/lit/ - Literature

George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones eschews traditional fantasy tropes to forge a bold new narrative that is, some say, beyond good and bad – beyond the language used to describe past fantasies. This being the case it becomes perhaps inevitable that the language Mr Martin uses to describe his fantasy is also, in a sense, beyond good and bad. Crudity becomes profound; clumsiness, poor vocabulary, dead metaphors, trite clichés, and a rejection of what traditionalists would call “taste” impart a pedestrian quality to the work that is essential to its very being. Tolkien developed an entire fictional language merely to add depth and verisimilitude to his epic fantasy adventure. The magnificence of his work - at its core a struggle between good and bad - borders on prophetic; although The Lord of the Rings was published after the Second World War, the clear majority was written prior to that calamity. It’s only fitting that the New Tolkien of our modern world has come to us bearing his own language. Mr Martin has gone even further beyond his predecessor, for his use of English is so indifferent to the straight-jacket of societal norms that descriptors like ‘insipid’ or ‘limp’ fail to capture the whole of its jagged edges – a rocky coastline that disguises hidden treasure in secret coves open only to those who know the way. Fittingly, as we move further into the 21st century, Mr Martin’s work is also prophetic. Yet it is also more mature than Tolkien’s feel-good romp across Middle Earth. Although Tolkien’s story, cast in shades of black and white, might have been appropriate for the jingoistic white male past - still wracked with such societal bugbears as “bringing the light of civilisation to the Dark Continent [Africa],” manifested through colonialism, Dr Livingstone, and the prophylaxis against malaria - Mr Martin’s work provides us with a vision of times yet to come: a vision of a modern world which is beyond producing heroes.

A Game of Thrones is a book people will still be talking about fifty years from now.

Are Game of Thrones and its sequels really Reddit-tier SJW trash, or are they worth reading?

>Book starts in a cold place
>Book ends in a hot place
>A Song of Ice and Fire
!!!

Why are these books so popular? Everyone knows the prose is awful, but the narrative is boring and padded out as well. It's not enjoyable reading this for aesthetics or story, so who exactly does it appeal to?

Pic related, in my experience high IQ people are retards when it comes to culture and politics.

I really don't see the appeal of these books.

This is a great fantasy book series and GRRM is a great writer. Prove me wrong. Top tip: you can't.