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The Gaze In Fantasy Literature : A critical analysis of the novel A Game of Thrones

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Kandidatuppsats

Engelska 61-90, 30hp

The Gaze In Fantasy Literature

A critical analysis of the novel A Game of Thrones

Engelska 15hp

2020-05-30

Henrik Oresten

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Abstract

Syftet med denna studie är att utforska den manliga och kvinnliga blicken i George R.R. Martins fantasinovell, A Game of Thrones (1996). Jag föreslår att skillnader i hur den manliga och kvinnliga blicken betraktar sitt objekt, kan avslöjas genom kritisk analys av kvinnliga huvudkaraktären Sansa Stark. Vidare menar jag att patriarkala strukturer kan synliggöras genom analys av manliga blickar som riktas mot den kvinnliga karaktären.

Min analys av Martins fantasinovell har genomförts med hjälp av ett teoretiskt ramverk baserat på framförallt Laura Mulveys artikel Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (1975) och Rachel S. Grates tes ”Love at First Sight? Jane Austen and the Transformative Male Gaze” (2015). Min analys visar att det finns skillnader i hur den kvinnliga och manliga blicken betraktar i sitt objekt. Den kvinnliga blicken tenderar exempelvis att vara mer mångfacetterad i sin värdering av ett objekt. Vidare visar analysen att de manliga blickarna avslöjar patriarkala strukturer.

Nyckelord

A Game of Thrones Feminist criticism Gaze theory

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Table of contents

1. Introduction ... 1

1.1. Aim and Approach ... 2

1.2. Gaze theory ... 3

1.2.1. The male gaze ... 4

1.2.2. The female gaze ... 5

1.2.3. Application of gaze theory on literature ... 6

1.3. Material and Sources ... 7

1.4. Character background ... 8

1.5. Previous Research ... 9

2. Analysis ... 10

2.1. The gaze of Ser Ilyn Payne ... 10

2.2. The gaze of Lord Petyr Baelish ... 13

2.3. The gaze of Sansa Stark ... 15

2.4. Summary and comparison ... 18

3. Conclusion ... 20

3.1. Didactic reflection ... 21

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1. Introduction

By the mere appearance of the Other, I am put in the position of passing judgement on myself as on an object, for it is as an object that I appear to the Other. (translation of Sartre, Barnes 222)

According to dictionary.com, the verb form of gaze implies: “to look steadily and intently, as with great curiosity, interest, pleasure, or wonder.” There is a clear distinction between merely looking and gazing. The latter suggests there is an intent behind the look, furthermore, this intent is typically felt by the one being looked at.

Theories on the gaze have been developed and discussed in critical cultural theory in relation to the fields of psychoanalysis and sociology. Work from Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan have been used extensively for the development of gaze theory. Furthermore, scholars such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Michel Foucault have contributed to gaze theory, especially in its

application to critical theory. In his acclaimed essay Being and Nothingness (1943), Sartre argues that the look of others causes us to question ourselves even without knowing the look’s true intent. Sartre’s argument speaks to the power of the gaze and its ability to impact and transform the inner life of its object. In what manner one is affected by a gaze is connected to the power relationship between the one who looks and the one who is looked at. The act of gazing is not simply ‘to-observe’ but to actively pass judgement on who is ‘looked-at’.

This essay will explore the concept of the gaze and how it can be applied to critical analysis of literature. The focus is on the fantasy novel A Game of Thrones (1996) by George R.R. Martin, and his literary representations of the gaze. I will argue that differences in how the male gaze and the female gaze operates can be revealed through critical analysis of the female protagonist Sansa Stark. Moreover, this study will consider how the concept of the gaze can be applied by high school students when working with literature.

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1.1. Aim and Approach

The aim of this essay is to explore George R.R. Martin’s representations of the female and male gaze in his fantasy novel, A Game of Thrones (1996). I will argue that there are

differences in how the male and female gaze function and relate to an object. Additionally, I will propose and show that these differences can be linked to patriarchal power structures within the novel. I will also consider the usefulness of gaze as a concept to be used by high school students to analyse literature.

The critical analysis of the novel is structured around specific gaze theory, primarily derived from Laura Mulvey and her article “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” (1975). Mulvey focuses her attention on the Hollywood film industry, thus her theory has typically been used for film analysis. This essay also incorporates the thesis “Love at First Sight? Jane Austen and the Transformative Male Gaze” (2015) by Rachel S. Grate, to support the adaptation of

Mulvey’s gaze theory for literature. The theoretical framework of this essay offers a definition on the male gaze, based on Mulvey’s theory. To expand the definition of the male gaze, this essay also incorporates Lois Tyson’s general discussion about the gaze in Critical Theory

Today (2006), while maintaining focus on literature. Since Mulvey is dismissive of the female

gaze, Grate’s thesis will be used to supplement the discussion of the female gaze.

The analysis focuses on the female protagonist Sansa Stark and her interaction with the two male characters Ser Ilyn Payne and Lord Petyr Baelish. The intention with the analysis is to examine Martin’s representations of the female and male gaze respectively. The female gaze can be observed through Martin’s use of Sansa as a focalizer and the description of Sansa’s thoughts as she gazes at the male other.

The male gaze can be observed when it is directed toward Sansa and how the narrator presents her reception of that gaze. Additionally, the power relations between Sansa and the two male characters can be observed in the impact and transformative power of each gaze or its lack of impact.

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1.2. Gaze theory

Gaze theory is complex and not easily explained without extensive theoretical discussion. Tt is beyond the scope of this essay to give an all-encompassing presentation of gaze theory.

This essay will instead focus on more recent research on gaze theory and its application in Film and Literary Studies. Feminist scholars have over the years become intensely interested in gaze theory. Specifically, they have made the connection between the gaze and patriarchal power structures. In her work Critical Theory Today (2006), Lois Tyson explains that “… in what many thinkers refer to as the male gaze: the man looks; the woman is looked at. And it is the one who looks who is in control, who holds the power to name things, the power to

explain the world and so to rule the world.” (Tyson 102). In a patriarchal society, men are empowered through deeply rooted societal norms and institutionalized power. Women are by the same principles separated from this power. The gaze’s power and ability to impact and transform is connected to these patriarchal structures.

