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Fan Phenomena: Game of Thrones

Fan Phenomena: Game of Thrones

Kavita Mudan Finn

(2017)

Additional Information

Abstract

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 Fire and Ice 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.

Table of Contents

Section Title Page Action Price
Cover Cover
Title 1
Copyright 2
Contents 3
Introduction: Kavita Mudan Finn 5
Part 1 – Material Westeros 17
Cosplay of Thrones: Recreating The Costumes of Westeros 18
A Song of Toys and T-Shirts:Game of Thrones and Its Cultural Artefact 30
‘Growing Strong’: Expanding The Game of Thrones Universe Through Fan-Made Merchandizing 40
Part 2 – Virtual Westeros 51
The Watchers On The Wall: Game of Thrones and Online Fan Speculation 58
Fan Appreciation : Kavita Mudan Finn: Elio Garcia and Linda Antonsson 52
Restoring The Balance: Feminist Meta-Texts and The Productivity of Tumblr's Game of Thrones Fan 70
Amanda Digioia : Game of Thrones On Kinja 82
A Stark By Any Other Name: A Comparative Analysis of A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones Folksonomies 88
A Fan's Got To have A Code: Evolving Perspectives On The Hound's Violence and Sexuality 100
Tracey J. Pennington: Game of Thrones Meta On Tumblr 114
Part 3 – Critical Westeros 121
Colouring Outside The Lines: Social Justice and Fandom 122
Unbowed, Unbent, Unaccepted: Disputing Women's Roles in Game of Thrones 128
Learn To Fight With Your Other Hand: Game of Thrones As Complicated Champion of Disability 140
Game of Thrones in India: of Piracy, Queer Intimacies and Viral Memes 152
Part 4 – Westeros in This World 163
By The Old Gods and The New: Daily Interactions With Game of Thrones 164
Kristie Betts Letter: Geeks Who Drink 174
Geeks of Thrones: Scientists As Fan-Scholars 178
Jeffrey Chown: Scholars of The Throne 192
Contributor Details 198
Image Credits 202
Back Cover Back Cover