Archive for September, 2011
Honour in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire
The central theme in George R.R. Martin's fantasy epic 'A Song of Ice and Fire' (ASIF) is the concept of honour (or 'honor' by the American spelling). But what is honour? The concept is so alien to modern, western sensibility that there is a lot of misunderstanding about it. In this post I'm going to explore the concept of honour as it is presented in Martin's story. ASIF is as good a fictional representation as any you'll find since the Arthurian legend was born. But why would we need to understand the concept of honour? Why would such a story resonate so strongly with so many of us?