Gaze theory within feminist criticism has been directed primarily toward the presence and power of the male gaze and female representation in the film industry. This direction was initiated by Mulvey and her article “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” (1975). Mulvey examines the patriarchal nature of Hollywood filmmaking. The focus is put on the effects that the patriarchal society has on film industry and its film viewers.

Mulvey uses a psychoanalytic perspective to establish how the woman is repeatedly inserted into Hollywood films, as a sexual object. She argues that pre-existing social norms, linked to patriarchy, are already at work when a typical Hollywood movie is being made. The intention with her use of psychoanalysis is to deconstruct the phallocentric nature of the Hollywood mainstream film industry and its obsession with the woman as sexual object.

Mulvey has been criticized for her dismissal of the female gaze. She rejects the notion that the female gaze can resist the authority of the male gaze. In her thesis “Love at First Sight? Jane Austen and the Transformative Male Gaze” (2015), Rachel S. Grate applies Mulvey’s gaze theory to novels of Jane Austen. Grate argues that the shift from Mulvey’s focus on the male dominated film industry to Austen’s stories demands a closer look at the female gaze. She argues that Mulvey’s take on the female gaze is lacking and needs to be developed further to account for additional factors. One such factor is the art of perception which is used by the female protagonists in Austen’s novels when they are confronted with the male gaze. Grate’s

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thesis will be a guideline in this study for how Mulvey’s gaze theory can be applied to literature. It provides a basis for discussing and defining the female gaze.

1.2.1. The male gaze

This section will provide a brief outline of Mulvey’s use of psychoanalysis to structure her definition of the male gaze. Her inspiration is derived from Freud and Lacan. The concepts

scopophilia and voyeurism are central to her psychoanalytic framework. Scopophilia (Freud)

can be described as pleasure derived from; “taking other people as objects, subjecting them to a controlling and curious gaze.” (Mulvey 835). A person experiences pleasure when actively gazing at someone or something. According to Mulvey, this plays out in Hollywood cinema when characters and spectators of the film gaze at the woman on screen and objectify her sexually. Voyeurism (Freud) can be described as, being sexually aroused by looking at someone in secret. Mulvey uses this concept to describe the role of the spectator, as she puts it; “the extreme contrast between the darkness in the auditorium (which also isolates the spectators from one another) and the brilliance of the shifting patterns of light and shade on the screen helps to promote the illusion of voyeuristic separation.” (Mulvey 836). The spectator in the movie theatre can gaze in secrecy at the object on screen without being noticed.

Mulvey also draws inspiration from Lacan’s theories on the mirror phase of children. She clarifies that this phase occurs when a child’s physical ambitions are hindered by her limited motor skills. The child experiences its mirror image to be more complete than their own experience of their physical self. (Mulvey 836). Thus, the mirror image becomes an image of perfection for the child. At the same time, she is constantly reminded of her lack, due to her awareness of her physical limitations. Mulvey argues that something similar happens to the audience in movie theatres when they are immersed in a film.

… the cinema has structures of fascination strong enough to allow temporary loss of ego while simultaneously reinforcing the ego. The sense of forgetting the world as the ego has subsequently come to perceive it (I forgot who I am and where I was) is nostalgically reminiscent of that pre-subjective moment of image recognition. (Mulvey 836)

According to Mulvey then, the male spectator can, within a dark movie theatre disregard his physical awareness of himself. His own physical short comings are temporarily forgotten, and

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he can fully immerse himself and identify with the male character and image on the screen, who is able to do things that the viewer is not.

Mulvey organizes her theory about the male gaze around three different looks which she associates with cinema. The first look being the camera and/or the filmmaker who is recording the events. The second is the audience who is watching the film. The third is the look of the movie characters themselves watching each other. Common ground for all three is that they align behind the male gaze. Filmmaker, male protagonist and male spectator all possess the male gaze which is directed toward the woman as a sexual object. (Mulvey 843) Mulvey’s definition of the power of the male gaze is that, “In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female. The determining male gaze projects its phantasy on to the female figure which is styled

accordingly. (Mulvey 837). She argues that the male gaze is characterized by a sexual and desiring way of looking at its object.

Tyson’s theory of the male gaze is useful even when the gaze cannot be categorized as having a sexual intention. An analysis of the gaze can still be linked to the power dynamic between t he male and female character. As Tyson put it,

Yet, it can still be linked to the power dynamic between the male and female character. As Tyson put it, “… it is the one who looks who is in control, who holds the power to name things, the power to explain the world and so to rule the world.” (Tyson 102)”. In this theory then, when a man looks at a woman, even without sexual desire, he holds the power to control her with his gaze.

1.2.2. The female gaze

In “Love at First Sight? Jane Austen and the Transformative Male Gaze” (2015), Grate examines the transformative power of the male and female gaze in Jane Austen’s novels. Central to her thesis is that the courtship process in the novels is affected by both the male gaze of suitors and the female gaze of Austen’s female protagonists. Grate argues that Austen’s narrators reveal the distinction between a controlling male gaze and a curious male gaze.

This happens once the gaze is enjoyable for both parties. When this is achieved in Austen’s novels, there is typically a happy outcome for the female protagonist and the male character. A large part of this has to do with the female gaze and its transformative power, which lays

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the ground for the impact of the male gaze to shift or transition from controlling to curious. In this essay, I am particularly interested in Grate’s definition of the female gaze.

