A Song of Changing Genders: A literary gender analysis of George R.R. Martin's fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire", focusing on the shifting identities of masculinity in postmodern society

Aaen, Kirstine

4. term

English, Master

2015

2015-01-05

79

This thesis examines the largely overlooked male side of gender representation in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, which reached a mainstream audience through the TV adaptation Game of Thrones. It asks whether Martin is gender-enlightened in his portrayal of masculinity, defined as creating male characters who are complex, dynamic, and resonant with contemporary society. The approach combines gender theory on hegemonic masculinity and men in crisis (drawing on Andrew Kimbrell and Anthony Synnott) with close readings of two key men: Eddard Stark as traditional, chivalric masculinity whose early death signals the end of fixed gender roles, and Jaime Lannister as a postmodern man moving from perceived emasculation under hegemonic pressures to a form that unites courage with emotional vulnerability. Extending the analysis to peripheral male figures reveals a weakness: men are more frequently and graphically victimized, and male villainy is narrowly framed as ruthlessness and pleasure in excessive violence, naturalizing stereotypical traits and limiting complexity relative to female characters. The thesis concludes with a mixed assessment: Martin merits praise for gender-aware main characters, but his treatment of peripheral men falls short and remains underexamined in current scholarship.

Dette speciale undersøger den ofte oversete mandlige side af kønsskildringen i George R.R. Martins A Song of Ice and Fire, der nåede et mainstreampublikum via tv-serien Game of Thrones. Udgangspunktet er spørgsmålet om, hvorvidt Martin er kønsbevidst i sin skildring af maskulinitet, forstået som evnen til at skabe komplekse, dynamiske og samtidsrelevante mandlige figurer. Metodisk kombinerer projektet kønsteori om hegemonisk maskulinitet og mænd i krise (med inspiration fra Andrew Kimbrell og Anthony Synnott) med nærlæsninger af to centrale mænd: Eddard Stark som traditionel, ridderlig maskulinitet, hvis tidlige død symboliserer ridderidealets og faste kønsrollemønstres ophør, og Jaime Lannister som en eftermoderne mand, der bevæger sig fra oplevet emasculation under hegemoniets pres mod en ny maskulinitet, hvor mod og sårbarhed sameksisterer. Analysen udvides til perifere mandlige figurer og peger her på en svaghed: Mænd fremstilles oftere og mere eksplicit som ofre for vold og død, og mandlig skurkagtighed indsnævres til hensynsløshed og nydelse ved vold, hvilket naturaliserer stereotype træk og reducerer kompleksiteten sammenlignet med de kvindelige figurer. Konklusionen er derfor nuanceret: Martin fortjener ros for de kønsbevidste hovedkarakterer, men behandlingen af perifere mænd halter og er underbelyst i den eksisterende forskning.

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