George R. R. Martin is one of the most celebrated authors of all time. One of his book series adaptations, ‘Game of Thrones‘, is widely considered to be one of the best TV shows and is loved around the world.
Barring its unpopular ending, the show also received criticism for its depiction of women. Now, the author has come forward to address the issue and has said that his world isn’t more misogynistic than real-life history.
George R. R. Martin Hits Back At ‘Game Of Thrones’ Critics
The HBO show significantly derailed from the original source material, but the treatment of women was taken directly from George R. R. Martin’s writing. The 73-year-old author recently attended the San Diego Comic-con panel where he defended his work.
According to Digital Spy, the ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ writer said: “Game of Thrones is based on… a period called the Anarchy.” He further said, “Henry I, King of England, his only legitimate son, drowned while trying to cross the Channel. He was left with one legitimate child, his daughter Matilda who he named his heir and the Lords swore fealty to her.”
Martin then continued the story of Henry. “Some years later, he died and the Lords said, ‘Oh that oath doesn’t apply, because here comes her cousin, Stephen’, who crosses the Channel quickly and steals the treasury and gets himself crowned King, and you enter a period called the Anarchy.”
“Maude, or Matilda as she was known, and Stephen fought for a decade to two decades, and it was horrible and bloody,” the author said. “I don’t think Westeros was more anti-woman or misogynistic than real-life history. People fear change.”
Martin Lashes Out At Social Media ‘Toxicity’
This is not the first time Martin has been through this. He recently pushed back at the critics for targeting ‘Game Of Thrones‘. Shortly after the HBO show ended, he had said, “The internet is toxic in a way that old fanzine culture and fandoms — comics fans, science fiction fans — in those days, was not.” It was in response to the trolling he received.
The author also talked about how fandoms’ reactions have evolved over the years. While there have been feuds and disagreements, they were “nothing like the madness that you see on the internet.”
Everyone is looking forward to the prequel show ‘House of the Dragon‘ and there is a possibility of criticism in it. When asked about the same, Martin responded: “The f***ing toxic internet and these podcasts out there saying that season eight left such a bad impression that people say, ‘Oh, I’m never going to watch them again’. I don’t trust them anymore.”
‘House of the Dragon’ is set to premiere on HBO, on August 21.
Read More: George R. R. Martin Describes ‘House Of The Dragon’ As “Powerful, Visceral, And Dark”