Grate’s departure from Mulvey’s definition of the female gaze has a lot to do with the shift from the Hollywood film industry to the literary arena. In Austen’s novels, so much of the male gaze is perceived through the eyes of female protagonists. While Grate uses Mulvey’s theoretical framework to define the male gaze, she disputes Mulvey’s claim that women can only be the passive object of the gaze. Grate argues that both the female and male gaze have transformative power on its object but with distinct methods. Grate agrees with Mulvey’s definition of the male gaze, and states, “… in Austen’s novels as in film, the power of the male gazer is his ability to project his desire onto his object, transforming the world for his pleasure.” (Grate 8). The female gaze is defined by Grate as “the desiring gaze without the implicit power of patriarchal society enforcing its fantasy” (8). She argues that the

transformative power of the female gaze comes from acts of perception. She states that “Austen illustrates the power of the male gaze by describing a transformation in female appearance as a projection of male characters’ fantasies.” Significantly even as the male gaze determines the perception of the female object, Grate observes, Austen’s “heroines are not passive in the face of this gaze; through close observation and manipulation, they are often able to manipulate the situation and affect their own transformation.” Grate thus argues that Austen shows the “female gaze” as a potential source of agency, rather than portraying her protagonists as passive victims of the gaze. (Grate 11)

This essay will consider the female gaze of female protagonist Sansa Stark in the novel A

Game of Thrones (1996). The intention is to describe Martin’s representation of both the male

and female gaze through a critical analysis of the gaze in his novel.

1.2.3. Application of gaze theory on literature

Since her article first came out in 1975, Mulvey’s gaze theory has been applied to literature. Grate used it successfully in her analysis of Austen’s novels. As mentioned, Mulvey uses three “looks” in her theoretical structure: the camera/filmmaker, the audience and the characters in the film. All three of these looks embody the male gaze. The translation of the three looks to literature is rather simple, as Grate points out. The camera becomes the narrator, the audience becomes the reader and the characters of the film becomes the characters in the novel. (Grate 15). Nonetheless, Grate underlines an important distinction between its application to film and to Austen’s novels,

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… one key distinction between Austen’s audience and film audiences is the fact that Austen’s novels are not directed primarily to men, and thus the gaze of the reader is not inherently masculine in nature. Thus, the gaze of the audience is not one of

reductive desire, but one of empathy for the heroine. While Austen shows the negative effects of the vulnerability caused by being an object of the gaze, Austen does not allow the identity of her heroines to be defined by others’ gazes. (Grate 17)

This essay will argue that the same distinction should be made when approaching Martin’s novel. It has a wide array of female protagonists and focalizers, both strong and weak.

Through Sansa’s female gaze, the reader sees the misogyny of Martin’s world and empathises with Sansa’s fate as a helpless child and princess. The male gaze projected onto her by

different men is felt in full force by the reader. This means that Mulvey’s perspective is reversed when dealing with literature and female protagonists. As Grate argue, the audience of literature (reader) embodies the female gaze of the protagonist, feeling the scrutiny it is exposed to by the male characters. This essay will focus on how Sansa is perceiving the male gaze from two characters, Ser Ilyn Payne and Lord Petyr Baelish. It will also consider

Martin’s representation of the female gaze in Sansa.

1.3. Material and Sources

The essay focuses on the fantasy novel A Game of Thrones (1996), by the author George R.R Martin. It is the first novel in Martin's fantasy book series called A Song of Ice and Fire. The book series have been made widely popular through HBO's recent televised adaptation Game

of Thrones (2011). The analysis focuses on the female protagonist Sansa Stark and her

encounters with the male characters Ser Ilyn Payne and Lord Petyr Baelish. Martin has admitted his fascination with the Middle Ages in England and the existence of powerful political houses or families. Martin uses a similar political landscape in the novel (using political houses) such as House Stark and House Lannister. Most of the major plot events in the novel revolve around the powerplay between these extended families. All of them conspire to ascend to the Iron Throne of Westeros. There is also a greater overarching plot, describing an ancient threat from the magical white walkers. However, this is only briefly mentioned in the beginning of the novel. It is also worth mentioning that the novel is written with multiple focalizers progressing the story. Sansa acts as one of these focalizers and her role in the novel is that of a noble princess of House Stark

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1.4. Character background

This is a brief character description and plot outline to provide background for the characters examined in the analysis of this essay.

Sansa Stark is the eleven-year-old daughter of Lady Catelyn Stark and Lord Eddard Stark, head of Winterfell and House Stark. They reside in the North of Westeros. She is of noble birth and her family is powerful. Her journey begins when her father is appointed royal advisor to King Robert Baratheon. Robert has need for her father in the capitol King’s Landing located in the South of Westeros. Eddard takes both of his daughters, Sansa and Arya, with him to King’s Landing. Sansa’s encounters with the male characters Ser Ilyn Payne and Lord Petyr Baelish all take place once she arrives to the capitol.

Martin adheres in his depiction of the Middle Ages to the convention that the societies were brutal and aggressively patriarchal. It is probable that the actual Middle Ages were more nuanced in terms of gender than perhaps depicted in Martin’s novel. However, as described by Michelle M. Sauer in her work; Gender in Medieval Culture (2015), the Middle Ages in Europe did feature strong patriarchal societies. For example, Sauer explains that “Marriage was viewed as means to cement alliances with families or to make peace with an enemy, and daughters were not typically consulted in the matter.” (Sauer 76). She also underlines that the main purpose of marriage was the advancement of the family, although personal affection between spouses was preferred, it was not valued equally to advancement of family status (76).

Sansa’s age of eleven puts her in a peculiar range of being both a child and a woman at the same time. As Sauer points out; “…the church frowned on consummation of marriages until the girl was at least 12 years old, although at the time of the marriage the girl might be as young as 6.” (Sauer 76).

Sansa embodies the perfect female gender role for her environment. Well dressed, obedient and disciplined. She is given an education by a clergy woman, Septa Mordane. The fulfilling purpose for Sansa is to be sweet, innocent, and lady-like.

Ser Ilyn Payne is a mute knight serving as the King’s Justice, the royal executioner. His duty is to carry out executions, on those condemned by the King. It is revealed that he previously had his tongue removed by the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen, who served prior to Robert Baratheon (Martin 141). Ser Ilyn typically accompanies queen Cersei Lannister. In Sansa’s

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first meeting with Payne, she describes him as “not an old man” but a hardened man who expresses little or no emotion. (Martin 139).

Lord Petyr Baelish is a thirty-year-old man, and a lord of minor importance, also commonly referred to as Littlefinger when he is not around to hear it. He has a history with Sansa’s mother Catelyn, whom he grew up with as a young boy. It is revealed he was in love with Catelyn, and his interest in Sansa stems from this (Martin 288). Baelish is a clever man who is constantly conspiring with his surroundings. He has managed to manoeuvre himself into a place on the king’s small council of advisors.

