Myth of The Month 7: Game of Thrones

We examine George R. R. Martin’s new mythology for the middle class: the TV series Game of Thrones and the series of books upon which it is based. Martin and his collaborators draw on the 15th-century Wars of the Roses and later dynastic struggles in Britain to present an amoral world, lacking in honor, bereft of cosmic justice, and eerily reminiscent of the contemporary West. We examine historical precedents for the "Red Wedding," and the symbolic resonance of characters such as the Starks and Littlefinger. Finally we consider the possible historical meaning of the show's final-season premier date of April 14th. Please support Historiansplaining, in the spirit of knowledge and inquiry, and to get patron-only lectures such as my latest on political left and right: www.patreon.com/user?u=5530632 Image: Early Flemish depiction of the Battle of Barnet, from the Ghent Manuscript. Intro music: Domenico Scarlatti, Sonata in D minor, played on harpsichord by Wanda Landowska.