I haven't read any of the Game of Thrones series yet, despite it being right up my street, because I'm following the TV series and I understand it diverges in many important ways. I don't want the storyline of that spoiled just to read the books. When the TV series is finally over (if!) I'll definitely be heading towards the originals.
I only really find violence, and especially sexual violence, disturbing when it's presented as throwaway and without emotional consequence. When I was a kid I had free run of our local library and I read a lot of really violent stuff. I was okay with that.
What really chilled me, however, is when the author obviously thinks that violence or rape is okay, cool, entertaining, something to stick into a story for easy plot points, or perhaps worse, inherently deep and artistic. Even low levels of violence when presented like that disturb me immensely because they speak volumes about the person behind the story. I don't like being reminded that real life people like that exist. It ruins my immersion in the story.
From what I've seen of the Game of Thrones TV series, while violence is common, it absolutely is presented as having serious consequences and being highly traumatic. Although the amount of violence in the story does get a bit wearing. It's one of those things that is exciting for a while and then just depressing. I made the mistake of watching Series Four back to back (I had a free online code) and it put me off it for over a year. Far better to watch the episodes one by one.
I'd hate to be a professional writer. Deadlines seem like the least fun thing ever. If I put out a book and I wasn't happy with it, it would eat at me forever. This is why I'll never finish a single novel, but I think I'm okay with that.
I'm nearly at the end of Hyperion now. I really liked it, apart from the fact that it's very obviously written by a straight man, even the section where a woman is narrating. The descriptions of her being attracted to a man and having sex with him are so badly done. Did he not think of asking one single woman what that felt like? He makes all the most basic of mistakes. Firstly, the women never seems to check out the man's equipment. It's all about how beautiful the man is and how he has nice hands. That as well, obviously, but given he just spent paragraphs on breasts for the male narrators, the lack of more basic urges for the woman stands out, particularly because it absolutely does not suit her character. Then there's the sex scene, in which the most explosive moment of sensation for the woman is when the man comes! Give me a break. Jeez. Lack of basic research, or even common sense. The rest of it is really great, so it's such a pity.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2016-06-15 02:14 pm (UTC)I only really find violence, and especially sexual violence, disturbing when it's presented as throwaway and without emotional consequence. When I was a kid I had free run of our local library and I read a lot of really violent stuff. I was okay with that.
What really chilled me, however, is when the author obviously thinks that violence or rape is okay, cool, entertaining, something to stick into a story for easy plot points, or perhaps worse, inherently deep and artistic. Even low levels of violence when presented like that disturb me immensely because they speak volumes about the person behind the story. I don't like being reminded that real life people like that exist. It ruins my immersion in the story.
From what I've seen of the Game of Thrones TV series, while violence is common, it absolutely is presented as having serious consequences and being highly traumatic. Although the amount of violence in the story does get a bit wearing. It's one of those things that is exciting for a while and then just depressing. I made the mistake of watching Series Four back to back (I had a free online code) and it put me off it for over a year. Far better to watch the episodes one by one.
I'd hate to be a professional writer. Deadlines seem like the least fun thing ever. If I put out a book and I wasn't happy with it, it would eat at me forever. This is why I'll never finish a single novel, but I think I'm okay with that.
I'm nearly at the end of Hyperion now. I really liked it, apart from the fact that it's very obviously written by a straight man, even the section where a woman is narrating. The descriptions of her being attracted to a man and having sex with him are so badly done. Did he not think of asking one single woman what that felt like? He makes all the most basic of mistakes. Firstly, the women never seems to check out the man's equipment. It's all about how beautiful the man is and how he has nice hands. That as well, obviously, but given he just spent paragraphs on breasts for the male narrators, the lack of more basic urges for the woman stands out, particularly because it absolutely does not suit her character. Then there's the sex scene, in which the most explosive moment of sensation for the woman is when the man comes! Give me a break. Jeez. Lack of basic research, or even common sense. The rest of it is really great, so it's such a pity.