1.5. Previous Research

There are numerous and extensive discussions and studies of the adaptation of Martin’s novel into the TV series called Game of Thrones (2011). There are also numerous Film Studies that uses gaze theory. Research on Martin’s novels that specifically use gaze theory are relatively few. The three studies I have found to be relevant to this study are, Rachel S. Grate’s “Love at First Sight? Jane Austen and the Transformative Male Gaze” (2015), Kathryn Hemmann’s “The Female Gaze in Contemporary Japanese Literature” (2013), and Cady Monroe Conaway’s thesis “Male Gaze and The Heroines of Our Era” (2018).

As previously mentioned, Grate uses Mulvey’s definition of the male gaze to account for the scrutinizing gazes of male characters but puts a greater emphasis on the female gaze and argues it is worth more attention, especially when considering female protagonists. Based on the actions of Austen’s protagonists, Grate concludes that the female gaze has transformative power through the negotiation and deft handling of perception. Austen’s female protagonists can navigate, adapt, and resist the male gaze once they are able to perceive its intentions. Since this current study on Martin’s novel is focused on a literary female protagonist, Grate’s thesis and approach is an important study to consider.

In her study, “The Female Gaze in Contemporary Japanese Literature” (2013), Hemmann uses Mulvey’s gaze theory to study the female gaze in contemporary Japanese literature. Hemmann reverses Mulvey’s desiring male gaze and applies the same principle to a female gaze. She argues that stories written with a female gaze in mind, can have a profound effect on how the reader interprets and sees women in storylines. By giving female characters an active desiring gaze and a voice, Hemmann argues that, “Female characters exercising narrative privilege, and the writers who write them, and the readers who read them, can also

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turn a female gaze on phallocentric discourses and economies of desire.” (Hemmann 5). In other words, awareness of a desiring female gaze can alert readers to the fact that women are not only passive objects. They are subjects that can think and desire for themselves.

Hemmann’s study is dense, thus it is not considered in its entirety. The focus is primarily on her discussion on Mulvey’s gaze theory and the female gaze.

Conaway has employed Mulvey’s gaze theory in her thesis “The Male Gaze and the Heroines of Our Era” (2018). Conaway approaches the film Wonder Woman (2017) by Patty Jenkins, using theoretical framework from Mulvey. Conaway disputes some of Mulvey’s arguments regarding the female gaze and the role of female characters in film. By examining a movie directed by a woman, which also features a female protagonist, Conaway argues for the benefits of the female gaze in film. As she puts it, “Through the eyes of Diana and the lens of Patty Jenkins, women are allowed to gaze into the world of film through eyes that match their own and bring them to a place of, if not bliss, then perhaps contentment.” (Conaway 33-34). It is slightly further away from this study because of its focus on film. However, the discussion on Mulvey and the female gaze is of interest to this analysis.

2. Analysis

This analysis does not follow the chronological order of Sansa’s chapters. Instead it focuses on passages which are most revealing regarding the gaze of Sansa, Ser Ilyn and Baelish. All three characters are investigated from the perspective of Sansa as the female protagonist. Martin does not give us the inner thoughts of Ser Ilyn or Baelish. The analysis is divided into three sections. The first section focuses on Ser Ilyn, the second on Baelish and the third on Sansa. Finally, there is a comparison of the three characters.

2.1. The gaze of Ser Ilyn Payne

On her journey to King’s Landing, Sansa is invited to join the queen, Cersei Lannister, in her royal wheelhouse, which is a massive house-like wagon. It is used by Cersei and her royal court when they travel along the Kingsroad. There is a commotion when Sansa arrives on the scene.

What’s happening?” she asked a squire she knew. “The council sent riders from King’s Landing to escort us the rest of the way,” he told her. “An honor guard for the king.” Anxious to see, Sansa let Lady clear a path through the crowd. People moved

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aside hastily for the direwolf. When she got closer, she saw two knights kneeling before the queen, in armor so fine and gorgeous that it made her blink. (Martin 138)

What unfolds is a series of moments when Sansa stares at the knights bowing before the queen. At first, Sansa is struck by the fine quality of the armor worn by the two knights, and she realizes that one of them is an older man when he removes his helmet. The other is a man close to twenty whom Sansa describes as the handsomest man she has ever seen. Sansa then notices a third man standing a bit to the side of the two knights,

At first, Sansa did not notice the third stranger. He did not kneel with the others. He stood to one side, beside their horses, a gaunt grim man who watched the proceedings in silence. His face was pockmarked and beardless, with deep set eyes and hollow cheeks. … His armor was iron-grey chainmail over layers of boiled leather, plain and unadorned, and it spoke of age and hard use. (Martin 139)

This is Sansa’s first encounter with Ser Ilyn Payne and as she continues to gaze at him, he becomes aware of her presence. “He seemed to feel the weight of her gaze. Slowly, he turned his head. Lady growled. A terror as overwhelming as anything Sansa Stark had ever felt filled her suddenly.” (Martin 139). Sansa is terrified when Ser Ilyn returns her gaze. Understanding the intention of the male gaze is crucial for the woman before she can position herself to meet it. In Grate’s analysis of Austen’s novel Persuasion (1818) and its protagonist Anne, the power of the female gaze is demonstrated. In Anne’s encounter with the male character Wentworth, she uses her awareness to spot him before he sees her, “’he was more obviously struck and confused by the sight of her than she had ever observed before… She had the advantage’ (P 166)” (Grate 41). By perceiving him and gazing back at him, Anne can manoeuvre and manipulate Wentworth’s gaze. For Sansa, there is no such reaction, as her significance to Ser Ilyn is not enough to have an impact on him. When confronted with Ser Ilyn, who now stands before her, she tries to apologize for her frightened reaction,

I am sorry if I offended you, Ser Ilyn,” she said. She waited for an answer, but none came. As the headsman looked at her, his pale colorless eyes seemed to strip the clothes away from her, and then the skin, leaving her soul naked before him. Still silent, he turned and walked away. (Martin 141)

Ser Ilyn’s gaze pierces through Sansa’s outer layers, although it appears to lack any sexual interest. Sansa is unable to understand the intention of Ser Ilyn’s gaze. Thus, she cannot

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position herself in relation to Ser Ilyn, and becomes insecure and frightened. Grate argues that one of the powers of the female gaze is that of perception. As Grate puts it “the ability to perceive and “interpret” the behaviour of others enables women to ‘regulate’ or transform both how others behave and produce new possibilities for their own behaviour or

‘individuality’.” (Grate 12). However, it is important to point out that this “power” is primarily a defence mechanism used by women to survive and move in a society which is inherently against them. This stand in strong contrast to the male gaze, which is utilized as a tool for control and actual power over its object.

