A note about sources:
Remember that, although we cannot think about Game of Thrones in terms of historical authenticity or accuracy, we are still exploring its connection to medieval history…an imagined medieval history. Make sure that your sources have some kind of connection to the medieval. There are LOTS of articles and books on Game of Thrones in relation to media studies, psychology, education, leadership, disabilities studies… the list is LONG. Those works are fine ONLY if you can connect them to the concept of medievalism and how they intersect with choices made in this series by the producers, directors, and writers in relation to medieval fantasy or imagined reality.
Databases
Finding sources related to Game of Thrones or medievalism or medieval history more broadly can be done using the UNBC Library Website.
For a more focused search, look at the International Medieval Bibliography, available here: IMB Database
To use the International Medieval Bibliography, you need to be logged into the UNBC library.
Some tips:
- For book chapters, order the specific chapter through interlibrary loan INSTEAD of the whole book. The librarian will email you a copy of the specific book chapter.
- Use the “advanced search” to limit your search in terms of language, time period, geographic area etc. This can help to focus your search even more.
- Use this database to find academic sources related to Game of Thrones, medievalism, or medieval history topics.
Other Library Sources
The UNBC Library has purchased a number of books related to Game of Thrones as an academic subject.
Batis, Jes and Susan Johnston eds. Mastering the Game of Thrones: Essays on George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice. McFarland and Co., 2015. While this book is focused on Martin’s novels, you may find some helpful essays in it for developing your projects.
Carroll, Shiloh. Medievalism in A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones. D.S. Brewer, 2018.
Frankel, Valerie Estelle. Women in Game of Thrones: Power, Conformity, and Resistance. McFarland and Company, 2014.
Gjelsvik, Anne and Rikke Shubart. Women of ice and fire: Game of Thrones and Multiple Media Engagements. Bloomsbury, 2016.
Jacoby, Henry. Game of Thrones and Philosophy: Logic Cuts Deeper than Swords. Wiley, 2012.
Larrington, Carolyne. Winter is Coming: the Medieval World of Game of Thrones. Tauris, 2016.
Mantoan, Lindsey and Sara Brady eds. Vying for the Iron Throne: Essays on Power, Gender, Death, and Performance in HBO’s Game of Thrones. McFarland and Company, 2018.
Mondschein, Ken. Game of Thrones and the medieval art of war. McFarland and Company, 2017.
Mudan Finn, Kavita. Fan Phenomena: Game of Thrones. Intellect Books, 2017.
Pavlac, Brian. Game of Thrones versus History: Written in Blood. Wiley, 2017. NOTE: the quality of essays in this book is very uneven so perhaps check with me when choosing material).
Rohr, Zita Eva and Lisa Benz. Queenship and the Women of Westeros: Female Agency and Advice in Game of Thrones and A Song of Fire and Ice. Palgrave, 2020.
Web Sources
The websites listed below are largely not academic in nature, but they contain a wealth of information about Game of Thrones and the world it inhabits. I’ve also listed a number of digital media sources that frequently publish articles on Game of Thrones. The only exception to this point is The Public Medievalist which is peer-reviewed, academically-grounded, yet created for public consumption. Authors for this website are trained academics in medieval studies and medieval history.
Game of Thrones Wiki Questions about specific characters, episodes, places, scenes, costumes, props??? This website covers it all, using material from both the show and the book series. I’ve given yo a direct link to the Game of Thrones landing page as this site has now expanded to include House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Need an episode synopsis? HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SITE!
Wired: Game of Thrones A collection of all the Wired stories related to Game of Thrones over the eight seasons.
https://www.wired.com/tag/game-of-thrones/
The Public Medievalist A website initially created by the authors of our textbook, Paul Sturtevant and Amy Kaufman, to explore medieval studies in the context of public writing. There is a wealth of excellent articles on this site, including ones specifically related to Game of Thrones. The search function will be your friend here!
https://www.publicmedievalist.com/
Medievalists.net is a website similar to The Public Medievalist. They have articles written specifically for them, excerpts from other publications, reports from medieval conferences and links to podcasts.
Game of Thrones Wikipedia entry
Extremely detailed and thorough overview of the series, including many links to other websites, digital media stories, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_of_Thrones#Other_media
Game of Thrones interactive map https://quartermaester.info/
Other digital media sites that have articles on Game of Thrones and history include: Huffington Post, Medium, Washington Post, Vox, Vulture, the Guardian, Salon… I would suggest searching online via Game of Thrones and your specific topic.
Podcasts
Not surprisingly, there are MANY podcasts devoted to Game of Thrones. A lot of them are created by fans and designed to dissect specific episodes. I’ve posted a link to Vulture’s “10 Best Game of Thrones Podcasts”. It’s a good way to get you started. Podcasts are not required as sources but some of you may want to see how the broader public discusses this show.
I’ve also included some podcasts by medievalists that don’t have entire seasons focused on Game of Thrones but include specific episodes on the series.
Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast
Dr. Sarah Ifft Decker, a medieval historian at Rhodes College, has an incredible podcast series on all things medievalism. She has two episodes on Game of Thrones. (Sidenote: I was a guest on her podcast to talk about the fantasy novel, The Lions of al-Rassan by Canadian fantasy author Guy Gavriel Kay).
This podcast is available on apple podcasts, Soundcloud, and Spotify. The Game of Thrones episodes are August 8th and 15th, 2020.
Vulture “The 10 Best Game of Thrones Podcasts”
The Medieval Podcast The podcast section of Medievalists.net noted above.
https://www.medievalists.net/category/podcast/
In Our Time: Medieval Hosted by Melvyn Bragg (we’re listening to one episode from this podcast on eunuchs), In Our Time covers a huge range of historical subjects. The link below takes you to those specifically on medieval history.
