The Division in Fantasy Philosophy: LoTR and GoT
“Sam is an excellent fellow, and would jump down a dragon’s throat to save you, if he did not trip over his own feet.”- Pippin
“War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.”- Two Towers
“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisoned by the enemy, don’t we consider it his duty to escape?…If we value the freedom of mind and soul… then it’s our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”- JRR Tolkien
George RR Martin on Game of Thrones: "I’ve always agreed with William Faulkner—he said that the human heart in conflict with itself is the only thing worth writing about. I’ve always taken that as my guiding principle, and the rest is just set dressing.“ - George RR Martin
At it’s heart, Lord of the Rings is about fellowship, that our strength comes from our connection and dedication to others. Tolkien is interested in the weak making a difference where the “Great” cannot, it is about Sam carrying Frodo up the mountain when he cannot.
In contrast, Game of Thrones is about the individual, the choices we make in our own hearts. It is the battle within the single person and everything else is “set dressing.”
It is not truly sex or blood or “realism” that divides the stories, but what each author finds important above all else, the community or self.
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