Martin’s depiction of Ser Ilyn’s gaze and how it holds transformative power over Sansa is connected to her inability to read him. In Grate’s analysis of Austen’s Northanger Abbey (1818) and its protagonist Catherine, there is an encounter that bares resemblance to the encounter just discussed. Catherine is scrutinized openly by the male character John Thorpe and his gaze. Since Catherine can perceive the intention behind Thorpe’s male gaze, she can resist and fight it. Shortly thereafter Catherine is put under the gaze of General Tilney. Catherine is unable to perceive the intention behind Tilney’s gaze. She is startled and confused, she finally submits and escapes by turning away. (Grate 48-49). Sansa is more vulnerable than Catherine, considering her young age of eleven, and that her society is even more patriarchal than the one depicted in Northanger Abbey Mans. Nevertheless, in a similar fashion, Sansa is unable to perceive the intention behind Ser Ilyn’s gaze which bear

resemblance to Catherine’s encounter with General Tilney.

In Sansa’s fourth chapter she contemplates Ser Ilyn’s gaze, “Sansa shuddered. Every time she looked at Ser Ilyn Payne, she shivered. He made her feel as though something dead were slithering over her naked skin.” (Martin 456). Although Ser Ilyn’s gaze appears to lack the typical sexual intent of the male gaze, it does project a sense of disgust for Sansa and it makes her extremely uncomfortable in his presence. Ser Ilyn’s gaze appears to judge Sansa for what she is in Martin’s world. As Tyson puts it in her discussion on the male gaze; “in what many thinkers refer to as the male gaze: the man looks; the woman is looked at. And it is the one who looks who is in control, who holds the power to name things, the power to explain the world and so to rule the world.” (Tyson 102). Martin’s intention with Ser Ilyn’s gaze could be to acknowledge that Sansa is nothing more than another princess. Her true worth is that of a commodity in her patriarchal society.

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2.2. The gaze of Lord Petyr Baelish

Sansa attends the jousting tournament, which is being held to honor her father as the new hand of the king. Sansa and her friend Jeyne examine the long row of knights entering the lists. “’It is better than the songs,’” she whispered when they found the places that her father had promised her, among the high lords and ladies.” (Martin 284). Sansa’s reaction to what she is seeing suggests a romantic fascination with knights and court life.

The tournament begins, Sansa watches each joust carefully. It continues throughout the day and well into the dusk. A young knight catches Sansa’s attention, Ser Loras Tyrell, “he was the youngest rider on the field, yet he had unhorsed three knights of the Kingsguard that morning in his first three jousts. Sansa had never seen anyone so beautiful.” (Martin 287). Ser Loras continues to win his jousts throughout the evening. After his last joust of the day he stops in front of Sansa, handing her a red rose. Sansa is dumb struck by his gallantry and momentarily forgets her surroundings, and when she regains her senses, Lord Petyr Baelish stands over her,

When Sansa finally looked up, a man was standing over her, staring. He was short, with a pointed beard and a silver streak in his hair, almost as old as her father. “You must be one of her daughters,” he said to her. He had grey-green eyes that did not smile when his mouth did. “You have the Tully look”. (Martin 288)

This is Sansa’s first encounter with Baelish, also commonly referred to as Littlefinger. Sansa is immediately uncomfortable in Baelish’s presence. She keeps her composure and

remembers her manners, presenting herself and asking the man who he is. Septa Mordane steps in and introduces Baelish to Sansa. Baelish continues, “Your mother was my queen of beauty once,” the man said quietly. His breath smelled of mint. “You have her hair.” His fingers brushed against her cheek as he stroked one auburn lock. Quite abruptly he turned and walked away.” (Martin 288).

Baelish is remarking Sansa’s physical appearance, comparing it to her mother Catelyn Stark. He also physically touches her, stroking her cheek and hair. Baelish was once in love with Catelyn, and Sansa appears to remind him of this. Despite being a brief encounter, Sansa is left ill at ease and confused by Baelish’s remarks. However, she is not yet able to perceive the intention behind his gaze.

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I will again turn to Grate’s analysis for a comparison. In her analysis of Austen’s Mansfield

Park (1814) and its protagonist Fanny, there is another encounter which has similarities to the

approaches of Baelish. Grate argues that Fanny is more subjected to the male gaze as she reaches adulthood. When Fanny is confronted by Sir Thomas, he grabs her physically, kisses her and proclaims with enjoyment how much she has grown. Fanny describes Sir Thomas’s actions as “astonishing” and “penetrating” which I interpret as invasive. Grate argues similarly and continues, lingering on Austen’s choice of words, “Sir Thomas’s perception is “penetrat[ing],” a word that conjures the phallic imagery symbolizing the power of the male to invade the female body.” (Grate 28). In a similar fashion, Baelish invade Sansa’s body, touching her whilst simultaneously complementing her appearance. A combination of gazing and physical touching is used to describe both Sir Thomas and Baelish.

