GRRM: Without Arya or Danaerys?

[Brian G Turner]

I'm curious - would female readers find "A Song of Fire and Ice" a lot harder to get into without the Point of View scenes of Arya and Danaerys?

Or would you be just as drawn to the story without such a focus on both characters developing?

 

[LadyFel]

I don't think I'd have a problem with the lack of either of them, although Dany's part in the story seems to at least give a bit more information on the background and set the scene for future occurences...Arya's chapters were admittedly much more fun to read, but she's off on her own side-quests and nothing too improtant was revealed there...Even Sansa's chapters give much more insight into the whole situation than Arya's, despite the fact that she is less indepentent than her sister...

But, again, I could very easily do without any of the female POVs, Catelyn included...It was Tyrion and Jon who did it for me in the first place, and Jaime in the third book...

 

[mercury]

both arya and dany exhibit some masculine characteristics. arya is a perfect tom boy, wile dany role models are mostly the knights of weserose, and raghar as a first among them. sensa and Caitlyn offer the most typical woman types, and consequently indominant in their actions. I’m sure that little finger education will bump sensas logic and conspiracy skills a league or two, and that arya will show more womanly behavior (not calm, womanly) as she matures. but for time being their stories are stele on the prelude stage and are not to be jugged as the older and more complex povs. The rune of yankui will prove to educate dany in similar ways.

 

[Brian G Turner]

It's more because I had a personal complaint that tell their PoV stories so early in the books added nothing to the main plot - but most females I've seen commentating on the ASoFaI books seem especially enamoured of Arya and Danaerys.

I can't help but feel that without these two characters, it would have made it much more difficult for women readers to associate with the characters at least by gender - Sansa, Catelyn, and Cersei are hardly strong femine role models (at least by comparison).

 

[AryaUnderfoot]

I'd have to say that although I absolutely love the male characters in the GRRM books, it would have put a damper on things if the only females represented in the story were a mother and a simpering, shallow little girl. God knows we get enough of crappy female characters from other writers (cough-Jordan!).

I also have to argue that Arya and Dany do contribute a great deal. Arya witnesses a lot of things that give us a clearer view of the amount of chaos that is brewing in Westeros. Without her traveling all over the place, we'd have no idea how the vast majority of the smallfolk and some of the lesser characters were affected by all that is happening. In addition, the book would be really boring if it only took place in main cities- none of the other characters, other than Jon, really travel as much. Arya and Dany both serve to add some extra flavor, not to mention they kick a--. No, they don't exhibit traditional feminine characteristics, but when you look around at your female friends, you might see some similarities to Arya and Daenerys. Few modern women prefer to turn the other cheek and let men push them around.

They'll have their time, you can count on it. They may not be central to the plot now, but someday...

 

[andyn]

Couldn't agree more. I found both Sansa and Catelyn a bit whinging, and lacking any real drive. With both of them it was a case of woe is me. Almost a traditional stereotype of women in a fantasy setting.
Dany and Arya are different, they are both strong and independent. They are not masculine, but toughj. They are in a male dominated world and they have to compete twice as hard as anyyone else.
The characters that atracted me to the story were Dany, Jon, Tyrion and Jamie. Both the Lannister boys are i think great flawed characters, who add so much to the story.

 

[Rane Longfox]

Personally, I never liked Dany's PoV chapters until the third book. Before then they were almost cringe-making at times...

 

[Rahl Windsong]

Ayra's chapters are sacred to me, I simply love her character and I really feel that GRRM has HUGE things in store for her. I am not a woman, however, so I really have no idea how their absence from the story would change their oppinions on it. I can say with conviction though that if those two were missing the story would not be nearly as good a story as it is.

Danaerys, as one poster here put it "cringing" I don't see her chapters that way at all I see that part of the story as slowly showing her that her family actually had become the very same "evil" that sits the Iron Throne now. The cringing part is necessary so that she can see just how evil her family had become and how that evil caused them to loose the throne. By the time her story comes together with the other story I think we will see her become more inclined to join the forces that fight the true enemy to the entire kingdom, the Others.

A long winter is coming, and Danaerys dragons may be the only salvation for the kingdom. Theories about a dragon beneath Winterfell and dragons suddenly appearing from everywhere may come to pass but Danaerys dragons are real and they are coming. I think you will see Ayra and Danaerys become close friends eventually, its just a hunch.

Rahl

 

[magemanda]

As a woman who has read a huge amount of fantasy, I've got used to women in books having a small/cliched part to play, so it was refreshing that there were stronger female characters in GRRM.

Having said that, I would have read the books regardless because I love a number of the male characters - Jon and Tyrion especially.

 

[Lacedaemonian]

I could have enjoyed the book without Dany (though I know her relevance), but a the book would have been fairly dull without little Arya. She is certainly one of my favourite characters.

 

[Fitz]

No, I don't think it would have affected my enjoyment in the books if Dany and Arya's POV weren't in it.
As interested as I am in Arya's development in the books, I really wouldn't mind if she wasn't in it. As for Dany, she's intersting at times, but sometimes she just bores me.