The narrative structure and postclassical reality in George R. R. Martin's epic fantasy novels a song of ice and fire and the television series Game of Thrones

Abstract

The classical novels of the 19th century corresponded with early modern national society. At the beginning of the 21st century, serials have replaced classical novels in structuring the form of social reality. The narrative structure of Game of Thrones corresponded with postclassical, postcolonial social reality. The co-existence of different genres, the different types of co-existence between "realistic medieval" and mythological reality, the co-existence of different narrators without a dominant point of view, and the asynchrony of episodes and the dramatic unexpected turns of plot are specific features of forming non-linear space and time. The specific structure of narrative is connected with the specific position of the author and the relationship between the author, the narrators, and power. The depreciation of the ground mythological structure of narrative is a cause of the inflation of catharsis, and induces unlimited series events or an unfinished principal plot. Features of the narrative of Game of Thrones are correlated with the postclassical situation of the co-existence of different social phenomenon that deny each other, but are forced to be connected. © 2020 National Research University Higher School of Economics.