The Fourth Wall and “The Wall”: GoT’s Reception in Argentina, Spain, and Germany

Abstract

HBO’s global success, Game of Thrones (2011–2019), is known for having an active international fan base. In this qualitative interpretive study of the show’s reception in Spain, Germany, and Argentina, I examine themes emerged from interviews with twenty-one viewers. I interpret their readings on the series together with online and offline engagement practices. Rather than marked cultural contrasts, the study identifies common patterns across nations: varying degrees of analytic and emotional engagement leading to diverse fan subjectivities within their “locality.” Theoretically, I draw from Mittell as well as Jenkins et al. to argue how GoT provides an arena for casual viewers and die-hard fans to move on both axes of engagement: drillability and spreadability. To finalize, I reflect on dominant academic discourses that reinforce notions of proper fandom and propose to apply anthropology’s cultural relativism and respect for the emic perspective to acknowledge agency.

Abjection, Masculinity, and Sacrifice: The Reek of Death in Game of Thrones

“…By its Season 8 finale in 2019, it had achieved record-breaking viewership, averaging over 44 million when continued streaming, on-demand viewing, and additional replays were factored into episode numbers (Porter 2019). Its cultural impact was magnified by social media, web forums, blogs, and fan-generated YouTube videos (Pérez and Reisenzein 2020, 385), which both extended fan engagement with the series beyond initial viewing and contributed to its high degree of transcultural “spreadability” (Garcia-Rapp 2021, 9–12). Thus, both the hegemonic norms on display in the series and their critique are highly and globally relevant.…”