Their second encounter comes when Sansa, Jeyne and Septa Mordane are descending the stairs after having had dinner in a gallery. The three are conversing about Sansa’s father’s recent decisions as hand of the king. Sansa questions her father’s decision not to send Ser Loras to hunt for Ser Gregor Clegane. She is unaware of Baelish’s presence. He suddenly appears and interrupts the conversation,

That was when Lord Baelish had said, “Oh I don’t know, Septa. Some of her lord father’s decisions could do with a bit of questioning. “The young lady is as wise as she is lovely.” He made a sweeping bow to Sansa, so deep she was not quite sure if she was being complimented or mocked. (Martin 456)

Mordane is startled by Baelish’s intrusion and tries to downplay Sansa’s comments, “‘The girl was just talking, my lord,’ she’d said. ‘Foolish chatter. She meant nothing by the comment.’.” (Martin 456). Baelish insists that Sansa explain her comments, referring to Sansa as a child. Sansa feels compelled to explain and she does, “The king’s councillor smiled. ‘Well, those are not the reasons I’d have given, but…’ He had touched her cheek, his thumb lightly tracing the line of a cheekbone. ‘Life is not a song, sweetling. You may learn that one day to your

sorrow.’” (Martin 456). This is another example of how Baelish uses a combination of gazing and touch to invade Sansa both physically and mentally. She is again extremely

uncomfortable by her interaction with Baelish.

Her third encounter with Baelish is the most revealing. Things have now taken a turn for the worse. King Robert Baratheon is dead, and the Lannisters have taken command of the city. Sansa’s father has been accused of treason and is being held prisoner. Sansa is being kept in a

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tower of Maegor’s Holdfast, together with her friend Jeyne. On the third day of her captivity, Sansa is granted an audience with queen Cersei. She is escorted by Lannister men. The queen is sitting with the king’s small council when Sansa arrives, “They found Queen Cersei in the council chambers, seated at the head of a long table littered with papers, candles, and blocks of sealing wax. The room was as splendid as any that Sansa had ever seen.” (Martin 526). Sansa contemplates the presence of the king’s small council,

Sansa seated herself beside the queen. Cersei smiled again, but that did not make her feel any less anxious. Varys was wringing his soft hands together, Grand Maester Pycelle kept his sleepy eyes on the papers in front of him, but she could feel

Littlefinger staring. Something about the way the small man looked at her made Sansa feel as though she had no clothes on. Goosebumps pimpled her skin. (Martin 527) Sansa’s perception of Baelish’s gaze is becoming more certain as she is beginning to sense his sexual desires being projected onto her. Martin’s construction of Baelish’s male gaze appears to follow Mulvey’s definition closely. As Mulvey states “The determining male gaze projects its phantasy on to the female figure which is styled accordingly.” (Mulvey 837). Baelish’s desires are primarily sexual and connected to Sansa’s physical features.

Baelish’s many remarks on Sansa’s likeness to her mother Catelyn also reveals the origin of his sexual desires for Sansa, “She reminds me of the mother, not the father,” Lord Petyr Baelish said quietly. “Look at her. The hair, the eyes. She is the very image of Cat at the same age.” (Martin 530). It is as if Sansa enables Baelish a second chance to live out his fantasy and sexual desires for her mother Catelyn. Furthermore, an important observation is that Sansa feels naked and exposed to both Ser Ilyn and Baelish’s male gaze. Even if the male gaze has no sexual intent behind it, it still appears to strip the outer layers from Sansa’s body. This includes her physical clothes but also her mental fortitude, she is left defenceless in the eyes of the male gaze.

2.3. The gaze of Sansa Stark

It is made clear from an early stage in the novel that Sansa is both naïve and vain. She has a glorified and romanticized view of her own status as a highborn lady and the royal life that comes with it. Her appreciation for luxury, comfort and the external beauty in both objects and people is demonstrated throughout the novel. Sansa contemplates the contrast between herself and her sister Arya Stark,

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Sansa knew all about the sorts of people Arya liked to talk to; squires and grooms and serving girls, old men and naked children, rough spoken freeriders of uncertain birth. Arya would make make friends with anybody. This Mycah was the worst; a butcher’s boy, thirteen and wild, he slept in the meat wagon and smelled of the slaughtering block. Just the sight of him was enough to make Sansa feel sick … (Martin 136)

Sansa desires the world to be like the songs, beautiful and delicate. She is bothered by

elements that does not fit into this image. She is dismissive and condescending toward objects and people who she considers to be less fortunate in their external conditions. The admiration and desire for both objects and people is key to describing Martin’s construction of Sansa’s female gaze. When arriving at her father’s jousting tournament, her desires are revealed,

Sansa rode to the Hand’s tourney with Septa Mordane and Jeyne Poole, in a litter with curtains of yellow silk so fine she could see right through them. They turned the whole world gold. Beyond the city walls, a hundred pavilions had been raised beside the river, and the common folk came out in the thousands to watch the games, The splendour of it all took Sansa’s breath away; the shining armor, the great chargers caparisoned in silver and gold, the shouts of the crowd, the banners snapping in the wind . . . and the knights themselves, the knights most of all. (Martin 284)

Although Sansa admires the overall scenery, she puts emphasis on her impression of the knights. Similarly, in her first encounter with Ser Ilyn, where she spotted the two knights next to him, she is struck by their gallantry. She finds interest in the younger knight of the two, her description of him is also revealing,

His companion was a man near twenty whose armor was steel plate of a deep forest-green. He was the handsomest man Sansa had ever set eyes upon; tall and powerfully made, with jet-black hair that fell to his shoulders and framed a clean-shaven face, and laughing green eyes to match his armour. Cradled under one arm was an antlered helm, its magnificent rack shimmering of gold (Martin, 138)

The knight in question is Renly Baratheon, Sansa expresses desire for his physical

appearance, complimenting him because he is tall, powerfully made, has a clean shaven face and green eyes. However, his armor and overall elegance is part of his physical attributes, creating the perfect image of a shining knight. This complement Sansa’s vision of a world like the songs. Her female gaze reveals a desire for external beauty in the object she gazes at.

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At the jousting tournament Sansa and Jeyne continue to admire the knights. Ser Loras Tyrell captures Sansa’s full attention, “Her eyes were only for Ser Loras. When the white horse stopped in front of her, she thought her heart would burst.” (Martin 288). Ser Loras hands Sansa a red rose, Sansa is stunned by his knightly manners, “Sansa took the flower timidly, struck dumb by his gallantry. His hair was a mass of lazy brown curls, his eyes like liquid gold. She inhaled the sweet fragrance of the rose and sat clutching it long after Ser Loras had ridden off.” (Martin 288). Martin’s representation of Sansa’s female gaze in this situation appears to project romantic desire when observing Ser Loras. At sixteen, Ser Loras is closer to Sansa’s age than Renly, which could be a factor in Sansa’s more romantic desire in this

situation.

