Geo-spatial Dynamics and Alternative Reality: Exploring the Convergence of Real and Virtual Worlds in A Song of Ice and Fire and The Chronicles of Narnia

Abstract

George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire and C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia have carved a niche in the realm of fantasy fiction. Enduring popular success over the decades, they have become a part of modern day popular culture alongside Rowling’s Harry Potter and Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. With the creation of alternative geo-spatial domains in the form of Westeros, Essos, and Narnia, Martin and Lewis succeeded in creating an alternative reality for their works. Readers are immediately thrust into the political intrigues affecting the continents of Westeros and Essos in A Song of Ice and Fire; on the other hand, they are treated to elements of fantasy, magic, and supernatural creatures in Narnia. Fictional geography is a discipline unto itself, a fantastic hybrid of real geography and literary fiction. Martin and Lewis have imagined vast worlds that bear some resemblance to the real world in which we live, but frequently colored with imaginary features found only in our dreams. With the inclusion of complex geographical features, fantastic birds and animals (including dragons), the worlds of Westeros and Narnia come across as strange, but not wholly alien; they bear striking similarities to the cities and geography known to us. A case to point is the Free City of Braavos which is the mirror image of Venice. Thus, the writings of George R.R. Martin and C.S. Lewis strike a balance between the fantastic and the familiar, while handling geo-spatial dynamics, succeeding in the creation of an alternative reality.