Here we are at the big penultimate episode of the season, which is usually where the showrunners bring out the big fireworks display to wow us all until next year. So did they pull it off?
Race for the Iron Throne
You Win or You Die – Historical and Political Analysis of Game of Thrones by Steven Attewell
Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 6 Discussion Thread
Hey folks! We’re at the penultimate episode, which is (historically) the episode they save the fireworks for; as usual I’ll be doing the usual live-chat over on Low Expectations Viewing, so check that out starting at 9PM Eastern.
At the same time, I also want to give you a space to kibbitz amongst yourselves, so feel free to have at it in the comments below.
RFTIT Tumblr Weekly(ish) Roundup!
Hey folks! So, work on Samwell I is ongoing (6800 words written plus three pages of handwritten notes on the Battle on the Fist of the First Men), but in the meantime I have some Tumblrs for you:
ASOIAF:
- On Varys and the assassination attempt on Dany.
- The strategic importance of the Golden Tooth.
- Castles, towns, and roads.
- The Ur-Text vs the books and Jon/Arya.
- On Robb’s will, the Night’s Watch, and precedent.
- How does House Lannister control non-Lannister gold supply?
- Bran, Bloodraven, and self-awareness.
- On Jaime in HBO’s GoT and the question of redemption.
- The implications of Westerlands taxes being paid in gold.
- Dance army numbers and raising new armies.
- Peasant vs. non-peasant numbers:
- Euron as Saruman.
- How powerful are the Brackens and Blackwoods?
- WOIAF map exports.
- On Renly, Margaery, and annulments:
Non-ASOIAF:
- Dry exchange and the Medici bank.
- 300 vs. Three.
- Was secession legal? No.
Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 5 Discussion Thread
Hey folks! We’re getting towards the end of the (truncated) season, but as usual I’ll be doing the usual live-chat over on Low Expectations Viewing, so check that out starting at 9PM Eastern.
At the same time, I also want to give you a space to kibbitz amongst yourselves, so feel free to have at it in the comments below.
RFTIT Weekly(ish) Tumblr Roundup!
So…my previous plan kind of got sidetracked when my iPad decided to brick itself for 24 hours, which meant that I didn’t have access to my highlighted copy of A Storm of Swords in order to add the quotes into my outlines. So instead I went to work on my essay series on the Great Councils because I had it partially written already. Thus, the new plan is Sam I, then finish Great Councils Part II (which should finish off the series), then Tyrion III, then Politics of Dorne I, then Catelyn III, then Politics of Dorne II, then Jaime III, then finish off Politics of Dorne.
In the mean time, what do we have on the Tumblrs?
ASOIAF:
- The aspis versus the scutum.
- What was used as the starting point of calendars before the Conquest?
- Disinheriting heirs in Westerosi law:
- The dynastic claims of Egg’s sisters.
- Ned’s political education.
- On Ned’s fostering.
- On adapting ADWD.
- Where do army size estimates come from?
- What factors decide how long it takes armies to “repopulate”?
- How to store gold. Shiny, shiny gold.
- Discussion on “A Parcel of Rogues in a Nation”
- Bannermen as wards.
- Pre-cannon warships and ranged weaponry.
A Parcel of Rogues in a Nation: the Great Councils of Westeros (Part I)
credit to Marc Simonetti
The “game of thrones” has become such a powerful symbol in the broader ASOIAF fandom that our perceptions of how Westerosi politics function have been distorted by it, resulting in an imaginary that is far too authoritarian and top-down. The King of Westeros is not an absolute monarch, nor is it normal for liege lords to wipe out entire houses for disloyalty. Rather, Westerosi politics is still characterized by the reciprocal and decentralized (if not precisely bottom-up) nature of feudal politics.
There is no better example of this than the simple fact of the existence of the Great Councils of Westeros. In these gatherings, national authority is exercises not by all-powerful monarchs issuing decrees, but by hue, sprawling assemblies of fiercely independent lords who act as both the representation of the will of the political class of the nation, and the ultimate source of authority for major changes to the fundamental laws of the kingdom.
In this essay, I will examine the structure of the Great Councils and the ways they parallel with or diverge from the development of aristocratic assemblies in Medieval Europe, then discuss the historical development of the great Councils, and then conclude by examining whether the Great Councils signify a future for parliamentary government in Westeros.
Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 4 Discussion Thread
The episode may have leaked early, but I’ve been (mostly) good; how ’bout you? I’ll be doing the usual live-chat over on Low Expectations Viewing, so check that out starting at 9PM Eastern.
At the same time, I also want to give you a space to kibbitz amongst yourselves, so feel free to have at it in the comments below.
RFTIT Weeklyish Tumblr Roundup!
Hey folks! So I’ve now completed outlines of Sam I, Cat III, and Tyrion III, which are an incredible run of chapters. Current plan is to do Sam I, then Politics of Dorne I, then Cat III, then Politics of Dorne II, then Tyrion III, and then finish off Politics of Dorne. And then it’s on to the next Kickstarter essay series!
In the meantime, what do we have on the Tumblrs?
ASOIAF:
- Who were Rhaegar’s companions?
- Corlys Velaryon on trade.
- Should Robb have married his mother to Rickard Karstark? (NOPE)
- On primogeniture.
- Can the king stay indefinitely in a noble’s house?
- On trial by combat.
- On wildlings and human sacrifice.
- Craster’s sheep from Craster’s Keep.
- Leather over breastplates?
- Great Game Timeline Project.
- The seat of House Justman.
Non-ASOIAF:
