/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.10914097]

I'm taking a creative writing course and I have to do a "craft analysis" of "A Game of Thrones."

This is my introduction.

Tell me what you think.

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 haughty traditionalists would call “taste” impart a pedestrian quality to the work that is essential to its very being. Tolkein 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 vast majority was written prior to that calamity. It’s only fitting that the New Tolkein 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 and bays hewn into its rough surface, 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 Tolkein’s feel-good romp across Middle Earth. Although Tolkein’s story, cast in shades of blacks and whites, 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.

[Anonymous No.10914106]

>>10914097
I'm serious about this, by the way.

[Anonymous No.10914127]

>>10914106
The vulgarity of this passage is immediately apparent. It is also deliberate – other ways could have been used to describe Daenerys’ (for it is she who is sick) misery, but the effect on the reader would not have been so great. Upon reading Mr Martin’s writing the reader is struck with such revulsion that one could scarcely believe any human being would want to be perceived as its architect, but Mr Martin’s dedication to his craft is absolute. Passages like this come as naturally to an artist of his ability as Mona Lisa to Da Vinci. See how the reader is led gently into horror: the activity is clued before it is described. “…squatting in the grass, groaning.” allows him to infer what is happening. The full stop provides a mental breather before he is hit with the “stool,” a detached and clinical word that withholds the full connotative force yet to come. “Looser,” and “fouler,” describe the “stool” bringing us nearly to the point that anyone who has read Mr Martin before knows we will interminably arrive at, and before long “shit” covers the page.

[Anonymous No.10914175]

>The Craft Analysis is neither a critique (an assessment of a creative work that comments on its good and bad qualities) nor an explication (an interpretation of the meaning of a creative work),

your writing is bad, here are some quick improvements for clarity and general usage.

>Upon reading Mr Martin
>Mr Martin
Reading Martin
Martin

>George R. R. Martin’s “A Game of Thrones” eschews traditional fantasy tropes
[rewritten introduction]
"A Game of Thrones" (AGoT) published in 1996, is the first novel in a popular fantasy/fiction series "A Song of Ice and Fire (ASoIaF) written by American author George R.R. Martin. The ongoing HBO adaptation (2011-2019), "Game of Thrones", created interest from a wider audience for ASoIaF and introduced a new generation of fans to Martin's work. But this has not been without controversy, Martin has come under criticism for his laboured prose [citation1, citation2, citation3] and his delays in meeting manuscript deadlines [citation1, citation2] with the HBO show likely to end before his final novel is published. Below, we begin an analysis on AGoT, it's structure, techniques and reader writer text exchange to better understand the intellectual and emotional effects from the reader.

>Crudity becomes profound; clumsiness, poor vocabulary, dead metaphors, trite cliché
you are not performing a literary analysis, you re-read what a craft analysis is.
>haughty traditionalists
cliche

>Tolkein developed an entire
unrelated, your job is to find passages in the text of AGoT and try to explain what the writer is saying to the reader, and find a few examples which set tone, structure, techniques for dialogue, exposition, back story.

if you want to look like a pseud you can mention pynchon (another shit fetish idiot), which is who martin is ripping off with his 'loose ends tied up at the end' narrative structure of multiple characters separated by geographic distance and time.


>Upon reading Mr Martin’s writing the reader is struck with such revulsion that one could
Reading Martin, we get the impression that the passages intention is to strike the reader with visceral revulsion, to break the monotony of the situation with disgust and pity. The repetition of shitting, shat, shat, within short intervals creates an onomatopoeic effect in the readers mind, tying the word with the sounds present in the scene.
etc, im not going on because it's boring. do your homework yourself.

[Anonymous No.10914185]

>>10914175
Beginner reader here. How do I into writing?

[Anonymous No.10914187]

>>10914185
Step 1 is stop trying to have fun.

[Anonymous No.10914191]

>>10914097
Posting Keely's immortal review of got
https://www.google.it/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1459299&ved=2ahUKEwiWn5Lpr5HaAhVC2aQKHevsBZMQFjAAegQIBhAB&usg=AOvVaw2_fn6pr67v2Z5TCWLV-a67

[Anonymous No.10914203]

>>10914127
>>10914097
>Tell me what you think

I think that you can't write for shit.

[Anonymous No.10914209]

>>10914203
Tell me more.

[Anonymous No.10914211]

>>10914185
i can tell you most successful people historically spent about 10 years with no real editing developing all kinds of bad habits and quirks, practicing almost every day. so ages 7-17 generally, but somethings a wider range like 10-25 they write for themselves. then everyone you've head of, began by submitting their work and having it edited by a professional who gives them feedback on what is especially good and what needs to be cut out, these days you can get critique from the internet, but the quality of it is poor since it's done for free by someone half assing it or worse, someone who has no idea. an experienced eye can tell talent from a very early age, which is why teachers are important, but you can start writing at any age, it's a skill you develop like anything else, and some people have a natural talent and others just grind away.


1) you should read a lot, most authors read a lot more than they have ever written, prolific writers are rare, all are prolific readers however.
2) steal the bits you like and make them your own.
3) dont be afraid of criticism and change, your voice will develop as you mature and gain experience.
4) practice writing short stories, poems, make up things you like, you can write fluff or fanfiction for something you already enjoy.

when it comes to reading, just get down about 70% of it per page, aim for understanding the feel rather than reading every word. in special circumstances you should stop and re-read certain passages you especially like, to better understand what is going on with the word selection and overall flow that impressed you.


it's a real pickle choosing what to read and budgeting time for it, you can't go wrong with anything that is considered classic literature, even if you don't like a particular book there is still merit in reading it. whereas books you might enjoy reading like young adult fiction, fantasy romance mystery thriller horror, might be an easy read eg 1 book a day, but you aren't getting much out of it since it will be limited vocabulary and endless repetition of theme and structure. if you are serious about writing you need to get some formal education, online course, read books about writing books.

i read maybe 30 books a year from the ages of 9 to 18? then i spent 7 years reading academic writing, recreationally i probably read maybe 10 books a year now in my 30s. so to reach basic competency- which is what i have, you need like 500-600 books? and there are only like 15-20 MUST reads in the english language, so you have a lot of freedom to choose.

[Anonymous No.10914212]

>>10914187
Ive stopped having fun many years ago

[Anonymous No.10914219]

>>10914212
Then you are ready to learn.

Treat writing purely as a means of communication. The reader must extract no joy from the process. Any smile is a mistake. Laughter is a crisis. When his eyes scan the page like they might scan a spreadsheet - glazed over, barely present, ready to be done but with so much more to do - you are halfway there.

If your writing reads like maths; if your metaphors are infused with the life of the undead; if your vocabulary is pared to the thickness of monomolecular blade; if your only story idea is the prologue to your suicide - then you are ready.

Then, and only then, will you meet >>10914211's expectations.

[Anonymous No.10914220]

>>10914219
>meanwhile in another thread
g-g-als help, i can't write more than 3 paragraphs before i give up.

[Anonymous No.10914225]

>>10914220
I could set any of my three paragraphs against the world entire.

[Anonymous No.10914449]

>>10914211
>and there are only like 15-20 MUST reads in the english language
what are these for reference?

[Anonymous No.10914464]

>>10914211
What are the must reads anon? Do you need any prior reference to understand them?a