Creating the Quasi-medieval World in G.R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire

This paper aims at analysing the creation of the world in A Song of Ice and Fire, which combines together fantastic elements with the ones imitating the medieval reality and results in such a convincing work that an impression of reading a historical novel is created. In order to do so, the article identifies such aspects recurring within the series as the deconstruction of chivalric ideals and the historical, cultural, and even geographical analogies between the British Isles and the fictional world of Westeros. Moreover, the paper critically investigates the manner in which Martin provides his readers with information concerning the history of the fictional continent. As it turns out, he simultaneously embeds his work in the events and phenomena from the past which are not necessarily known to the average reader, and seeks inspiration in the popular image of the Middle Ages, rather than its actual shape, as reconstructed by numerous scholars