Week One: Gothic in Contemporary Culture (Game of Thrones)

   The elements of the gothic have continued to transcend throughout our contemporary culture; scattered among film, television, fashion, and of course literature. To this day, it still brings intrigue to society as it did centuries ago. Many elements of the gothic can be found in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, or more popularly known as Game of Thrones. I'll be discussing the book series rather than the show, and considering the book is structured by multiple plot lines through character point-of-view chapters, I'll be focusing on Sansa Stark's storyline as it oozes "gothicness". Her arc emphasizes the deconstruction of gothic romanticism, which is demonstrated more so in the novels rather than the television show. Sansa Stark has a much more popular fanbase among readers rather than viewers of the show, especially among the female crowd.

  At the beginning of the series, Sansa is a young yet extremely naive girl who believes firmly in songs and stories of her world; that the gallant knight sweeps the young maiden off her feet to their happily ever after. She resembles the typical pure and innocent female protagonist of gothic novels, such as Catherine Morland from Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. As her story progresses, she learns that life is not a song. She is confronted with the grotesque and brutal Sandor Clegane, whose face is half burnt and soul is filled with rage. He is one of the few characters that show any sympathy towards Sansa after her father is executed, she becomes almost an idea of purity and kindness to him, though he still reprimands her for her naivety. Their dynamic is reminiscent of a beauty and the beast trope, often found in the gothic. Though, whether they develop romantic feelings for one another is left to personal opinion and speculation. As Sansa faces many hardships, she begins to lose faith in all that she had believed in initially.

  In the third book of the series, she is stolen away from King's Landing by Petyr Baelish (also referred to as Littlefinger) and taken to his holdings on the Fingers. The Fingers hold a very similar gloomy, dark, confined by nature setting seen in the gothic; always raining and windy, a peninsula surrounded by crashing waves and treacherous rocks. Just as religion and mythology took held an important role in gothic literature, religious and mythological symbolism is constantly alluded to in her story, especially during her arc with Lord Baelish. During their time in the Fingers, he offers to share half a pomegranate with Sansa, alluding to the rape of Persephone. After their time confined in the Fingers, they travel to the Eyrie, which is almost quite literally a castle in the sky. A castle isolated from all others and inhabited by little, continuing the lonely and isolated feeling used in the gothic. Lord Baelish is one of the darkest characters in the series, constantly manipulating and manifesting chaos behind the scenes, never showing remorse for his cruel actions. He forms a mentor/protege relationship with Sansa, as he uses her title and power for his own means, he teaches her the art of deceit and manipulation in turn. Sansa describes Petyr as to having two identities, two different personalities yet all the while the same person (like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde):

Littlefinger never lifted so much as his little finger for her. Except to get me out. He did that for me. I thought it was Ser Dontos, my poor old drunken Florian, but it was Petyr all the while. Littlefinger was only a mask he had to wear. Only sometimes Sansa found it hard to tell where the man ended and the mask began. Littlefinger and Lord Petyr looked so very much alike. She would have fled them both, perhaps, but there was nowhere for her to go.

Slowly, Petyr has tried to corrupt Sansa, carving her into a replica of himself. Their dynamic is similar to that of Dracula's and Mina's from Bram Stoker's Dracula. Sansa is constantly conflicted with her emotions, on morality, and survival. George R.R. Martin is well known for creating mystery and suspense in this novel, bringing in that gothic factor even more so. He kills off characters in the blink of an eye, and just as Petyr Baelish, showing no remorse. Sansa, being a young girl living in one of the most cruel and brutal worlds, is put against hardship and rather gruesome settings and people. Considering the book series is still ongoing, Sansa's fate remains only on speculation at this point.