Difference between revisions of "The Reign of King Viserys, First of His Name, and the Dance of the Dragons That Came After"

From A Wiki of Ice and Fire
Jump to: navigation, search
m (fixing title capitalisation in lead as well)
 
(10 intermediate revisions by 5 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
'''''The Reign of King Viserys, first of His Name, and the Dance of the Dragons That Came After''''' is a historical book written by Septon [[Eustace (Dance of the Dragons)|Eustace]] regarding the reign of King [[Viserys I Targaryen]].{{ref|TWOIAF| Viserys I}}
+
{{italic title}}
 +
'''''The Reign of King Viserys, First of His Name, and the Dance of the Dragons That Came After''''' is a historical book written by Septon [[Eustace (Dance of the Dragons)|Eustace]] regarding the reign of King [[Viserys I Targaryen]].{{ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Viserys I}}
  
When Archmaester [[Gyldayn]] wrote ''[[The Princess and The Queen, or, The Blacks and The Greens (by Archmaester Gyldayn)|The Princess and The Queen, or, The Blacks and The Greens]]'', he used Eustace's writings as one of his sources because they contained information not found elsewhere.  However, Gyldayn also felt that Eustace was a [[greens|green]] supporter and biased to portray Aegon II in a positive light and Rhaenyra in a negative light.  Therefore, Gyldayn was often careful to weigh statements from Eustace's writings with other quotes from contradicting sources, hoping that the truth could be discerned somewhere in between.{{ref|tpatq}}
+
When Archmaester [[Gyldayn]] wrote ''[[The Princess and the Queen, or, the Blacks and the Greens|The Princess and the Queen]]'', he used Eustace's writings as one of his sources because they contained information not found elsewhere.  However, Gyldayn also felt that Eustace was a [[greens|green]] supporter and biased to portray Aegon II in a positive light and Rhaenyra in a negative light.  Therefore, Gyldayn was often careful to weigh statements from Eustace's writings with other quotes from contradicting sources, hoping that the truth could be discerned somewhere in between.{{ref|tpatq}}
  
Unfortunately, only fragmented copies of Gyldayn's works survive, often poorly edited. The result is that certain points in which Gyldayn was careful to state that he was quoting something Eustace wrote have been omitted in later copies - the result being that statements from Eustace's work are presented as if they were statements of fact by Gyldayn.{{ref|tpatq}}
+
Maester [[Yandel]] calls the tome to have a dry and ponderous writing-style, although he considers Eustace, clearly a confidant of the Targaryens, to speak accurately of many things.{{Ref|twoiaf| The Targaryen Kings: Viserys I}}
 +
 
 +
==Behind the Scenes==
 +
The novella ''[[The Princess and the Queen]]'', published in the anthology [[w:Dangerous Women|Dangerous Women]] in 2013, is the abridged version of "The Dying of the Dragons", a chapter meant for ''[[Fire and Blood]]''.<ref group="N">''[[The Princess and the Queen]]'' itself counts 30,000 words ([[Not A Blog]]: [http://grrm.livejournal.com/331218.html The Princess and the Queen (August 31, 2013)]), while the complete piece of "The Dying of the Dragons" is roughly 60,000 words in length (r/asoiaf.com: [https://www.reddit.com/r/asoiaf/comments/5qh7aa/spoilers_extended_the_possibilities_for_grrms_new/dczqsou/ (Spoilers Extended) The Possibilities for GRRM's New Novella in the Book of Swords Anthology]).</ref> The editors shortened the text, and as a result some things in the text appear biased because additional, complicating material has been removed. An example is [[Rhaenyra Targaryen]] claiming the [[Iron Throne]]. For example, the published text of ''The Princess and the Queen'' states that Rhaenyra took several cuts from the Iron Throne, which was cited as proof that she should not rule. While the original text makes it clear this entire passage is a direct quotation of Septon Eustace's text, the published text of ''The Princess and the Queen'' omits that Eustace is the source, instead making it seem as if Gyldayn himself is voicing his opinion.<ref name="Ran">[http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/100284-spoilers-the-princess-and-the-queen-complete-spoilers-discussion/&do=findComment&comment=5178064 [Spoilers<nowiki>]</nowiki> The Princess and the Queen, complete spoilers discussion (28 November, 2013)] &ndash; Ran discussing Eustace</ref>
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
 +
{{Notes}}
  
[[George R.R. Martin]] has explained that the printed version of his novella ''[[The Princess and the Queen]]'' was shortened for length by his editors, a result of which is that sentences which he originally prefaced by saying that they were based on Eustace's account were cut, presenting this information as fact.  For example, the point in ''The Princess and the Queen'' when it is stated that Aegon II did not want to be king (but was goaded into it by his mother) is presented as simply a statement of fact by Gyldayn.  In Martin's full draft, however, it is clarified that this is the version recorded in Eustace's book - implying that his account was biased and attempting to make Aegon II appear humble, when this is not really what happened.  Aegon II's personality in much of the rest of the narrative describes him as a greedy man grasping for power, shedding further suspicion on Eustace's account. 
+
==References==
 
 
==References and Notes==
 
 
{{References}}
 
{{References}}
  
[[Category:Books and Scrolls|Reign of King Viserys]]
+
[[Category:Books and scrolls|Reign of King Viserys]]
 +
[[Category:Dance of the Dragons|Reign of King Viserys]]
 +
[[Category:House Targaryen|Reign of King Viserys]]
 +
[[fr:Le Règne du roi Viserys, premier du nom et la Danse des Dragons qui s'en suivit]]

Latest revision as of 12:10, 19 May 2019

The Reign of King Viserys, First of His Name, and the Dance of the Dragons That Came After is a historical book written by Septon Eustace regarding the reign of King Viserys I Targaryen.[1]

When Archmaester Gyldayn wrote The Princess and the Queen, he used Eustace's writings as one of his sources because they contained information not found elsewhere. However, Gyldayn also felt that Eustace was a green supporter and biased to portray Aegon II in a positive light and Rhaenyra in a negative light. Therefore, Gyldayn was often careful to weigh statements from Eustace's writings with other quotes from contradicting sources, hoping that the truth could be discerned somewhere in between.[2]

Maester Yandel calls the tome to have a dry and ponderous writing-style, although he considers Eustace, clearly a confidant of the Targaryens, to speak accurately of many things.[1]

Behind the Scenes

The novella The Princess and the Queen, published in the anthology Dangerous Women in 2013, is the abridged version of "The Dying of the Dragons", a chapter meant for Fire and Blood.[N 1] The editors shortened the text, and as a result some things in the text appear biased because additional, complicating material has been removed. An example is Rhaenyra Targaryen claiming the Iron Throne. For example, the published text of The Princess and the Queen states that Rhaenyra took several cuts from the Iron Throne, which was cited as proof that she should not rule. While the original text makes it clear this entire passage is a direct quotation of Septon Eustace's text, the published text of The Princess and the Queen omits that Eustace is the source, instead making it seem as if Gyldayn himself is voicing his opinion.[3]

Notes

  1. The Princess and the Queen itself counts 30,000 words (Not A Blog: The Princess and the Queen (August 31, 2013)), while the complete piece of "The Dying of the Dragons" is roughly 60,000 words in length (r/asoiaf.com: (Spoilers Extended) The Possibilities for GRRM's New Novella in the Book of Swords Anthology).

References