Present Shock reaction post- Alfie Tutt

Game of Thrones presents a perfect example of Rushkoff’s ideas, reflecting presentist cultural ethos. Game of Thrones reflects Rushkoff’s idea of Meta narrative, and furthermore the TV show does not have an identifiable end, but instead keeps threads going most likely to entertain the reader while abandoning traditional narrative structure. Games of Thrones is a perfect example of the presentist cultural ethos because it is set up closely to a fantasy role playing game, and reflects the present in some sense because it is taking a rather different spin on medieval times while not relating itself at all closely to the idea at hand. Game of Thrones is a perfect example of narrative collapse because there is no linear story, but instead reflects our need for multiple story lines and events.

Game of Thrones mainly reflects Rushkoff’s ideas of Meta narrative. Rushkoff defines Meta narrative as a show that “creates sustained tension-with little expectation of final resolution” (Rushkoff 34). Game of Thrones embodies this idea because of its ability to sustain tension while not providing a clear vision of a final resolution, the main purpose being in order to create agitation amongst viewers, and increase their attention towards the show. The last season of Game of Thrones executed this technic well because it ended on an unresolved conflict of Jon Snow’s death, and whether he would potentially show up later in the next series. Game of Thrones also embodies the style of Meta Narrative because it embodies a role playing game, from the opening scene all the way to the final credits because of its ability to create an arced storyline or narrative arc. Game of Thrones also uses Rushkoff’s idea of having no identifiable end, and therefore creating multiple sub stories or threads abandoning the linear path that most generic movies and television shows attempt to take. Rushkoff identifies that the “traditional linear story works by creating a character we can identify with, putting that character in danger, and then allowing him or her to discover a way out” (Rushkoff 19). On the contrary to the linear story, Game of Thrones takes on multiple perspectives from a variety of characters, with different issues. The multiple perspectives result in multiple plots and eliminate the use of one overarching story. It is worth noting that the book series that ties into Game of Thrones has not yet been completed, but regardless of this fact the storyline still seems to bring no exact end to the series.

Furthermore Game of Thrones can be used to present a strong twist on medieval and even mythological stories altering the traditional narrative and presenting a new version based on presentist culture. While not actually having stated the time period in congruent with the real worlds time period it is widely speculated that Game of Thrones is loosely based on medieval times and furthermore myth. Game of Thrones presents misguided views on life in medieval time, and also presents more of a presentist version of the War of Roses between rival families. One main presentist view which was been added to Game of Thrones even though already being around in medieval times, is the battle of the religions, which has become more relevant, with questions arising about radical religious groups. Game of Thrones takes in the presentist idea of radical religious groups such as the followers of the Lord of Light, the contest going on between multiple religions in Game of Thrones. Even though there were some religious conflicts around the medieval period, the idea of religious conflict has surged in the past couple of years especially, and is evident with the religious divides in Game of Thrones. Furthermore, Game of Thrones presents a presentist view of the world because of the opening title that is reminiscent of a fantasy role-playing game or board game, and adds a presentist touch to the show. In an interview with Wired, Rushkoff states that Game of Thrones embodies narrative collapse because “ it’s structured less like a TV show or a movie than a Soap Opera…these open ended narratives are much more consonant with the open-ended, fantasy role playing like sensibility of presentism”(Wired).  Game of Thrones embodies the new idea of an open ended TV show presenting an obvious presentist theme that was not common in previous years and may have been looked down upon.

In conclusion Game of Thrones, even though mentioned briefly in Present Shock, embodies the themes set forth by Rushkoff much more than mentioned, and further expands on many of Rushkoff’s ideas through different means.

Work cited:

Rushkoff, Douglass. Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now. New York: Penguin, 2013. Print.

"Living in the Present Is a Disorder." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

Style used by Hemingway in A Moveable Feast- Alfie Tutt reaction post

In Hemingway’s book A Moveable Feast, He uses rhetorical devices and flash forwards to show that his writing style as informative and reflective on his life.

Hemingway talks as if he is retelling his life giving an informative feel to the book, while presenting the reader with an understanding of Hemingway’s subconscious feelings at the same time. For example, Hemingway flashes forward in the book while talking about his trip to the Alps, to when he lost his first wife Hadley, stating that he believed “Hadley, who had no possible blame, ever, came well out of it finally and married a much finer man than I ever was or could hope to be” (Hemingway 123). Hemingway uses the flash forward while talking about how his and Hadley’s relationship became careless after their time in the Alps, creating a connection between the reader’s viewpoint 50 years after the event had occurred.  Hemingway’s subsequent flash forwards are also to used to connect Hemingway’s feeling of where events were misleading or played a significant role in the remainder of his life. Hemingway also uses rhetoric devices such as polysyndetons as well as symbolism. Symbolism is used in the title of the book; the moveable feast Hemingway says was Paris, where most of Hemingway’s happier moments occurred. Hemingway uses an informative style to convey to the reader his experience with different writers such as Fitzgerald, giving the reader added information on the writers true personality to reveal problems within Fitzgerald’s life, and reasons for his death (mainly being associated with Fitzgerald’s wife). Hemingway also used a change to second person constantly throughout the book which added to the book by making the reader think and putting them in Hemingway’s position while getting the reader involved in the story.

We read Hemingway’s book because it demonstrates a different style of writing (especially since Hemingway is looking back on these events) that have to be taken into account when accurately analyzing a piece of writing. We also read A Moveable Feast because it displays one of the countries most renowned writers, Ernest Hemingway, and his recollection of his flamboyant life in Paris, which would appear to be one spark of brightness in an otherwise dull life. The text shifts between present and past, creating a problematic situation for the reader. The genre of Hemingway’s book has to be a fictional journal, because whilst Hemingway is retelling moments about his time in Paris, due to the time difference between living in Paris and writing the book, he could not have recalled such intricate details. These examples include the detailed description of the food he ate every day. Furthermore the book is fictional because it reads as more of a story, and is written very much in the form of a journal or diary.

Work Cited: 

Hemingway, Ernest, Seán A. Hemingway, and Patrick Hemingway. A Moveable Feast: The Restored Edition. New York, NY: Scribner, 2009. Print.