Thoughts on LARB's "Decapitating the Chivalric Hero: On Game of Thrones"

Ilana Teitelbaum wrote an interesting piece on chivalry and the appeal of GoT. Definitely worth a read and I ain’t mad at it, but here’s the response I posted…

I’m glad you’re giving Tolkien more credit here. That said, I don’t think the ASoIaF books are quite so cynical as they’re being made out to be.

Ser Barristan Selmy is a figure of tremendous dignity and power who abandons an antiquated notion of service (and possibly chivalry), but never abandons his honor.

Jaime Lannister’s evolution could be read as the victory of honor (and in this case definitely chivalry) over “baser” desires.

Ser Jorah Mormont is a character who gives up his honor, nearly sinks further in an attempt to regain standing, then abandons that plan for love of a woman (okay, a girl really) who is, admittedly, hot but also a woman of ideals.

While GRRM’s nobles may smirk at the idea of chivalry and its trappings, that certainly doesn’t mean that the author is sneering at the ideas of honor or kindness. If anything, I think he asks how honor can continue to exist and adapt in a world that, like ours, feels arbitrary in its cruelty.

Also, the White Walkers aren’t what keep me invested in the story. They’re cool and all, but I actually do care who sits the Iron Throne, and I sure as hell care what happens to the Stark kids and Dany, and Jaime, and Brienne, and Tyrion, and the list goes on. Ah, yes, fully-fleshed characters who surprise and confound us and manage to be good—even if it’s just for a moment, even when the world offers no reward. That’s how you get us to care.