George R.R. Martin on Game of Thrones’ Violence Against Women
The spectacle of the Massacre at Hardhome this week once again drove Game of Thrones‘ ratings back through the roof. But it was none too soon in terms of the show’s reputation. It was only two weeks ago, in what some fans call the worst episode to date, that the rape of yet another lead female character, in this case Sansa, caused a different kind of uproar, as some higher profile sites and TV reviewers quit the show, outraged by the production’s relentless violence against women.
At the time, author George R.R. Martin refused to speak out either for or against the changes to his story that brought this moment about. Martin has been, on the whole, very supportive of the television show, and though he’s said he misses some of the characters that were cut, he’s never directly criticized the show for the choices the producers have made in adapting his work. And why should he? After all, he is the one who created this violent world the show is based on. And to him, this is the reality of it.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Martin reminded viewers that his inspiration for the series comes from a older, more violent, and less tolerant era.
“The books reflect a patriarchal society based on the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages were not a time of sexual egalitarianism. It was very classist, dividing people into three classes. And they had strong ideas about the roles of women. One of the charges against Joan of Arc that got her burned at the stake was that she wore men’s clothing—that was not a small thing. There were, of course, some strong and competent women. It still doesn’t change the nature of the society.”
He also confronts those who say he didn’t have to choose to make that world so violent, insisting that that choice is what sets his series apart from other ones.
“Just because you put in dragons doesn’t mean you can put in anything you want. If pigs could fly, then that’s your book. But that doesn’t mean you also want people walking on their hands instead of their feet. If you’re going to do [a fantasy element], it’s best to only do one of them, or a few. I wanted my books to be strongly grounded in history and to show what medieval society was like, and I was also reacting to a lot of fantasy fiction. Most stories depict what I call the ‘Disneyland Middle Ages’—there are princes and princesses and knights in shining armor, but they didn’t want to show what those societies meant and how they functioned.”
I have to agree with him—the fact that this magical realm was grounded in reality was what drew me to the series in the first place. I still remember being fascinated that they had an entire societal system to deal with bastard children. It just seemed so practical.
Martin then considers the heart of the matter: the charges of sexism and that the violence against women in his novels are unnecessary.
It’s a complicated argument. To be non-sexist, does that mean you need to portray an egalitarian society? That’s not in our history; it’s something for science fiction. And 21st century America isn’t egalitarian, either. There are still barriers against women. It’s better than what it was. It’s not Mad Men any more, which was in my lifetime.
“And then there’s the whole issue of sexual violence, which I’ve been criticized for as well. I’m writing about war, which what almost all epic fantasy is about. But if you’re going to write about war, and you just want to include all the cool battles and heroes killing a lot of orcs and things like that and you don’t portray [sexual violence], then there’s something fundamentally dishonest about that. Rape, unfortunately, is still a part of war today. It’s not a strong testament to the human race, but I don’t think we should pretend it doesn’t exist.”
Diana Rigg said something similar this week when asked about the subject. As Martin has said before, he thinks the real horrors aren’t things like orcs, but the darker impulses of humans themselves. it’s part and parcel with him writing a book that is grounded in history and the ugly, dirty reality of life, instead of fantasy.
“I want to portray struggle. Drama comes out of conflict. If you portray a utopia, then you probably wrote a pretty boring book.”
To read Martin’s full statement, head over to EW and read it here.
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