The night of the jousting tournament continues as Sansa starts interacting with Prince Joffrey Baratheon. Joffrey is twelve, only a year older than Sansa, thus closer to her age than both Renly and Ser Loras. Joffrey approaches Sansa and proclaim, “Ser Loras has a keen eye for beauty, sweet lady.” (Martin 289). Ser Loras’s remark on Sansa’s beauty is noticed by Joffrey, revealing the distinct power of the male gaze, to spread to other men. As argued by Grate, the male gaze is noticed by society and its projected fantasy is spread to nearby men. According to Grate’s analysis, this fact was frequently used by Austen to demonstrate the male gaze’s fallibility in determining a woman’s beauty. Austen frequently highlights how the male gaze and its desire is easily manipulated by the opinions of others. In the situation with Fanny and Sir Thomas in Austen’s Mansfield Park (1814), Sir Thomas’s male gaze and approach to Fanny is quickly spread to the other men nearby. Together they join in the same male gaze, appreciating Fanny’s more grown up features. (Grate 30). In this case, Joffrey adopts the male gaze of Ser Loras, remarking on Sansa’s beauty.

It is clear from an early stage in the novel that Sansa is attracted to Joffrey. She fantasises that they will marry in the future. Joffrey tries to be well mannered and polite around Sansa but loses his composure in an early encounter, revealing his cruel and narcissistic sides to her. As she gazes at Joffrey, she contemplates the dual nature of his behaviour but allows his more desirable features to win,

She could not hate Joffrey tonight. He was too beautiful to hate. He wore a deep blue doublet studded with a double row of golden lion’s heads, and around his brow a slim coronet made of gold and sapphires. His hair was as bright as metal. Sansa looked at

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him and trembled, afraid that he might ignore her or, worse, turn hateful again and send her weeping from the table. (Martin 289)

Sansa display an obvious romantic interest in her gazing on Joffrey. Although, like her description of Renly, she values the objects and materials worn by Joffrey, combined with his physical appearance and gallantry. Her female gaze desires not only its object’s physical body, but its garments and behaviour are also considered. In Conaway’s analysis of Wonder Woman, she draws a similar conclusion. There appears to be more respect for the object in the female gaze. In a scene where Wonder Woman encounters the male protagonist Steve, naked in a pool house, he is not just reduced to a sexual object for Wonder Woman’s pleasure. Conaway clarifies that, the admirable features of Steve’s character, such as a sense of duty and honor are revealed to Wonder Woman (Conaway 32). Like Sansa’s female gaze on the knights, the full image of the object’s appearance and character traits is considered. This contrasts the traditional male gaze of Mulvey, where the focus is the woman’s body as erotic fantasy. A similar conclusion is drawn by Hemmann in her analysis of the manga series

xxxHolic. The series is created by the female artist group CLAMP. In a sexual encounter

between two male characters, Hemmann concludes that, “the focus of the female gaze is not necessarily on the sex between two men but rather on an exploration of a relationship between two characters that is only hinted at in the text.” (Hemmann 179). The female gaze appears to account for more in its desire and valuing of its objects, as oppose to the typical male gaze and its obsession with female body parts. Martin’s construction of Sansa’s female gaze appears to follow the definitions proposed by Conaway and Hemmann.

2.4. Summary and comparison

Ser Ilyn’s gaze is the most difficult to assess since so little about his character is revealed to the reader. However, it has a profound effect on Sansa. She is unable to perceive its

intentions, yet she feels it exposes her inner self. The pretty silk dresses and good manners of Sansa appears to have no effect on Ser Ilyn. Ser Ilyn’s male gaze is the active one, and Sansa’s female gaze is passive. He is in control and has, as Tyson puts it “the power to explain the world and so to rule the world” (Tyson 102). As the plot progresses, Sansa’s perception of Ser Ilyn’s gaze, his exposure of her worth, becomes a reality. He is the one who executes her father right in front of her. Martin’s construction of Ser Ilyn’s male gaze can be compared to an all-seeing eye, it disperses Sansa’s illusions and exposes her true place in

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Martin’s world. The power relationship between Sansa and Ser Ilyn is non-negotiable as he stands for both literally death (her father) and raw political power.

Lord Petyr Baelish’s gaze is more forthcoming in its intentions, which is hinted at in their very first encounter. Baelish has an obvious interest in Sansa’s physical appearance as it reminds him of his former love interest, Sansa’s mother Catelyn. He commemorates Sansa’s physical likeness to her mother on several occasions, emphasizing her hair and eyes. In contrast to Ser Ilyn, who invades Sansa’s inner self with his gaze, Baelish physically invades Sansa’s body. Baelish touches and strokes her hair and cheek, admiring her physicality. Similar to the advances of Sir Thomas in Mansfield Park (1814) who invades Fanny. As Sansa continues to encounter Baelish, she can start to perceive the intentions behind his male gaze as sexual. Martin’s construction of Baelish’s male gaze follows Mulvey’s definition closely, as he projects his fantasy and desire onto Sansa, who is made aware of it. In Sansa’s encounters with Ser Ilyn and Baelish, her own female gaze has no impact on them. This is clear since the interactions between them stays the same or is gradually made worse for Sansa. This stands in contrast to Austen’s protagonists, who use their female gaze and perceptive skills to great effect, transforming their surroundings, which is showcased by Grate’s analysis of Austen’s novels. Additional factors to consider are Sansa’s young age and the patriarchal nature of her Middle Ages society. She is, as opposed to Austen’s protagonists, both a child and a woman at the same time. As a child she lacks experience and knowledge, as a woman she is considered primarily as a pawn on the marriage market. This affects the possibilities of having transformative power through a female gaze. The power relations between Sansa and the two male characters appears to be static and non-negotiable, her disadvantage is too great.

