Are there Walls in other stories

[JoanDrake]

I recently read an interview with GRRM where he claims that his idea of The Wall in ASoIaF is original with him. I thought "huh, I've seen outlandishly huge walls in other places" The first was in LeGuins Earthsea, but on further examination that's not really that big. The second was in Full Metal Alchemist, but that started in 2002 and Thrones started in 1998. There's even a huge cliff in Harry Harrison's Deathworld III (or maybe II, I get them mixed up) but that is a natural formation

Somehow, though I do remember one, or maybe even more, from somewhere else, and it was before Martin's

Can the encyclopedic knowledge of the Chrons help? Did Martin really come up with something new under his alien sun, or is that a little bit of authorly puffery?

 

[Lenny]

I saw the title and thought to myself: Fullmetal Alchemist! Weirdly, a friend I forced into watching the GoT series a couple of months ago (he usually resists for a few years then watches things I have recommended at the behest of some girl he falls out with after mere weeks, so I don't feel bad at all - I was just speeding things up! And yes, he enjoyed the series), asked me the other day whether FMA came before GoT, because he was wondering if the Northern Wall of Briggs had any connection with Martin's Wall. I'd totally forgotten there even was a wall in FMA, so I had to Google quickly to save face and give him the dates.

The only thing that comes to mind is the historical wall that splits England and Scotland - Hadrian's Wall. Apart from not being 700 feet tall and covered in ice, it's pretty similar to the Wall in ASoIaF, as it was built to protect the Romans from the 'barbarians' in cold Scotland to the north, and had forts along its length.

Aside from history (the best story of all - people in times gone by were crazy!), I can't offer any more examples.

 

[J-Sun]

I don't know anything about the details of Martin's "wall" but, while I can't remember the name, author, or details, there's some story where there's nothing but a wall - like the entire universe or planet or something is a moebius strip wall or something.

Thanks. Now it's driving me crazy that I can't think what it is. Plus there's even another I'm thinking of (unless it's a different aspect of the first one) which has to do with a plain beyond a wall and building some gizmo to get them over the wall. Something. I dunno - when did this wall appear in Martin? Depending on when, Alastair Reynolds even has a "Great Wall of Mars" but that was in 2000, in the middle of Martin's series.

Anyway, point is, I'm sure he's not the first to do a "wall" though there may be details or aspects of it that set it apart from others.

And, after all, all you have to do to get an idea about a great wall is look at China.

 

[Culhwch]

I was gonna say the Great Wall of China as well. Can't think of any others offhand in novels, though.

 

[The Ace]

Actually, Hadrian's Wall is entirely in England, being a touch south of the border at Carlisle, and nearly 100 miles south at Newcastle (Wallsend/Segedunum).

In the UK you also have the Antonine Wall (Clyde-Forth - shadowed by the later Forth and Clyde Canal) and Offa's Dyke - intended to keep the Welsh out.

The Great wall of China is probably the one everybody thinks about, but there are the Limes in Germany along the Rhein/Main from Roman times too.

Tolkein has the Morannon and Minas Ithil (Minas Morgul), and the Shire's High Hay separating Buckland from the Old Forest probably serves a similar function.

You won't have far to look in any case.

 

[Boaz]

GRRM has stated (I don't know when or where, I apologize) that he does not like to copy plots and characters from other authors. He confesses to being inspired and influenced by Tolkien, Heinlein, Clarke, et al, but strives not to mimic other writers. But he has said that he liberally takes situations and characters from history. GRRM is obviously a history buff... enlarging a wall (Hadrian's, Antonine/Severan, Great Wall) for his epic was a no brainer, in retrospect.

Ace, you're correct regarding Tolkien. I'd like to mention that the Pelennor was encircled with a wall, but my impression is that it was less than ten feet. Also, Thangorodrim was raised by Morgoth to defend Angband. Thangorodrim was the name for three mountain peaks of the Iron Mountains(?) and I'd assume they were thousands of feet high... and yet not technically walls.

The walls of Troy, in Homer's epic and in all retellings, seem to be at least a hundred feet high. Though these are city fortifications...

In the Third Servile War, Crassus cornered Spartacus on the southwestern tip of the Italian penninsula. Crassus ordered fortifications built to hem in the rebels. If I recall correctly, the fortifications were about twenty-five miles. These were not meant to be permanent walls... probably a ditch and berm and maybe stakes.

The biggest man made wall meant to keep out a monster is the ubiquitous wall of the natives in the King Kong movie franchise.

 

[J Riff]

And in 'Robinson Crusoe on Mars' ...Robinson sees a reflection of himself on a huge glassy cliff wall, and that scared me more than all GRRMs books put together, even had I ever read any of them. But a huge, really bigBig wall? Hmm, didn't Pink and the Floyds do something like that?

 

[Brian G Turner]

I have a wall around my garden, and I have to say, I've never had any problems with Others or any other form of walking undead. However, it doesn't stop the cats getting in, but I doubt GRRM's would either.

 

[juleska]

Could it be that the concept to which he was referring was not the physical characteristics of the wall but the purpose that it serves, and the manner in which it is protected?