going to Fuck Them”: Sexist Liberalism and Gender (A)Politics in
Game of Thrones Stéphanie Genz, Edge Hill University, UK About the Contributors Full Bibliography Index