Sansa’s desiring female gaze is different from Baelish’s desiring male gaze. In her appreciation for the beautiful knights, she considers their full image, valuing physicality, garment and behaviour as one. Compared to Baelish’s main interest in Sansa’s physical attributes, hair and eyes. Sansa’s female gaze is similar to that of Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkin. In Patty’s depiction of male character Steve, he is valued for his character traits and dignity, combined with his good-looking body. Sansa’s female gaze when connected to desire appears to have a more complex nature than that of Baelish’s desiring male gaze.

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3. Conclusion

This critical analysis of the novel A Game of Thrones concludes that there are differences in Martin’s representation of the male and female gaze. The male gaze displayed by the two male characters differ slightly. Ser Ilyn’s gaze is a general male gaze, projecting patriarchal values onto Sansa. By this I mean she does not perceive Ser Illyn’s gaze as a sexual gaze, but it does reduce and limit her by exposing how small her actual worth appears to be. Ser Ilyn’s male gaze stands for the raw political and patriarchal power in Martin’s world. Baelish’s gaze on the other hand, follows the typical male gaze as it was defined by Mulvey. It is a sexual and desiring male gaze that projects its erotic fantasy onto its object (Sansa). He also has a power advantage over Sansa, like Ser Ilyn he is a man first and foremost but also is of some importance to the king’s court. This allows his male gaze free reign and there is little Sansa can do to resist it.

Sansa’s gaze showcases that there is a difference in how the female gaze desires its object compared to the male gaze. Baelish is only interested in Sansa’s bodily features, such as her hair and eyes. Sansa is broader in her appreciation for her object, where physicality, clothing, materials and behaviour are valued as one. This is in line with the impression of the female gaze concluded in Conaway’s and Hemmann’s studies, that the female gaze can be considered more versatile in its desiring. Additionally, Martin’s construction of the female gaze in Sansa lacks the transformative power seen in Austen’s protagonists. This can be connected to the patriarchal power structures within the novel. Sansa is always at a disadvantage in her

exchanges with the male characters Ser Ilyn and Baelish. Because of this, their gaze becomes the active and controlling gaze, whilst she is its passive object.

For future studies I would propose changes to my approach which would likely yield better results. Considering Sansa’s young age, she is immediately put at a disadvantage in relation to the male characters that the possibility to impact them is already small. For instance, had she been a male character, I argue it would have made little difference to her ability to impact these characters. I conclude that a more effective approach would have been to explore female protagonists who are adults. A good option is the female protagonist Catelyn Stark, who is more directly contending with the patriarchal gaze of male characters around her. Another option is the female character Cersei Lannister, although she is not a focalizer and the reader does not see the world through her eyes, she displays impressive perceptive and manipulative

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skills throughout the novel. Both adult women resist the male gaze and transform their surroundings, similar to Austen’s protagonists as shown by Grate.

3.1. Didactic reflection

The Swedish curriculum demands that high school students should be able to use and develop their literary thought process. More specifically, a student should be able to use fiction as a source to understand peoples’ experiences, conditions, thoughts and views of reality. It is also implied that students must be able to critically examine texts, literature, and different kinds of fiction (Gy11 55, 163). Clearly, the skill of using critical thinking when reading is promoted in the curriculum and should then in extension be practiced in our classrooms.

Given the complex nature of gaze theory, I argue that the concept should not be considered in its entirety for high school students, the level of complexity should be reduced. It could be useful to think about the gaze as a way of purposefully looking at someone and alerting them to my act of gazing. Focusing on the intention behind the gaze and how it is perceived by the subject who is gazed at. Considering gaze theory’s strong connection to feminist criticism, one should include it when working with gender issues or a gender perspective. Naturally this would translate to differences between the male gaze and the female gaze. Nonetheless, I do not dismiss Mulvey’s application of gaze theory as too complex for high school students. The psychoanalytic elements of her theory can be simplified. Difficult terminology can be

translated, and context can be broadened. For instance, the focus on male gaze and Hollywood film industry can be broadened to account for a gendered gaze in film and literature.

Considering both a male and female gaze and its expression in both mediums. As showcased by Grate, the three looks of Mulvey’s theory is easily translated from film to literature: The camera/director becomes the narrator/author, the spectator becomes the reader and the film character becomes the literary character. Future studies could consider all the three looks, as opposed to just the literary characters. For example, one could consider Martin’s motives and attitudes for writing A Game of Thrones and its characters. However, this could be

challenging as it would require analysis of interviews and comments made by him in relation the novel and its characters.

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4. Works Cited

Primary Source

Martin, George R.R. A Game of Thrones. Harper Voyager. The paperback edition, 2011.

Secondary Sources

Conaway, Cady Monroe. “Male Gaze and The Heroines of Our Era.” San Francisco State

University, 2018.

Grate, Rachel S. “Love at First Sight? Jane Austen and The Transformative Male Gaze.”

Scripps Senior Theses. Paper 662, April 24, 2015.

Hemmann, Kathryn. “The Female Gaze in Contemporary Japanese Literature.” University of

Pennsylvania, 2013.

Jean-Paul Sartre. Being and Nothingness. Translation from French to English by Barnes, Hazel E, University of Colorado, 1993.

Krips, Henry. “The Politics of The Gaze: Foucault, Lacan and Žižek.” Culture Unbound,

Volume 2. Linköping University, 2010, pp. 91-102.

Ma, Yuanlong. Lacan on Gaze. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science vol. 5, No 10(1); Renim University of China, October 2015.

Mulvey, Laura. “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” Film theory and Criticism:

Introductory Readings. Oxford UP, 1999, pp. 833-44.

M. Sauer, Michelle. Gender In Medieval Culture. Bloomsbury Academic, 2015.

Tyson, Lois. Critical theory today: A User-Friendly Guide. Second Edition. Routledge, 2006.

Other sources

Skolverket Läroplan, examensmål och gymnasiegemensamma ämnen för gymnasieskola

2011. Skolverket, 2011

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Besöksadress: Kristian IV:s väg 3 Postadress: Box 823, 301 18 Halmstad Telefon: 035-16 71 00

E-mail: registrator@hh.se www.hh.se

References

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